The Wake Staff

Amina Ahmed & The Wake Staff

Blurb: The Wake is a student-run magazine that details the arts and oddities of the University of Minnesota Campus and the greater Twin Cities. Our sections include Cities (coverage and thought pieces of local events, policies, and anything twin cities related), Voices (opinionated articles meant to uplift student voices on a range of college/life topics), and Reviews (articles that review the latest albums, shows, movies, and books). The magazine also has a feature article usually surrounding topics of recent events (elections, student body, protests, etc.) However, our literary masterpiece wouldn’t be special without all of the art created by our art and design team and the creative submissions by students like you! Now let’s hear from the wonderful people who make this magazine happen :) 

How did you come across The Wake and get involved?

[Quinn McClurg]: When I first came to campus, I immediately looked for creative writing clubs, but I came up empty-handed after every club fair. However, like a week later, I saw a pitch meeting poster for The Wake—it sounded like it was right up my alley, but I was kind of scared. So, I decided to go and do it scared. I was so intimidated, but also exhilarated, and after freelancing my ass off for a year, I became the Online Editor! I haven’t looked back since, except to think that we definitely need more posters.

[Nora Hitchcock]: I had generally known about the Wake since my freshman year and read some articles here and there. At the beginning of my junior year I saw that they were hiring art interns so I applied and the rest is history!

[Ashley Sudeta]: I remember seeing copies of The Wake in the magazine stands in Frontier Hall as soon as I moved in. I thought it was cool, so I’d pick them up whenever I came across them, and they’d sit on my dresser for a while after I read them (I’ve never been a very organized person!) As is common, freshman year was pretty tough for me, so I remember sitting down in random buildings across campus and just reading The Wake when I was just feeling truly awful. It made me feel more connected to the campus. When I saw a post on the UMN Snapchat story about open applications for The Wake, I applied. I was wildly underqualified to be a copy editor, but was given a spot as a Voices intern. Push comes to shove, and now I’m the executive director. Time flies!

[Madelyn Valento]: I can’t remember the first time I heard of The Wake, it was always an entity floating around in the back of my head, but eventually I saw on their Instagram that they were hiring and decided to apply! And here I am now. 

[Sana Ikramuddin]: I saw the Mean Girls Bizarro Edition in my freshman year at Walter. I wanted to get involved in some clubs, but I knew immediately this is where I wanted to be.

What is your position on The Wake and what are your responsibilities?

[Ashley]: I’m the Executive Director, which means I do a lot of talking! I lead our meetings, run communications within The Wake, field questions from external sources, and help resolve any issues that pop up. I also do most of the hiring, which is a lot of work, but can be fun. I’m very grateful for my position, I feel like it suits me well!

[Nora]: I’m one of three art interns here at the Wake! Every other week I make art for 2-4 articles, and once a semester I’ll do art for the cover and feature pages. Additionally, sometimes I’ll help out with art for the one pagers and creative submissions. 

[Madelyn]: I am the Reviews Intern!! Exactly as it sounds, I get to edit a few of the reviews for each issue, and usually contribute a review of my own. I also pitch cool ideas about recent shows/movies/music being released. I pretty much just get to read and write about all my favorite things. 

[Quinn]: I’m the Editor-In-Chief, a glorified fire-putter-outer! I edit all the articles, organize all the editors, and do a majority of like… event planning, paperwork, troubleshooting, MN-Daily-fun-poking, etc. I kinda miss being a section editor!
[Sana]: I am an art intern and a designer. That means I get to help make the art for some of the articles and covers. As a designer I get to design the pages and orient the pages to showcase our lovely team’s work. 

How has your involvement in The Wake impacted your college experience?

[Quinn]: Made it more sick and twisted, that’s for sure. Also, in the mind-rending depths of journalism and academia (CSCL specifically), The Wake has served as a grounding and regulatory outlet for everything that’s not super serious, peer reviewed, and 100% ethical (that last one’s a joke).

[Nora]: Other than meeting some really wonderful people that I can now call my friends, it's been wonderful to have a part time job actually creating art! I’ve enjoyed being immersed in a creative community and expanding my own creativity beyond just my art major.

[Ashley]: The Wake has definitely helped me feel more connected to campus. I’ve met so many talented people through it, whether it’s our talented staff and freelancers or our dear readers. Whenever I talk about The Wake I usually find readers or people who are interested in reading The Wake, which always makes me happy!

