Grand Valley State University publication Fishladder, celebrates its 14th year with a fresh batch of original pieces of writing and artwork.

The 2017 edition of Fishladder will be released at an unveiling party Friday, April 15, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The location is to be determined and will be established shortly.

Fishladder is a collection of artwork and literature created by GVSU students. The genres include: art and photography, fiction, nonfiction and poetry.

At the end of every fall semester, students have an opportunity to submit their work to the Fishladder website before embarking on winter break. Each genre has an editor and an assistant editor as well as a designated group of readers. Fishladder members meet in January and February to discuss the pieces they think would most benefit the publication. This year, the staff had a “final pick” meeting, calling together all board members, editors and readers to chose the pieces that would best represent the GVSU community.

Anyone can submit, regardless of major and year, to as many genres as they desire.

“It’s important to recognize student work in a way that goes outside of the classroom,” said Amorek Huey, Fishladder supervisor. “Most students write in class, but if you want to be a writer or an artist, you want an audience that’s not just your teachers and your classmates.”

The current staff at Fishladder includes: Sarah Smith, editor-in-chief, Chiara Licari and Kathryn Davis, assistant editors and Sara Krahel, design editor.

Fishladder is an opportunity granted to students to have their work published and showcased in a tangible, easily accessible journal, providing a unique chance to get their names out into the open.

“It represents a lot of people on campus that would like to show their work. With science, you have this research that you present, and with writing you have this creative side and you need a professional side,” Licari said. “It’s this voice that’s being published, and as students we don’t make it into journals as much as we apply and want. 

It’s something we’re working toward as we’re becoming professionals, and I think that it’s one step closer to reaching that goal.”

After the new edition is published, it will be available in the Writing Center or the study room on the third floor of Lake Ontario Hall.

Copies will also be distributed at Campus Life Night, and select experts in Fishladder will be showcased in the galleries in the Kirkhof Center and Lake Ontario Hall on the Allendale Campus.

“I think it is amazing that the students who are published in Fishladder are already able to say they have been published before graduating, which is an amazing opportunity,” Krahel said. “This is a great way to showcase GVSU student work and make the pieces people have to write or create for class assignments last longer than that and live on in a journal.”