CGS Literary Magazine Celebrates 25 Years

College history and favorite past works of art, poetry, and prose collected for special retrospective edition

By Chelsea Feinstein

CGS is marking the 25th anniversary of its literary magazine, currently known as Chimaerid, with a special online retrospective issue, compiling art, poetry, and prose from its founding 1996 issue to the present day. The issue, which came out February 15 and is available to read online here, also features a historical timeline of CGS and short profiles of former students.

“It’s encouraging to see how the literary magazine has persisted for a quarter of a century,” says Dean Natalie McKnight. “I think it’s a great example of the strength of CGS’ community—the magazine has contributed to that and it’s also an emblem of that.”

The magazine is one element of a vibrant arts community at CGS, which also includes an annual art show and coffee house—now in its 21st year—where students can show their artwork and give poetry and music performances.

“Academic work doesn’t always emphasize creativity, so it’s important to offer other opportunities for creative expression,” McKnight says. “It’s also important for creative students to feel their work is supported and appreciated—and to know there are other students with shared interests at CGS.”

In developing the retrospective issue of the magazine, which has gone by several names over the years, McKnight had the opportunity to reconnect with former students she worked with on the magazine as a faculty member in the ’90s.

“I personally reached out to five or six and it was really nice to reconnect and to hear about their lives now,” she says. “Students who published in the first CGS literary magazine I edited are now in their 40s, and are established professionals with families.”

Heidi Chase, a senior academic advisor at CGS and staff advisor to CGS Arts, came up with the idea for the anniversary issue. CGS Arts is a working group comprised of faculty, staff, and students that aims to build community and showcase creative moments with ties to CGS, BU, and Boston. Chase says she wanted to celebrate how important the magazine is to the CGS community.

“The magazine has captured snapshots of time and place by way of art, poetry, and prose,” Chase says. “It has reflected our students’ voices during this developmental stage of their lives. It was really interesting to reread each magazine knowing that it was compiled by a group of similarly aged students, going through similar experiences in their freshman and sophomore years, and yet each year there is an abundance of new voices, reflections, and themes presented.”

For Chase, the special issue is a way of preserving the history of the CGS arts community. While certain issues have been lost over the years, she hopes to create an online archive so the magazine, which is produced in print, will remain accessible. She also hopes that the retrospective will provide a welcome form of connection during an isolating time.

“This is a way for CGS to give back a bit and check in on our community as we are still in the midst of pandemic distancing,” Chase says. “I want it to read like a friend checking in to say, ‘Hi, how are you? We miss you. And we can’t wait to see you again.’”

Do you have any past issues of the CGS literary magazine? If so, get in touch at artsincgs@gmail.com.