English majors, writing minors and other students with an eye on Washington University’s literary scene have likely noticed the appearance of a new literary magazine accepting name suggestions, submissions and new staff members.

Started by juniors Laura Harvey and Clayton Weirick, the as-yet unnamed literary magazine will publish its first issue online in December.

While word has been spreading about the magazine through emails, Facebook page invitations and word of mouth, some worry that the new magazine will encroach on the territory of Washington University’s intercollegiate art and literary magazine, Spires.

Sophomore Noah Weber, literary editor for Spires, said he was concerned that the magazine would split the already-small creative writing community.

“It seems to me that the creative writing community at Wash. U. is simply too small to support two literary magazines, particularly since it’s unclear as of yet if the new lit mag, which is yet unnamed, has any flavor of its own, separate from Spires or an identity of its own separate from Spires,” Weber said. “To me, having two magazines divides the creative writing community here and confuses people.”

But director of the undergraduate creative writing program, David Schuman, thinks that the idea will be good for the creative writing community at Washington University.

“As far as I’m concerned, the more student publications on campus, the better. Wash. U. students are really interested in and excited about creative writing. We get a lot of students in our creative writing classes, and it’s great to see that students are interested in getting the work out there,” Schuman said.

Senior David Davison, an English major with a creative writing concentration, was not so sure that launching the new magazine was done correctly.

“When I first heard there would be a new literary magazine on campus, I was pretty excited—the more opportunities to recognize dedication to creative writing on campus, the better, right? But, honestly, I’m just not sure that this was the way to go about it,” Davison said. “I hope we writers on campus find a way to—if not like—then respect one another moving forward. We all love creativity, and I think we fundamentally need to respect each other, if for nothing else, then for the sake of that creativity.”

Weber noted that he felt that a second magazine would divide the efforts of the already-small creative writing community.

“As it stands it doesn’t seem to me that the writers at Wash. U. are asking for more magazines; I think they’re asking for a better magazine, and I’m confident that Spires is willing to be that better magazine,” Weber said.

Schuman disagreed, however, noting that students are generating significant amounts of writing both inside and outside of writing classes, and that a second magazine might serve students who hadn’t been published in Spires.

“I think time will tell if there is enough creative writing, but I certainly think that there should be—that there ought to be. I think if each publication finds a way to stake its own territory, I think that could be really successful,” Schuman said.

Harvey felt that this assessment was more accurate.

“I have a very respected professor advising me, and we’ve discussed this, and we both feel that there’s a ton of work going on in the Wash. U. campus in terms of creativity, whether that be writing or art. There’s 7,000 undergraduates; my high school sustained a literary magazine with 100 students, so I think there’s enough room for 5 magazines,” Harvey said.

Harvey said that the magazine would hopefully be another outlet for students with creative interests like fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art or graphic design. Currently, she and Weirick plan to produce an online-viewable booklet when creating the finished product in December.

Spires, which in the past has accepted the same types of submissions from both Washington University students and from other colleges, decided last Monday to produce a Washington University-only special edition for the spring issue after several years of discussion on the topic.