On the eighth floor of Mazur Hall, on a cozy fall evening, students from various majors gathered to enjoy an open mic session and the distribution of the 2024-25 issue of Hyphen, Temple’s longest-standing literary and visual arts magazine. As it enters its 25th year of publication, Hyphen is looking to expand its reach beyond Temple’s borders by hosting community events, attending public readings by local authors, and including visual submissions alongside literary pieces.
Varsha Senthil is a senior majoring in Music Studies and Production who founded Hyphen her freshman year after sending persistent messages to the various Instagram accounts of other literary magazines on campus. She is now the current editor-in-chief, though she was brought on as the managing editor in her first year.
“I was desperate to be involved in the literary scene,” Senthil said. “Having a place where my editorial/aesthetic voice is heard, as corny as that sounds, was and is so meaningful.”
Hyphen has resided on campus for a little more than two decades and is the undergraduate pillar of literary review. They are renowned for consistent publications that showcase students’ writing (and now visual) talents regardless of their major or course of study. But, as it enters its second quarter of a century, Hyphen is looking to expand its direction.
“Everybody is really nice, especially with the critiques and the workshops of everything,” junior communications major and Hyphen’s social media chair Ava Holmes said. “We want so many people to feel comfortable submitting any art they’ve created. We really didn’t want it to feel like there was a certain box.”
Senthil echoed this sentiment. “We’ve transitioned from being purely focused on yearly publishing to trying to encourage other avenues of connection and creativity for our members,” she said. “We think engaging with our city’s scene is an important part of being thoughtful artists. So now we make an effort in the fall to attend readings, host open mic nights, do workshops, etc.”
Despite the presence of other literary and visual organizations on campus — Lunar Journal, The First Sight Review, Babel, to name a few — Hyphen remains Temple’s largest literature publication. According to Senthil, Hyphen has served as the cornerstone of the University’s English department for the last few decades, but each e-board has shaped it into its own.
“I feel pressure in preserving an invaluable place for student publishing, and especially in getting the word out so that students can find it . . . but I am leaving [Hyphen] in amazing hands,” she said.
The strength of this publishing community is evident in its tenure on campus. Throughout the past quarter-century, Hyphen has raised the creative voices of the student body, and will continue to do so as they engage with the thoughtful, encouraging practice of art.