Venture Magazine ‘reflects’ after its revival

By Madison Lewis 

JUXTAPOSED with the sounds of conversations echoing through Sweigart Hall and the large crowd surrounding the Saxbys counter, room 118 was quiet. Some audience members sat in awed silence, while others leaned forward, hanging on to every word of each performance at the Venture Literary Magazine launch party.

On April 3, Venture Magazine held an event to showcase some of the content published in their spring issue — following the theme of reflections.

The English Department sponsored the launch party as an “English Matters” event. Venture Magazine was approved to be an official club under SGA two weeks before the event.

Three students gripped the audience with their stories and poems that embodied the theme.

Carole Cobos, a sophomore English major, presented first, with a story called “A Real Boy.” 

Cobos chose Pinocchio as the protagonist, and through the nostalgic character, she discussed the stigma surrounding self-identification within a patriarchal society.

“The piece I wrote was a response to a little kid I met working at a summer camp,” she said.

Cobos explained that the boy, around 6 years old, wanted to show her a trick. He asked her to hold his jacket, and she suggested that the boy wrap the jacket around his waist. 

To her recollection, the boy’s response was, “Boys don’t do that, my mom said so.”

Cobos did not say anything at the time, but wrote “A Real Boy” based on her regret and what she wished she would have said to him.

“I was really upset I didn’t say anything, and I was really disappointed in myself,” she said. “When I wrote that piece, I was thinking, what would I say to him? What would I want him to read?”

Cobos said that she used the motif of a mirror throughout the story to see how Pinocchio reflected on self-acceptance, self-perception and self-actualization.

“Mosaic” came next, a poem by sophomore English major Skye Chernobilsky, who uses they/them pronouns. The piece was loosely based on a TikTok trend. They spoke about how they inherited aspects of everyone they have met and reflected on how they are a product of their environment. 

Senior journalism major Kaitlyn Seawood read “Dear Mother,” a poetic note to her absent mother. The piece was written from an introspective point of view, recounting her accomplishments not attributed to her mother and how she overcame growing up without a female parental figure.

Last of the student contributors was junior English major Maggie Robinson, who wrote “Mixtape.” In the fiction piece, she narrated a coming-of-age story of young love. The crowd laughed throughout the piece, especially at the embarrassing and relatable moments.

Mariah Ayscue, who goes by he/king pronouns, was the guest speaker, and his poetry regarding gender and race elicited tears to trickle down the eyes of enthralled audience members. 

Ayscue is a Black, transgender and intersex artist. He worked with “Girl be Heard” as a directing fellow and company member. He also advocated for the rights of marginalized groups as an activist and mental health advocate in his community. 

His first piece was called “April Fools Day,” which he wrote about Sen. Cory Booker’s record-breaking 25-hour Senate speech.

“Yesterday was very Black and very Jersey, and the only April fools were fascists,” he concluded, and thunderous applause enveloped the room.

Ayscue performed more works, incorporating singing and drum beats within his work and adjusting his cadence to elevate each piece.

Ayscue was selling his book “When the saints go marching in” and he wrote personalized messages in the front covers.

Senior English major Maura Corman, editor-in-chief of Venture Magazine, introduced the student speakers. She left prospective writers with hope and assurance that the paper would live on and that there would be future opportunities to showcase their talents. 

She said, “Whether you got submitted or not, we really appreciated seeing your works … it was truly an honor.”

Executive editor of The Rider News Jake Tiger is a poetry editor for Venture Literary Magazine and Kaitlyn Seawood, the social media editor of The Rider News, was a student speaker at the launch party. Neither had any part in the writing or editing of this piece.