Shoofly Literary Magazine

Since 2004, Shoofly Magazine has given students a place to showcase their literary talents at Kutztown University. This student-run journal offers those in the KU community a platform where they can submit their poetry, short fiction, drama, and more in a magazine that releases every spring. 

The Shoofly staff keep busy at KU. At Shoofly’s open mic events, students and friends from all majors come together to share and discuss their work. Students from any major can submit to the magazine, and whoever’s work is selected gets to be featured in the published product. At the final reading event, those students whose work was selected are able to read their piece, to celebrate the launch of the magazine. Those who are uninterested in submitting are always welcome to join and to help with running Shoofly or to simply be a part of the crowd at events. 

There are a variety of ways to get involved. Each semester, students can stop by their four open mic events. Also, at the beginning of each semester, Shoofly members attend an involvement fair on campus to recruit new members. They also host fundraisers and workshops. Shoofly encourages anyone to attend their meetings, held every other Thursday during the free hour in room 204. To join the club, students need only stop by the English department office or see Professor Jeffrey Voccola, Shoofly’s Faculty Advisor.   

Being a part of the staff at Shoofly means joining a dedicated team that strives to create a professional literary magazine, all while getting experience in a publishing setting. Ella Luzzi, the President and Head Copy Editor, had this to say about volunteering with Shoofly: 

“Our staff does a variety of jobs. Sometimes they overlap, but for the most part, the staff can pick what they want to do. You can be a copy editor or a reader for fiction and or poetry, meaning you read through every fiction or poetry submission and write comments on each one. When the second semester starts, the readers meet with the head readers to vote on which pieces should be in the magazine.” 

She continued, “When all the pieces are chosen for the magazine, the head copy editor (me) reads through everything and makes preliminary edits and then sends the edits out to the copy editors a few times to make sure everything looks very clean. You can also help with PR, such as fundraising, promotion, correspondence, social media, etc.”

The current members bring together their unique talents to keep the club running. This year, the board is Ella Luzzi as President and Head Copy Editor, Collin Stettler as VP and Head Fiction Reader, Zoey Adam as Secretary and Head Poetry Reader, Courtney Morstatt as Treasurer and Head of PR, and Ellen Robinson as Historian and Assistant to the Head of PR. Besides the Faculty Advisor, Professor Jeffry Voccola, and an occasional professor’s aid, the students do everything.  

Ella Luzzi said, “We have a handful of amazing students who are always volunteering to help with things; everything everyone does, big or small, is necessary for our success. Our staff is basically a bunch of dorky English/Professional Writing students, and it's great. With that being said, all majors are invited to submit or join the staff. You don't have to be an English major to love reading.”

Students can submit their work between June 1st and November 15th. Writers may submit up to three pieces for consideration, with only one of the three submissions exceeding 3,500 words. Digital submissions for the Magazine Cover Contest are from June 1st to October 31st. See the Kutztown English website for submission guidelines

Additional information can be found on Facebook or by contacting the Shoofly Literary Magazine Staff at shoofly@kutztown.edu.

Be on the lookout for their upcoming events next Fall semester. Shoofly will send periodic emails notifying students of their open mics, fundraisers, workshops, and other events. This year they’re putting in extra efforts for outreach, so expect to hear from them soon! 

Call for Submissions

Written submissions are accepted between June 1st and November 15th. Writers may submit up to three pieces for consideration, but only one of the three submissions may exceed 3,500 words. Please follow the submission guidelines carefully. Notifications regarding acceptance are sent in April.

Shoofly accepts digital submissions for the Magazine Cover Contest from June 1st to October 31st. Submission guidelines can be found here.

Additional information can be found on Facebook or by contacting the Shoofly Literary Magazine Staff at shoofly@kutztown.edu.

Shoofly‘s Faculty Advisor is Professor Jeffrey Voccola