SCC literary magazine “Illuminations” captures top award again

 “Illuminations,” the literary magazine produced by Southeast Community College, won first place among small colleges from the Central Division of the Community College Humanities Association’s 2015 Literary Magazine Competition.

This is the fourth time the publication has won a prestigious award from this organization. It placed first in 2014 and 2011 and was third in 2010.

Kimberly A. Fangman, English instructor and editor of “Illuminations,” said the award was evidence of the creativity at SCC.

“As I edit the upcoming volume 17, I realize again how beautifully ‘Illuminations’ ignores the boundaries of programs, campuses and roles,” Fangman said. “This publication belongs to SCC as a whole, and that’s saying a great deal. No matter which program or campus you identify with, whether you’re a student, faculty, or staff member, you can create and share your work in a beautifully designed book that wins national awards. This book demonstrates that quality creative work doesn’t belong exclusively to the domain of the four-year college or university. There’s rampant creativity at SCC, and I’m honored to highlight some of it in ‘Illuminations’.”

On top of the overall award, Samuel Huff, a student in the Academic Transfer program, placed first in the Song category and first in the Performance category with his “jazz-inspired original composition” “Snowflakes in Summer.”

The Best Magazine category is judged holistically on the criteria of aesthetics, correct editing, ease of navigation, and strength of student work. Magazines compete within their “weight” class (determined by the enrollment and magazine funding levels of the participating colleges).