 "Photo: Curt Youngblood; The Daily Texan")
As every aspiring writer eventually finds out, the literary world is tough. Whether being sent a generic rejection letter from The New Yorker or waiting a year to receive a negative response from a national publication, getting that big break is hard to come by. That barrier is now easier to break for English undergraduates to get their start.
English senior Paula Mendoza-Hanna is the founder and editor of a new outlet for English undergraduates to submit writing and have a voice in the literary world. This new outlet is in the form of a journal called “Hothouse.”
“Hothouse” plans to publish poetry and prose, as well as a special section for miscellaneous nonfiction. The group has been around since spring of this year, but the first publication is still in the works.
They are now accepting submissions for the first time, which is an idea turned into a reality for Mendoza-Hanna.
Mendoza-Hanna first asked for help in starting a publication when she attended creative writing meetings held by the Undergraduate English Association.
“I came into the project with the ambition of beginning something that will outlast my stay here at UT, and I think that’s why all of us are in ‘Hothouse,’” Mendoza-Hanna said. “It’s all about growing and making ‘Hothouse’ a learning environment and a place to gain experience.”
She then discovered that the department had some extra money to spend on a magazine within the department and was looking for students to head that project. Mendoza-Hanna was up for the task, along with managing editor and English senior Scott Brownlee.
Right now the College of Liberal Arts has several publications, but “Hothouse” is unique because it is exclusively for English undergraduates.
As supervisor of “Hothouse” and adviser in the English department, Matt Harvey put it, “It’s a big department, and we really want to showcase some of the talent that we have here. I see this as a project to strengthen the English major community.”
Brownlee explained that in the literary world, it’s hard to get published because there are so many people with extensive experience in the craft of writing.
Other journals allow submissions from all over the nation, “but this journal is another opportunity to give undergraduate English students access to the submission process and get their work out there,” Brownlee said.
“Hothouse” is also unique in its aspirations of having each member play a role as an associate editor.
Brownlee describes it as “organic” — the contrast between “Hothouse” and other publications. While other publications have slush editors that sift through the majority of submissions and then let the editor-in-chief make final selections, “Hothouse” is able to take everyone’s opinion into consideration when deciding what goes into the final publication, Brownlee said.
This can be accomplished because the group is so small.
“It is less detached and separate,” Mendoza-Hanna said. “It’s a lot more integrative and responsive to everyone. Plus, since it’s starting out, everyone has a sense of shaping this magazine and giving its identity.”
A prime example of this is the current project of deciding what the cover will look like. Members have been brainstorming covers and sharing them with one another at the latest meetings.
Brownlee views “Hothouse” as good practice for his future. He hopes to earn his Master of Fine Arts, which will likely require that he work on a journal. He says “Hothouse” also helps when you submit your own work, because you better understand what they’re looking for.
“One of the reasons I so like [Mendoza-Hanna’s] input here is that she wants a standard of excellence,” Harvey said. “The idea is to have students really thinking about the objects they’re creating with words.”
Such critical thinking has already taken place, and Mendoza-Hanna is beginning to appreciate the support from her peers that have already invested in the publication.
“I’ve learned that there’s a lot of energy, enthusiasm and hunger out there for just doing something, putting something out there, being a part of something,” Mendoza-Hanna said.
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