New magazine for Latinos planned

A new cultural magazine will grace campus halls next year, joining the ranks of Penn's plethora of publications. Titled El Alebrije, the magazine will explore themes relevant to the Latino experience. The magazine, named after a creature of Latino mythology, will focus on the cultures of "Americans from the Americas" -- Chicanos, Latinos and Hispanics, among others. Editors say the magazine will not be strictly literary, but will publish both fiction and non-fiction, poetry, short stories, academic essays and any material that is relevant to the Latino heritage. "We try to be all inclusive," said College senior Jorge Solano, who will serve as the magazine's editor-in-chief. "It's for anybody who has anything to say about our identity in the U.S." Solano added that the alebrije was chosen to represent the magazine because the chameleon-like creature is "a mythical symbol for all the different backgrounds that apply to our experience." A board of editors has been chosen, but the magazine is still in the planning stages and will require University funding. The idea for a magazine focusing on Latino culture was first proposed last month by Lilvia Soto, director of La Casa Latina. Soto, who also teaches a creative writing course, said she conceived the initiative while reading her students' work. "I got some very good writing from my students," she said. "Their wonderful essays should be published." Soto called a meeting in April among Latino students to see if publishing a magazine through La Casa Latina was feasible. She said her proposal was met with much enthusiasm. "I found out there were other students who were interested in this endeavor," she said. Soto will act as an advisor to the student-run magazine. She also plans to work with the Kelly Writers House and other campus resources throughout the magazine's inception process. And Solano said that he would "like to see more involvement as far as writing submissions" from the English Department. Soto added that she hoped to write a grant proposal for University funding for the project. The magazine's editors hope to publish the first issue next spring. "We're in the hopeful planning stage," said Wharton sophomore Rosaria Perez, who will serve as the business manager of the new magazine. She added that the publication would come out on an annual basis, but she hopes eventually it will be published every semester. Editors are currently searching for talented writers -- students, staff and faculty -- from Penn, its sister schools and the Philadelphia community. El Alebrije will join a list of other magazines on campus dedicated to disseminating the voices of a campus minority, such as Mosaic, an Asian-American magazine, and Pandora's Box, a literary magazine for women writers. "We want to make [El Alebrije] a University landmark," Solano said.

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