Progenitor: A person who first thinks of something and causes it to happen. This definition faces an opening letter from the co-editors, Arapahoe Community College students Cara Allen and Rachel Lozano, in the 2018 edition of Progenitor, Art and Literary Journal 2018.

The beautifully produced journal is available free, at the college library, the Welcome Desk on the second floor and in the Community Section of the Aspen Grove Tattered Cover Bookstore in Littleton, Allen said.

They comment that “by working with myriad contributors, each one proud to bring forth their life’s experiences, we strived to create a magazine of pure excellence, while embracing the theme of regrowth out of the ruins of everyday life. More important, these works suggest that there will always be hope that humanity will be seen through the cracks of a cold and brutal world …”

The 53rd annual edition of Progenitor was introduced May 2 with a celebration in the Colorado Gallery of the Arts at Arapahoe Community College. Contributing writers read from and spoke about their pieces, and editors of the journal talked about the logistics of selecting the varied 2018 works from materials submitted.

Submissions were chosen from students and from working writers across the country, submitted between October and February, and the journal is produced by students enrolled in English 231 and Multimedia and Graphic Design 280 at ACC, with funding provided by the School of Communications, Humanities, Art and Design.

On more than one occasion, most recently, 2017, Progenitor was honored with the asard for Most Outstanding Community College Literary-Art Magazine by the American Scholastic Press Association. Other awards have also accumulated through the years for this classy production.

Winners in the yearly ACC literary Festival and the annual Student Art Juried Exhibition are included in the collection each year, providing an added incentive to enter.

Entries were received in poetry, art, fiction and nonfiction and reviewed by the staff. The faculty advisers were Andrea Mason, English, and John Hall, graphic design, as well as Colorado Gallery of the Arts director Trish Sangelo. In addition to Allen and Lozano, student staff included: Rosette Rivera, literary and art general editor; Hollie Giannaula, creative director; Britni Azam, poetry editor; Donna Debacco, web editor; Kera Morris, fiction editor; Milo Shattell, art/photography editor; Bryden Smith, nonfiction editor.

Art photos include entries in the annual student show and others, including student Jadon Gold’s humorous “Origami Forest Fire,” while written pieces include “Wind Song” by Jane Adair, an award-winning Colorado writer; “Eden,” by Darryl Halbrooks, a Writers Studio Literary Contest winner; and Writers Studio Poetry winner “¡Oye! ¡Gringo!” by Brian Dickson, who teaches at Community College of Denver. The graphic design of the cover is cleverly carried into the journal, with a special ending to each written work.

From its crisp cover design of a city growing roots to its collection of polished work, Progenitor 2018 is a treat for the reader. Seek a copy!