JJC Literary Magazine Earns Honorable Mention from NCTE

Joliet Junior College’s “Wordeater” literary magazine has received an honorable mention from the National Council of Teachers of English’s (NCTE) Recognizing Excellence in Art and Literary Magazines (REALM) Awards.

“We were all very excited to hear the news about the NCTE REALM Awards,” said Bob Marcink, JJC English professor and “Wordeater” faculty advisor. “No one writes a poem, paints a picture, takes a photo or creates digital art thinking about awards. We do art because we are driven to do it. But when your art is recognized, that’s a beautiful bonus.”

JJC associate English professor Camilo Peralta served as unofficial advisor for the issue and prepared the magazine materials for submission with assistance from “Wordeater” editor-in-chief Carla Lozano and production manager Raven Easterly.

“I think our recent issue received this award because it was a completely unique collection of writing, photography and artwork from students, faculty and staff across campus,” Lozano said. “The magazine is truly one of a kind and is a product of the immense talent of the JJC community. It is completely our own and could only have been made exactly the way it was because of every JJC talent that contributed.”

The first “Wordeater” was first published in 1972 and has featured poetry, short stories, essays and art from the JJC community. The JJC literary magazine was recently revived after a five-year hiatus from 2017-2022. Lozano and 2023 JJC alumna Sydney Reppy were vital in its return.

“The ‘Wordeater’ offers students, staff, faculty and alums an opportunity to showcase their talents and their works,” said Marcink. “Just as importantly, it demonstrates to the broader JJC community that our students take a back seat to no one when it comes to creativity.”

The REALM program publicly recognizes excellent literary magazines produced by students with the support of their teachers. REALM is designed to encourage all schools to develop literary magazines that celebrate the art and craft of writing.  Schools in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, Canada and American schools abroad are eligible to nominate magazines.