“Emulate,” Smith’s latest literary magazine, has undergone a series of instrumental changes over the past few years to become a prominent fixture of the school’s arts scene. Its evolution, and the grounds upon which it was necessitated, have brought into question both the role of literary magazines at Smith and where “Emulate”’s future lies.
“Emulate” formed in 2019 as an “anti-magazine-magazine,” as described by Editor in Chief AC Manning ’25, before gradually shifting to become the arts and literary magazine it is today. Beginning as an affiliate of “Labrys,” the English department’s literary magazine founded in 2001, “Emulate” stepped up to the task of filling the void left by “Labrys”’ sudden radio-silence in 2018. Although it has maintained the tradition of publishing themed issues, “Emulate” no longer publishes the interviews and essays it used to, operating less subversively than it did in the past. Manning largely cites the pandemic as a culprit for the lack of information about the end of “Labrys’” run and “Emulate”’s establishment, but, nonetheless, this shifted some responsibility to “Emulate” and sharpened their literary focus.
Each issue of “Emulate” is organized around a theme. Past issues have explored a variety of topics, ranging from “adolescence,” “intimacy,” and “The Weekend,” to “rites and rituals” and, most recently, “flights.” Submissions grapple with these concepts through poetry, prose, visual art, film and music. The theme for their upcoming issue is “redefining love,” which Manning elaborated on.
“You almost don’t need to say redefining love because love has so many different meanings, but we put that word in there to force people to think outside of the stereotypical definition of love — it’s about pushing the limits,” said Manning. Explaining the influences that led to the selection of this topic, she cited theorist Bell Hook’s work: “‘The Practice of Freedom’ is a really incredible essay about redefining love in reference to Black liberation. I was really inspired by that.”
Since her appointment as Editor-in-Chief in 2022, Manning has worked to reestablish “Emulate” as an open space for student work and introduce the circulation of print editions. Due to a stipulation in the organization’s initial charter that limited “Emulate”’s publishing abilities to an online platform, receiving funding from Smith’s SGA became an ordeal she was not prepared for, being both understaffed and experiencing a significant learning curve for running a magazine. Nevertheless, moving “Emulate” from an online-only publication to a print one was critical for Manning. “There’s a very hidden literary culture on campus. Maybe [it is] even non-existent — that’s the way it feels sometimes: if you don’t see a magazine on a table, you aren’t going to read it, you know? Even if there’s an online version” she said.
Feeling a need for creative spaces on campus is not a sentiment expressed by Manning alone. Magdalena Deniz ’23, who worked on “Emulate” for the past three years, reiterated a belief in the importance of a wider spectrum of artistic spheres at Smith. “At Smith there are spaces for students to submit art; for example, I participated in the Nolan Art Lounge. That’s a good step in the right direction, but it would be nice if there was a space for more temporary art to be hung up in a more public area than Hillyer. The gallery environment is very sterile — I feel like it limits some forms of art,” Deniz said.
Her words signal a need for more public, interactive engagement within the Smith and Five College community — a need “Emulate” addresses. Assistant Head of Poetry, Eleyna Bayer ’26, reiterated the importance of community interaction, putting particular emphasis on the magazine’s contribution to highlighting marginalized voices on campus.
“It’s so amazing for me to see how everyone from all different parts of the world and all different identities have contributed to the magazine. I think that’s what is so important about it. I feel like a lot of voices at Smith aren’t really highlighted by the administration, and ‘Emulate’ offers this really great opportunity to highlight the people who aren’t necessarily being showcased,” Bayer said.
“Emulate” contributor, Lulu Wang ’26, is grateful for the opportunity to display her artwork, pointing that it is a tool for young artists at Smith to gain professional experience. “If you want to become an artist in the future, you need to be publishing. This is a good chance for us to submit our artwork and receive that feedback from other people,” said Wang.
The magazine’s team is dedicated to ensuring its longevity. Additionally, some of their short- and medium-term goals include heightening levels of readership and potentially reworking Emulate back to something similar to its earlier, more anti-establishment beginnings. Bayer also hopes to involve more people of color in the magazine’s future.
“Highlighting POC work is super important, and I think at Smith it needs to be done more. I want Emulate to become a place where people of color and Indigenous people’s work can be highlighted — a safe, carefully curated environment,” Bayer said.
