If you have an interest in creative writing and are looking for a way to get more involved at NYU, then the West 4^th Street Review is for you! The official literary magazine for NYU Liberal Studies is always looking for help from students to make the publication special. Still not convinced? Here are five reasons why you should volunteer to join the magazine:

1. We need the people

I could be wrong, but I don’t think there is such thing as too many volunteers. We need people to help us layout the magazine and pick which submitted pieces will go into it. It takes many eyes and opinions to decide which pieces to choose and, unfortunately, not everyone who is part of the magazine has the time to go through the submissions.

2. You will learn how to review creative pieces

All the work submitted to West 4^th Street Review is special because NYU students know how to write. However, we can’t accept all the pieces submitted to us, so it takes a critical eye to choose what should go into the magazine. Working for the literary magazine will teach you how to think critically about a piece and analyze what sets it apart from other submitted work.

3. You can add it to your resume

Extracurricular activities that reflect your interests are always important to include on a resume. The amount of times I have had to discuss the literary magazine in an interview for an internship or job is equal to the number of interviews I have gone on. Explaining what I do for the literary magazine is always fun because the interviewer can always tell how much I enjoy helping shape the magazine.

4. It will inspire your own work

Reading beautiful prose and poetry from your peers is enough to get your own writing spirits up. If you’re in a writing funk, it’s the perfect time to motivate yourself to write.

5. You will have fun

And most importantly, you know you’re going to have fun doing it. When you see the finished literary magazine after all the hard work you put in, you’ll wonder why you didn’t join sooner.

So what are you waiting for? Get on your computer and search for the NYU contact for the literary magazine to get started.