Sara Pearce, an Otero Junior College student from Manzanola, has been named editor of the 37th edition of Chinook, a literary publication highlighting student and community writing and art, published annually at Otero Junior College. Pearce, who published a essay in last year's edition of Chinook, has been working since the beginning of Fall Semester to prepare for submissions coming in for Chinook 2009.

In addition to a new student editor, Chinook 2009 will also have a new faculty advisor. Christina Roberts, humanities faculty member, has taken on the responsibilities of advisor, replacing Jean Armstrong who has moved from the area. Also new to this year’s publication will be an emphasis on the environment. The publication will be printed on recycled paper, and all participants are being encouraged to submit via email, thus saving paper as well. According to Pearce and Roberts, the cover of Chinook 2009 will feature an environmental theme, possibly designed by students in an OJC art class.

Chinook 2009 is set for publication in early March 2009. Submissions to the magazine are welcome from both OJC students as well as members of the surrounding communities. The deadline for submissions is February 1, 2009. A reception to thank and feature all the contributors will be held on March 11, 2009.

For anyone wishing to become a contributor to Chinook 2009, they may submit original (not previously published) creative writing or art. Writing work may include: poetry (25 lines or less), essays or short stories (1500 words or less). The magazine is printed in color and offers a vivid showcase for artwork such as oil, pastel, watercolor, pencil sketch, or graphic design. All artwork must be converted to a jpeg digital image for publication.