The town of Salinas motivated John Steinbeck. The Great Mississippi River moved Mark Twain. In the case of the Pomona Valley, Cal Poly Pomona English professor Faith Barrett hopes the area will be equally inspiring.

Barrett is the driving force behind a new student-edited literary magazine that will feature writing and poetry from the campus community and the surrounding areas.

Titled The Pomona Valley Review, the fledgling literary magazine will serve as a vehicle for expression for local writers as well as provide valuable experience for students who will learn the ins and outs of publishing a magazine.

Beginning this spring, students enrolled in the Magazine Editing course will be involved with the entire process of developing The Pomona Valley Review. Students will serve as magazine editors, handling important details such as content selection, working with authors, copyediting, design and layout.

"The students in the class are really excited by the magazine, which is encouraging," Barrett said. "It's really important to have the chance to do a magazine from start to finish. By being involved throughout the process, students will gain practical experience in editing and publishing."

In the magazine's first call for submissions, they received hundreds of pieces, more than a third of which came from community members such as Karen Chapman Lenz, who submitted poetry about her youth in Pomona.

"When I first heard about the magazine, I thought it was an excellent idea," said Chapman Lenz, a retired elementary school teacher. "I really liked the idea that [the magazine] would be open to the Cal Poly Pomona community. That way you have a much broader world, with different views and experiences, not just university life."

The inaguaral issue of The Pomona Valley Review should be published sometime during the summer. It will be distributed throughout the Cal Poly Pomona campus as well as to published contributors. Ideally, it will also reach local bookstores interested in expanding the voice of the area writers, Barrett said.

If you'd like to learn more about The Pomona Valley Review or
support the student-edited magazine, call Faith Barrett at (909) 869-3603.