Words in the Wild

by Rabi Michael-Crushshon

For this month’s edition of Words in the Wild, we sat down with senior Jamila Sigal Vásquez to learn more about Chanter.

English and Creative Writing major, Jamila Sigal Vásquez, is the current Editor-in-Chief of Chanter, a student-run literary and art magazine. Chanter was founded in 1957 and “is now the oldest and longest-running student publication at Macalester College,” according to their website. After weekly open-to-all blind-selection meetings, followed by the staff and board copy-edit and layout process, Chanter publishes an issue at the end of each semester. 

While Jamila first tried several organizations, she stuck with Chanter because of its welcoming environment. She described the board of her freshman year as “so friendly and so kind.” 

She also enjoyed finding inspiration from her peers. As she continued to stay with the organization, she was able to hold many roles. While last year she was a lit editor, following the graduation of the other senior leaders, Jamila is now the editor-in-chief.

Growing up alongside technology, Jamila reflected on how going outside, reading books, and writing in notebooks greatly influenced her love for creative writing. She now loves poetry, explaining that she typically writes free verse but enjoys other poems that play with form and content.

Now at Macalester, English and Creative Writing classes have helped her develop an editing eye, leading her to gain a greater appreciation for poetry, prose, and art. 

Different from her high school experience, the Chanter community pushes each other to “get into the meat and bones of poetry.” Once a week, Chanter hosts meetings, where community members and board members gather to discuss entries for the magazine. Jamila described these meetings as similar to a workshop, where “so much fun back and forth can happen.”

Many different forms and styles of poetry are submitted, and reading them has exposed Jamila to poetic options she didn’t even know were there. Further, Jamila hasn’t just learned from her peers’ writing but says, “so much of poetry is dependent on art.” Reading others’ writing and seeing others’ art has given her a lot of inspiration for her own poetry.

As a literary and art magazine, both parts communicate with each other. Jamila explained that while there is no theme, they have found that often there is a connection throughout all the pieces. Recently, they have decided to title the collection after this connection; this semester’s magazine is titled “Reflections.”

Jamila believes that art and poetry are necessary, partially because of the community that they create. She resonated with Toni Morrison’s writing, “This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”

If you want to learn more about Chanter or read previous issues, visit their website: https://www.chantermagazine.com/ 

There are no requirements to be a part of Chanter; everyone is welcome. As Jamila said, “You don’t have to be the Robert Frost of poetry or anything like that, you can just come and share your opinion.”
If you are interested in getting involved, reach out to [email protected] to hear about upcoming events and deadlines.