“By providing a space for a diverse range of people, places, and communities to participate, the Cube fosters connectivity through digital humanities, research, writing, reading, and undergraduate/graduate education.”
The above sentence reflects the mission of the Cube (Publishing – Process – Praxis), a new initiative operated through the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures (WRAC). The purpose of the Cube is to provide resources and support for a wide range of MSU- and community-based publications, including a monthly magazine, a literary quarterly, several scholarly journals, a community of feminist filmmakers, and a collaborative fandom.
Dr. Kate Birdsall, a WRAC faculty member for the past five years, has taken on the role of director of the Cube. She notes that it will provide hands-on experience for students “in the form of paid internships and class credit, grant writing, exposure to the digital humanities, and an opportunity to work with community members on publishing projects.”
Currently, the Cube supports the work of seven different publications run by or associated with WRAC faculty members: Marohang Limbu (Journal of Global Literacies, Technologies, and Emerging Pedagogies [JOGLTEP]), Curtis van Donkelaar (The Offbeat), Alex Hidalgo (agnès films, Constellations), Liza Potts (Sherlockian.net), Jackie Rhodes (Rhetoric Society Quarterly), and Malea Powell (College Composition and Communication). The Cube is also getting set to launch a new literary magazine with Kathleen Livingston and Kathryn Houghton, and a sound-rhetorics journal with Ben Lauren.
The creation of the Cube has also facilitated several updates to the Public and Professional Writing (P2W) curriculum. Starting in Fall 2019, students will be able to enroll in sections of WRA 480 to work on ing Magazine, a Cube-affiliated journal. The Offbeat, a literary quarterly, will no longer be tied to WRA 480 but will remain a significant departmental publication supported by the Cube. According to Dr. Birdsall, “WRA 480 will take journal production as its focus and will provide ample opportunities for students to gain experience working in several different contexts, including editing, layout, communicating with authors, and publication.” The Cube will also offer several paid internships each year for students to work on individual publications and to support the work of the Cube itself.
The Cube will host an open house early next fall for P2W and other students who are interested in learning more. In the meantime, if you have any questions, please contact Dr. Birdsall directly at birdsal5@msu.edu.
Written by Abigail Girardot
