The Cairn

Thanks to a grant from MacPhaidin Library’s Digital Innovation Lab, The Cairn, Stonehill’s literary magazine, recently moved to an online-only format, making students’ stories, poetry, photography, and music accessible to a worldwide audience. 

Published yearly since 1960, The Cairn is Stonehill’s premier publication for sharing students’ creative works. Last year, in response to drastic changes in the literary world due to the disruptive effects of digital publishing and the rise of eBooks, the zine underwent digital migration. Amra Brooks, Associate Professor of English and Director of the Creative Writing Program, spearheaded that effort, supported by a Digital Innovation Grant from the library. 

Prof. Brooks, who serves as faculty advisor to The Cairn, feels that the electronic format of The Cairn helps students in many ways. “[They] can include this publication on their resume or in their portfolio and anyone can easily access it and see their work,” she said. While Professor Brooks stressed the importance of physical media, she notes the electronic version of The Cairn allows for the addition of items that could not be included in the print version of The Cairn, such as music and video-based creative projects, thereby expanding its reach to more of Stonehill’s visual and performing artists.  

“I wanted to incorporate the publication of The Cairn in my ENG 372 creative writing course so that students could have hands-on experience with editing and publishing,” Brooks said.  Through this project, students in her creative writing class got a hands-on look at the publication process. The experience was valuable for the students in Prof. Brooks’ DIY Publishing class, including senior Tess Donnelly ‘24, whose poem “I Never Want to See Her Again” was included in the 2023 edition of the zine. “As an English major seeking a career in the literary field, The Cairn was my first experience publishing my own work and gave me the confidence to pursue my passion for writing,” Donnelly said. 

Garrett McComas, MacPhaidin Library’s Digital Scholarship and Research Librarian, was instrumental in the implementation of The Cairn’s new digital format. McComas jumped right into the project after his arrival at Stonehill in early 2023. Working with a small group of students in Stonehill’s Graphic Design program, he helped set up the website for the 2023 edition of The Cairn. 

“With online, you can have multiple different mediums, so that was the idea of moving it to digital to expand what students can submit,” he said of the benefits of The Cairn’s move to its online format. With much more time to prepare for the next edition, he has helped the magazine continue to polish its website and prepare it for this year’s edition. He has also contributed directly to Brooks’ DIY Publishing class, educating students on copyright protections, and how to safeguard their own intellectual property. Submissions to The Cairn, for example, are covered under a Creative Commons license that stipulated works in The Cairn may be shared but the author/creator must be credited, and their work cannot be used for commercial purposes or modified and redistributed. 

The Cairn recently solicited submissions for its 2024 edition, which will be released in May. 
 
By Tanner Walling ‘24