“Instress” is the university literary magazine designed to give students the opportunity for self-expression.

Dr. Rebecca Steinberger, faculty advisor, has been in charge of the magazine on and off for 25 years. When she first arrived on campus 25 years ago, she took on the role as the magazine turned 34 years old.

“Instress” is a journal of the arts, which includes poetry, photography, writing, one-act plays and even musical compilations.

“If it’s artistic, you can submit it as long as it’s original,” Steinberger said.

Steinberger has a huge passion for being a part of the Instress process. The creative outlet it provides students is what motivates her to be the faculty advisor.

“I believe in it. Students expressing their creativity and ideas, I’m all for it.”

Layla Kolodzieski,  Student Editor for Instress, said there is an online version of Instress that anyone can find by doing an internet search.

Kolodzieski also encourages students to submit multiple entries.

“Someone that is looking to submit their artwork is able to submit anything they want, even a series of submissions is encouraged.”

Steinberger believes Instress is a celebration of students’ artistic abilities.

“It’s for students to realize and remember that regardless of what major you study, you can always include arts in your life,” she said.

Watching students grow through their art is very special to Steinberger, and she is excited to see what students will submit next, because she knows it will always blow her away.

“It’s wonderful to watch students grow in their writing and also their comfort level with submitting because, you know, you’re vulnerable when you’re submitting your own work,” she said.

“Instress” represents far more than a student-run literary magazine. The university’s charisms are also embedded into it, Steinberger said.

“Giving up their time to create this piece of, well, beautiful pieces, I think that the voices as they’re Misericordia students that makes it uniquely Misericordia. So, often times you can see the charisms expressed in what they write and also the art and photography,” Steinberger said.

Everyone in the university community is welcome to submit their art, regardless of age, major or type of art. Submission guidelines and directions on how to submit work are on the Instress website, www.misericordia.edu/english /instress.

“It’s for all majors. We even have graduate students, people who have already graduated and who aren’t here are submitting stuff,” Kolodzieski said.

“You see in the older copies of “Instress,” they included essays and papers that students would write that they were really passionate about and they submit them to instress and share like academic writing and stuff like that as well,” Kolodzieski said.

The students  involved are very passionate about creating the magazine and the importance of art in general.

“Art feels like everywhere now. It’s so easy to see art and like be fully immersed in it, and it’s important to just engage in the art that’s in your community as local as you can get. See what people are making, be involved, make whatever you can as often as possible,” said Kolodzieski.

Steinberger hopes “Instress” will to send a positive message about art at the university and in the lives of all.

“Always look to art. Art will always be a part of your life, and whether that means in the written form or in through painting or photography as a medium or even sketching, just keep art in your life,” she said.