The Beacon
About Us
The Beacon Journey
WHO WE ARE
The Beacon is a social literary journal which thrives on the imagination of Boston University's finest writers. Each outside-the-box issue uplifts student voices, offering writers a platform to share ideas and an inclusive space for creative works. Beyond our pages, the Beacon is the campus writer's hub. Through events such as writer's workshops and open mic nights, the Beacon gathers literary-like minds together to discover, discuss, and celebrate creative writing.
A rich history.
As Boston University's Premiere Student Publication, the original 1876 Beacon is as old as The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and born in the same year as Jack London. Before the Beacon disbanded in 1951, its publications witnessed and marked both World Wars, the end of gendered segregation in higher education and, of course, the many infrastructural changes that have occurred at BU since its creation. In 2019, BU Student Jonathan Han decided it was time to bring the Beacon back, hoping to offer students a vital platform to share their writing with the Boston community. The Beacon as you see it now is constantly evolving, but continues to fulfill the wishes of Jonathan and the long, long line of Beacon writers, providing a safe space to uplift student voices.
Our Mission.
The Beacon strives to celebrate the creative writers of Boston University. Our team rallies around the goals of building a flourishing writing community here at BU, and offering a safe space for students to feel supported in their writing endeavors. We do not seek perfection, and aim to actively break down the stereotypes of what writing should be. We hope to encourage students to raise their voices by helping writers hone their skills, increasing access to peer-review resources, and providing opportunities for writers to make social connections.
Our Team
Cecilia is an English major and Editor-in-Chief of the Beacon. She hopes to one day work in the Publishing Industry. For now, she spends her free time reading fiction and writing short stories. Some of her favorites include Ada Limon's "The Carrying" and Carmen Maria Machado's "Her Body and Other Parties." Besides writing, she enjoys binging television shows, drawing, and hosting her own radio show at WTBU.
Editor-in-Chief
Associate Editor
Inaya is a Marine Science major (and English Minor) and Associate Editor for the Beacon. She’s big on marine ecology and anything about orcas, with the occasional short story or poem written during her free time. She is also a cat mom to sweet Bear and loves to tear apart magazines to make collages.
Associate Editor
Jahiem is from Richmond, CA and is apart of Sargent’s class of 2025. He began writing during elementary school and has been writing ever since. As he continued, a lot of his written work turned into spoken word with a lot of topics being centered on social justice. He began performing poetry for different literary groups across the Bay Area and also started slamming during his freshman year of high school. Now, entering his junior year of college, Jahiem still enjoys writing and sharing a lot of his work with others as forms of education and healing.
Social Media Manager
Ju is a Sociology major and Social Media Manager for the Beacon. She hopes to one day work as a relationship therapist and intimacy coordinator, but for now she can be found reading (most likely scandalous!) poems at our open mics. