Submission Guidelines

History of Highbeams
By Margaret Ronda

As Shawn Gillen, editor of Highbeams, puts it: "If the Internet is an infinite, noisy, crowded place, I'd like to think of Highbeams as a rest-stop, an oasis." While the Internet mushrooms in size and in technological advancement, Highbeams retains largely the same format as in its first issue in 1995.

This has been a conscious choice on the part of the editors of this journal. Shawn says, "I like the simplicity of the journal. There are no distracting graphics for the reader to feel attacked by. It's straightforward." Highbeams was one of the first literary journals to publish on the Internet. The first issue surfaced in 1995 on gopher, a crude version of the World Wide Web. When it became clear that the Web was more universal, the editors moved the journal into its current format.

Shawn Gillen, an English professor at Beloit College, and Sam Barasch, a student, conceptualized and created Highbeams in 1994. The idea for the journal developed from a shared interest in the convergence of technology and creative writing. Sam, who worked on the journal for a year and a half, was a Computer Science and English double-major. He worked to create a journal that bridged disciplinary gaps and merged his personal interests. Shawn remains the driving force behind the journal's continuing success. His motivation for starting Highbeams came from his research on, and curiosity about, the convergences of computers, critical theory, and creative writing.

Beloit College has a deep dedication to publishing literary journals (Beloit Poetry Journal, Beloit Fiction Journal ), and Shawn wanted to see that tradition broadened to include this expanding medium. The editorial board of the journal consists of Shawn, one-two student editors, and a board of readers. The board functions democratically--each submission is discussed and voted on. This system, while keeping the journal's issues on the small side, helps to ensure its higher quality. "We are very careful to select which poems to publish," says Shawn. "We made a conscious decision to publish less--I think it will pay off in the long run."
 

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