To kick off the release of Chapman Ouroboros Magazine’s fall issue, contributors took to the mic on Dec. 1 in Argyros Forum for live readings of their pieces at the publication’s launch party. 

Freshman creative writing major Cooper Wood was called upon to kick the night off. He read a short fantasy piece, “Last Day of the Ironclad Age,” inspired by a larger world Wood had built.

As a speculative fiction writer, Wood’s pieces have found a home at Chapman Ouroboros Magazine, which focuses on said genre — an overarching genre that, according to the magazine’s Instagram account, encompasses fantasy, science fiction and horror.

Chapman Ouroboros Magazine is an outlet for creative expression, recognition and distribution, working to publish literary stories and other pieces of art dealing in genres not always appreciated. Select works were featured in the fall issue, which is available to read for free.

To Wood, Ouroboros seemed like a creative community of writers that he wanted to be a part of. 

“When I saw that there was a magazine that was student-run here at Chapman, I was hoping that it would be a really cool, creative community of just people who are excited about writing, and I thought that that would be a really cool thing to try making myself a part of,” Wood said. “It ended up being exactly that.”

Another piece read during the event, “oracle eight,” written by junior computer science major Tyler Edwards, was inspired after he saw a picture of a magic eight ball on his phone. Edwards told The Panther a lot of his works revolve around ideas or real-life things he notices, thinks on and then tries to expand.

For Edwards, Ouroboros allows him to find a balance between his STEM-focused major and his desire for creative expression.

“Since I’m a computer science major, being able to pursue creative writing and to be able to be published in something like Ouroboros, which is a printed and recognized magazine, really means a lot to me,” Edwards told The Panther. “It shows that even though I’m doing computer science, I can still write, and I am able to still creatively make something.”

For Allison Major, a senior creative writing major and an editor for the magazine, the release of the magazine’s fall issue helps gain the magazine recognition. To Major, the fall issue’s ability to contain a larger volume of works makes it really stand out.

Students interested in learning more about the magazine can visit the organization’sInstagram page and Chapman webpage or visit themagazine’s website andDiscord server. To read current and past issues at the magazine’s website, click here.