the cover. Yet another’s cover opens like two doors and welcomes the reader to explore its contents. Each of these treatments makes for an exciting reading experience, if not always the most practical in terms of durability (the red flap has not withstood the test of time—it has been repaired multiple times and requires care when handling). Experimentation gave way to relative soberness (design-wise) in the 1990s, when most of the magazine’s issues were published in traditional Octavo format, the most common size for a book. These issues were also the first to boast of being printed on recycled paper products. But if the design was restrained, the content itself became noticeably more controversial. In her introduction to the 1992 issue, Tricia Powers ’94 wrote, “The staff of Verity is fully anticipating differences of opinion at the inclusion of [certain] pieces… The bluntness of the language and diction of both are sure to cause mixed feelings within the Nazareth College community.” Not only the style, but also the topics became increasingly contentious throughout the 1990s. Gretchen Lynne Martus-
“Where verity means truth, elbowroom is a synonym for freedom. One can’t express truth without having freedom.” He at her Co ngdo n Lam p h ere ’ 00
celli-Kriesen ’95, editor for the 1995 issue, explained in her editor’s note, “Invariably, each issue of Verity Faire presents one or two pieces with disturbing and/or controversial content. This year is no exception with poetic commentaries on sexism in Roman Catholicism (‘In the Beginning’), AIDS (‘An Installment of the End’), and incest (‘Incite =/= Insight) to name but a few.” Controversy itself surrounded the rebirth of Verity as Elbowroom in 2000. Professor of English Ed Wiltse, Ph.D., explains that editors Heather Congdon Lamphere ’00 and Joshua Baker ’00 “caused quite an advertising flap with their call for submissions: a wonderful image of a dominatrix with a whip, boots, bustier, fiendish grin, and the single word ‘Submit!’” In her editor’s note for the first volume in 2000, Lamphere addressed the controversy by writing, “Where verity means truth, elbowroom is a synonym for freedom. One can’t express truth without having freedom … Through this magazine we’ve tried to offer a place for non-judgmental, uncensored expression …
www.naz.edu
To those of you who may have wanted to submit material but were scared away because of the backlash from our advertising techniques, don’t let any hierarchy stifle your voice.” With each issue, the magazine continues to grow and evolve, often by incorporating new ideas from its current staff. For example, the 1930s quarterly version of Verity Fair often featured an annual liturgical volume. Meanwhile, the 2005 issue of Elbowroom’s content was influenced, in part, by the servicelearning component of English 234: Crime and Punishment in the U.S.A. The volume includes student works interspersed with entries by inmates at the Monroe County Correctional Facility. Melissa Kotas Hartford ’07, the 2007 editor of Elbowroom, underscores the importance of the magazine at Nazareth, writing that it “is especially important for a liberal arts college because not only does Elbowroom serve as a creative outlet for students … but it also celebrates community and connections among people.” According to its 2010–11 coeditors, Emily Alexander ’11 and Sarah Lesser ’14, Elbowroom also affords today’s students a chance to showcase the creative arts talents of the College’s current generation of students in addition to experiencing the publication process from inception to completion. Today, the magazine is designed in-house by the coeditors and their staff, and then printed locally. The entire process—requesting submissions; evaluating, editing, and designing the content; delivering the final product—is a valuable learning experience for the magazine’s staff, which changes each year. Because of the annual flux of incoming freshmen and graduating seniors, Alexander mentored Lesser to become the next lead editor of Elbowroom. “While I am a newcomer,” explains Lesser, “I look forward to continuing work on the literary magazine for the remainder of my time at Nazareth. I also hope to leave my mark on the magazine and its legacy.” It’s safe to say the past 80 years of the magazine’s history and evolution bodes well for the magazine’s future. The 2011 issue of Elbowroom was published in April. For this and other back issues, visit the Lorette Wilmot Library. Sofia Tokar is the assistant editor in Nazareth’s marketing department.
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