[Madelyn]: I genuinely think being part of The Wake is one of the best things I’ve done in college, and I’m sad I didn’t join before my senior year. But now I’ll be graduating with this amazing experience, and I also get physical issues of the magazine that I can look at and say, “Hey, I worked on that!” I’ve never felt so connected to campus and my peers until now. 

[Sana]: The wake has genuinely been one of the best ways for me to take a break from the stresses of school and personal life. The Wake has really given me the space and encouraged me to be bold and passionate about my art, something that I never really got a chance to do before. 

What skills have you gained from your position?

[Ashley]: The Wake has really taught me the importance of doing things for myself, not for other people. When I first began as an intern, I was always thinking about whether other people would like what I was writing about or if they’d learn something. I soon realized that I wouldn’t get to know how many people read my article or if they enjoyed it. So, now I prioritize how I feel about my work.

[Madelyn]: I think I’ve strengthened my voice, both when it comes to writing my own pieces and when speaking to other writers as an editor. I get to practice writing to a theme or prompt, sticking to a word count, or learning how to properly express my ideas for edits. I’ve also seen how much work goes into the production of one issue and how many moving parts there are, so I’ve come to appreciate the final product even more. 

[Nora]: I’ve gained a lot of experience in working with a group of people on creative projects. Before joining The Wake, I had only done some freelance work in art. Additionally, I’ve been able to get out of my comfort zone as an artist by participating in the one pagers, helping with our art fairs, and even writing an article. 

[Sana]: Even being in art and design, I think the way I communicate has changed a lot. There’s a lot of things that you have to juggle and you end up working with a lot of people and on different concepts. This position has really helped me be more vocal and bold about the things that I’m passionate about. 

What is your favorite part about The Wake?

[Quinn]: At first, it was the ability to pitch and write whatever I please—from overly sentimental slice-of-life pieces to political commentary, and freeform, abstract poetry to shitposts—keeping my articles varied kept me from burning out. Now? It has to be watching my writers grow more with every issue—and the benefits are mutual! The editorial relationship allows both parties to become more confident, open-minded, and skillful in not only their writing, but also in how they see the world!

[Nora]: Definitely the people, it wouldn’t be the same without all the wonderful people here!

[Madelyn]: My favorite thing is definitely the people. Everyone brings a different talent and, outside of that, everyone is so genuinely kind and fun. I look forward to our meetings and never feel bogged down in work. I can proudly tell people that I’m a part of The Wake!

[Sana]: Without a doubt - the people. The wake community is really about putting your voice out there and supporting each other.  

If you were to give advice to incoming students who want to be involved what would it be? 

[Madelyn]: Just do it! It really feels like there’s a place for everybody, and even if you only write one article, you’ll have contributed something amazing and get a piece of published work out of it. It’s a nice break from your normal class assignments, and you get a chance to write about something you’re passionate about. You never know what doors will open as a result. Don’t be like me and regret that you didn’t join sooner! 

[Nora]: Get involved as soon as possible! I really wish that I could’ve had my full four years of my undergrad at the Wake instead of just the two that I’ve done. Also, put your best ideas in for the one pagers! Brainstorming for those has been one of my favorite things. 

[Quinn]: Fall in love with the Cities—come to know it by its unique textures and railroad tracks, dead open mics and graffiti scenes, punk-house venues and unhoused neighbors, sandstone caves and burlesque clubs, multi-colored light beams and the stench of Marlboro Reds. You aren’t just here for school or work, you’re here to live—to form your oral histories, loose acquaintances, and affinity groups. Fall in love, and fall in love hard; even if you’re left all alone, your collected stories will never leave you, nor will your capacity to begin again. Also write for The Wake lmao.

[Ashley]: Don’t wait for the “perfect moment” or a special sign before doing what you want to do, just do it. College is so short, so you have to make sure you do the most you can with the little time you have. If you want to get involved with The Wake, start now. Write freelance for us, submit art, or simply send an email saying what you thought about a certain article. Our pitch meetings are every other Monday night at 6:30 p.m in Folwell 16. You have my permission to show up and talk to us, or just sit in the corner without saying anything. If you want to be there, we want you there. My email is director@wakemag.org if you have any questions or thoughts—my inbox is always open! :)