GSW publishes inaugural edition of Blue Fire, a new student-edited literary and visual arts journal

AMERICUS, GA (May 2, 2025) – Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) recently celebrated the publication of a new student-edited literary and visual arts journal, Blue Fire. During the release party, held on April 24 in the MSC Pods, chief editors and senior English majors Sam Gainous of Cairo, Ga. and Amari Rudison of Loganville, Ga. and faculty advisor and Associate Professor of English Alaina Kaus, Ph.D., unveiled the inaugural issue and provided contributors the opportunity to read and discuss their published work.

The journal’s name both plays on the University’s colors and speaks to GSW’s creative fire that spreads across campus and beyond. The first issue includes creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, song lyrics and visual art by GSW students, alumni and faculty as well as by authors and artists unaffiliated with GSW.

“Being able to piece together literature and art from the campus of GSW and beyond into our remarkable little book was the best part of this whole adventure,” said Gainous.

The team decided to publish work by people from all over to build bridges between the literary and arts communities at home and those elsewhere. The initiative received generous financial support from the Department of English and Modern Languages and from the College of Arts and Sciences, which made printing the first issue possible.

“We started from nothing,” Rudison stated, “and then created Blue Fire, a beautiful book that has brought the community together.”

The team thanks area community members for recent donations that will help to publish the next issue in Spring 2026. Submissions will open again in Fall 2025.

For a free hard copy of the first issue, contact the Blue Fire team at bluefire@gsw.edu or  Alaina Kaus at alaina.kaus@gsw.edu. For more information, visit the Blue Fire webpage at gsw.edu/bluefire or follow the Blue Fire Instagram account: @gsw.bluefire.