Coil 2019, Volume 24: it’s here. Spearheaded by Editor in Chief Abigail Danner and Faculty Advisor David Wright, the magazine features creative pieces from Monmouth College students and alumni alike, covering a broad spectrum of creative expressions and themes. COIL’s editorial staff also includes literary editors Morgan Osman and Connor Schmall, art editor Olivia Howey, and the College’s art director, Nancy Loch. From a humble student perspective, the 24th edition of COIL presents itself as an engaging, intriguing, and professional collection of works from cover to cover.
The magazine’s physique is sleek and refined. Its presentation is not only texturally appealing but visually appealing, as well—a characteristic well-defined by the simple yet elegant font selection used, and the magazine’s bold cover art set in a black and white color gradient.
This visual appeal extends into the magazine’s content, including landscape, event, and street photography such as Liam Meyer’s Aerial, CJ Bonifer’s A Kiss, and Denzel Johnson’s Light C, as well as a few visual art pieces like Natalia Cordoba’s Pelicans and Rebecca Quick’s Upside Down. These moments all have their own simple, captivating, or artistic charm, their own stories, untold.
Of course, the magazine has its visual texts and it has its literal texts: prose, poetry, and even a short drama. To cover such a large array of written works in such a short space is impossible; to anyone mildly interested, find yourself your own copy of the latest COIL. Regardless, these written works range from fiction to non-fiction, encompassing a myriad of moods, topics, and themes. From the forlorn yet empowered tone of Amanda Grissom’s Five Minutes to the heart-broken, distraught attitude of Courtney Harmon’s A Comprehensive History of My Broken Heart; from the ruminative, existentialistic Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter by Sean Young, to the bittersweet Rain on the Ha’penny by Elizabeth Hermosillo—each creative piece comprising COIL 2019 possesses its own personality, its own voice, and its own untapped beauty for the beholder to unveil as reader.
Darlon Riviere - Contributing Writer