Editorial Teams

The history of Harvest International dates back to the 1970s, when “the social and academic climate in our country reflected great internal unrest,” according to Dr. Jack Fullbeck, former advisor for this student-edited magazine. Social turmoil in the US peaked on May 4th, 1970, when four students from Kent State University in Ohio were killed by members of the Ohio National Guard who opened fire on a crowd gathered to protest the Vietnam War.

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As a result, more than four hundred universities and colleges were closed or on strike throughout the United States, but Cal Poly Pomona  remained open. It was in the spring of that year when the first issue of what is now Harvest International was published under the sponsorship of the Language Arts Department. Most of the issues of this magazine featured a variety of poems, which “reflected a diversity of attitudes, from social protest to sweetness and light,” as Dr. Fulbeck observes. For may years, this magazine has fostered a literary space where faculty, staff, and friends of Cal Poly Pomona community could express and share their thoughts.

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This magazine has undergone a series of name change since its first publicaton. It started without a formal title but only a collective rubric for the published poems: “Tuesday as 11,” which refers to “College Hour,” when the poets met to discuss their works. It was formally named Pulsar, beginning from its fourth issue, which was changed to Harvest in its fifth issue and then to Colloquium in the succeeding year. After that its title was switched back to Harvest, which was kept until 1978 when the title Spring Harvest was adopted.

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In 2001, the title was switched back to Harvest after three years’ hiatus of publication, when Dr. Steve Whaley became its faculty adviser, championing a mission to promote multiculturalism on our campus and beyond.  Dr. Barbara Gill-Mayberry became faculty adviser in 2002 when Dr. Whaley passed away. “Harvest International” was first used as a title in 2003 in a memorial issue dedicated to the late Dr. Whaley. Dr. Gill-Mayberry shepherded Harvest International for many years until it was forced to halt due to lack of funding. 

 

Cal Poly’s flagship student-run literary publication returned in 2018 with a renewed vision and mission thanks to the joint effort of Dr. Albalá Pelegrín and Dr. Daan Pan, who formed a faculty partnership and assembled a team of student editors to resume publication. They piloted the first online edition as a complement to its hard copy edition. Since fall 2018, student editors have been able to enroll in ENG 4401A, Journal Publishing Activity, in order to have their efforts and learning count toward their degree. Dr. Aaron DeRosa served as faculty adviser in 2019. Under the guidance of Dr. Kristi Prins and Dr. Kate Ozment, Harvest International student editors have been able to use Cal Poly’s Maker Studio to create artisan letterpress zine publications in limited editions. These and other issues of Harvest International are preserved in the University Library’s Special Collections.