None Of The Above (NOTA) released the spring edition of their semi-annual literary and fine arts publication with a book drop and open read event last Friday.

NOTA is UW-Eau Claire’s only completely student-run fine arts publication, according to Elise Vitort, a fourth-year creative writing student and NOTA editor-in-chief. 

Students can submit works of literature, poetry, artwork and photography to be published in one edition each semester.

“NOTA is completely unique to UW-Eau Claire,” Vitort said. “We have our release party and then the publication is distributed in academic buildings on campus.”

Friday’s release party featured the premiere of the spring edition where contributors and the public could read the newest publication for the first time.

After the premiere, the event turned into an open read where anyone could read or perform their works of literature, poetry, art or music. 

NOTA hosts several open read events throughout the semester. 

“We try to hold an open read event every month,” Vitort said. “We have people share music or read poetry and anyone can come and share their work.”

BJ Hollars, an associate professor of English and the faculty advisor for NOTA, said NOTA students work hard to collect submissions. NOTA students select works to be published and design and edit the book to be released. 

“Everything that is published is the work of students and the book is completely student designed and produced,” Hollars said. “We have outreach with other local literary communities to bridge the divide between campus and the community.”

Charlotte Gutzmer, a fourth-year French and creative writing student and poetry editor, said it can be a challenge to narrow down all the submitted work into what should be published. 

“I manage all the poetry submissions that come in, it is usually in the low hundreds,” Gutzmer said. “I just do my best to support the voices of poets on campus.” 

Gutzmer said all submissions go through an anonymous selection process by the NOTA committee to select work in an unbiased fashion. 

Gutzmer said NOTA encourages students to submit as much work as they can.

“It is amazing to see just how much talent we have on campus,” they said. 

As the semester comes to an end, Vitort and art director Bethany Mennecke said in the edition’s editors’ note that they hope this spring’s publication allows readers to get lost for a moment in the imaginations of the writers, musicians and artists.

The editor said they are consistently motivated by reader support and to be able to release these works of art, writing, poetry and music to an interested and curious audience.

The spring edition of NOTA is distributed in campus buildings and available for free. The publication can also be found online.

Mohr can be reached at [email protected].