A history of Windhover

Although N.C. State University is known as a math and science school, the University has its very own literary and visual magazine called, Windhover.

Windhover is an annually produced art book that was first published in 1964. It offers the University's students, faculty, staff and alumni the opportunity to share their creative expression. In the beginning, the publication focused mainly on literature-based submissions and some visual art. The focus has since shifted to include graphic design, photography, music and several other forms of art.

Windhover has received multiple awards over the years, including 11 Magazine Pacemaker awards from 1993-2008 and two Gold Crown awards in 2008 and 2009. The National Pacemaker Awards are given out annually by the Associated Collegiate Press for excellence in American student journalism. Seven editions have also been included in AIGA's national list of the 50 best designed art books of the year.

In the early days of the publication there was not involvement from the design school and the book exhibited literary contributions. Most were fiction pieces like poetry and short stories with some artwork.

"Most of the book was in black and white, to let the content speak for itself," Alanna Howard, the current editor-in-chief of Windhover, said.

The book was not published from 1970 to 1973 and was briefly replaced by a literary journal called The Whole Thing. Three issues were published by Dr. C.P. Heaton and his creative writing class who contributed to the journal.

In an edition of The Whole Thing, there is a quote stating that the journal "filled the void created by the demise of The Windhover."

After being reinstated in 1974 the magazine continued to be published annually until the late 80s. From 1986 to 1987, Windhover was published biannually in an attempt to include more submission from students. This was stopped due to budget issues and a decline in the quality of the publication.

During the late 80s and into the 90s, the University's design program grew and there started to be a shift in content toward design. This continued and began to show in the individuality of the actual magazine itself. Every year the layout and dimensions of the book changed with the arrival of new editors and designers.

"Uniqueness and it always changing is what makes it special," Howard said.

The 2003 edition of Windhover was the first to include audio submissions that were included on a CD that was included in the book. The audio component has since become a permanent part of the publication.

In 2004 Editor-in-Chief Shawna Jones and Graphic Designer Will Hall put out that year's edition in envelope-like container. Inside were separated sections based on the form of art they contained. The edition went on to be included in AIGA's 50 Books/50 Covers of 2004.

"We had the idea to do a deconstructed version and came up with the idea of using boxes," Jones said.

In the mid to late 2000s there became more of a push to make Windhover more digital to allow for electronic submissions by students. This also helped to spread the word about the publication getting it more readers and contributors. More recently the staff has used social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to connect with the students and alumni.

"It has become more cross-University than it was," Britt Hayes Freeman, Editor-in-Chief of the 2006 edition, said.

According to Jones, another way the digital aspect of the publication has been utilized is by publishing full versions of short stories online. Excerpts from the stories are put in the actual book with the full story online for readers to view. This has allowed for longer stories that may have been left out due to space constraints to be added.

Many of the designers that have worked on the book have gone on to get good jobs in the industry. Will Hall has gone on to become the Associate Creative Director of Honest at NYC, an award winning design studio. Also on the list are Kyle Blue, the Design Director for Dwell Magazine, and Emmet Byrne, the Design Director at Walker Art Center.

In 2010 the focus of the magazine shifted back towards literature and even included multiple non-fiction pieces.

"One of the things that I wanted to do was bring back the literary aspect of the book," Molly Turbeville, Editor-in-Chief of the 2010 edition, said.

The other goal Turbeville had was to increase the amount of events held on campus in support of the publication. One event that has become a part of the book's yearly cycle is the Windhover open mic night. Originally held only once a year, the current staff has already hosted two events, one in September and one in November.