by Randy James
El Camino College has over fifty years of literary journal publishing experience, offering students and staff alike the opportunity to celebrate the creativity of its student body with creative arts journal, Myriad. Although each issue has its own unique character, 2009's edition is remarkable for its design and execution.
Upon first glance, the eye recognizes one of the campus' buildings on the front cover. However, above this building are bulbs of light. A single constellation is accentuated and placed strategically aside the journal's title. The journal's back side is also densely populated by lights, this time against a canvas of bright olive green. Three students gaze into this canvas, their backs turned. What is striking about this front and back is the way contour and color blend to pleasant effect. Colors are saturated, softening the edges of each object. This allows the reader to see more than just a building and a ceiling, heavy with light bulbs. It could also be a magnified night sky. Additionally, the constellation found left of the cover's title is present throughout the book, notably on the poetry and short story pages. This singular constellation gives the journal a fantastic continuity, acting as a gentle reminder of 2009's particular theme.
There are a few, minor editorial decisions that take away from the overall engaging experience of the issue. For instance, the use of double columns for short story layouts distracts from the actual reading of the story. Also, a few artworks share the same page space as short stories, taking away the impact of each piece. These are minor complaints, however. The staff managed to include a number of students' work without running over the 100-page limit, and to accomplish that feat, minor layout sacrifices had to be made. Still, it's nothing to quibble about at length. What the staff achieved with 2009's issue of Myriad stands as a better-than-fine addition to El Camino's literary canon.
