Invasion of Privacy: Paige Loucks and Sonia Horowitz of Gandy Dancer
Photo courtesy of @gandydancermag on Instagram/Copy editor Nina Avallone-Serra
On the day of this issue’s publication, Feb. 20, the managing editing staff of the SUNY-wide literary journal Gandy Dancer are hosting their first ever open mic night in the Union’s fireside lounge from 7 p.m.-10 p.m. Following the news that the magazine will now be accepting submissions of music to feature on the official Gandy Dancer website, this event offers Geneseo students the opportunity to share their poems, short stories, and, of course, their music.
For those who may not be familiar, Gandy Dancer is a literary journal typically accepting submissions of art, poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction from students currently enrolled anywhere in the SUNY system. Founded by a group of students in 2012 with professor of English and Creative Writing Rachel Hall, for whom this is the final issue working on Gandy, the journal has put out two issues a year ever since, both in print and online.
This week, The Lamron chose to interview managing editors Paige Loucks and Sonia Horowitz—both of whom are also participating in the journal’s editing and production process for their final semester—to tell our readers more about Gandy Dancer itself, new developments in the journal’s scope, and what they wish for Gandy Dancer as they and the journal’s founder go on to bigger and better things. Reflecting on their final issue, I asked Sonia and Paige to tell me what they find to be the most meaningful aspect of Gandy Dancer and what they feel most clearly characterizes the journal. Their response: connection and community.
They both sincerely value the community which forms within the editing and production class (ENGL 426) itself, as well as the larger network of student creatives the journal creates. To quote Sonia, “The journal is deeply characterized by its ideals of connection and sharing unique stories and perspectives about the world, and being able to connect with the people in the class, and the writers from many different universities, just makes the whole experience worthwhile and memorable.” Commenting on the responsibility of Gandy Dancer in upholding these tenets, Paige adds, “it’s important to have the foundation of community in order to have submitters feel comfortable to share their work, and to have a smooth semester inside the classroom to actually create the journal.”
Now that Gandy Dancer is accepting music submissions for the first time in years, this creative community seems to be expanding further. Both thrilled with this shift in the journal, Gandy’s managing editors are expecting their excitement to be matched by readers (and listeners!) in upcoming issue 14.2, giving greater depth and breadth to the magazine’s purpose. Paige remarks, “I think including music continues to work on our mission to lift up student voices and messages,” adding that she is very eager to showcase the music scene here at Geneseo while also extending the spotlight to student musicians from across the state. Although there is no certainty so far as to whether music will become a fixture of Gandy Dancer, Sonia’s enthusiasm for the addition is clear: “If it works this semester, I would hope it remains a thing we do in the future. I think it opens a new door for people to showcase their creativity and their love for the arts.”
Truly, there is no better way to debut this moment in Gandy history than with an open mic showcase. Needless to say, Sonia and Paige are both looking forward to getting a taste of some of the work being produced right here in Geneseo. Sharing a little bit about what she is most highly anticipating for the event, Sonia says, “I am most excited to hear about the talented students we have at Geneseo, and what people are into and coming up with. I find people sharing their work, singing their favorite song, revealing a hidden talent, is inspiring to me and many others.” For Paige, a great deal of the excitement comes from the possibility of seeing the students working on Gandy Dancer present their own pieces: “Given that staff of Gandy Dancer can’t submit, I’m excited to see if any of our own take this opportunity to showcase their work.”
Although sad to be parting ways with the journal this year, Sonia and Paige both regard their time with the journal as a transformative experience. In Paige’s words, “It’s hard to believe that just two years ago I was a second semester freshman who took the class for the first time thinking it was some sort of writing workshop, and I’m so glad I did because it’s truly changed my life.” Sonia echoed the sentiment, adding, “As much as I am not ready to part ways with my time working on the journal, I am so glad that I was able to find my home in Gandy Dancer. The experience is one of a kind…” With hopes for Gandy Dancer’s longevity, our managing editors encourage readers to get involved in the course and take up the mission to “keep the arts alive in all the facets [in which] they show up…”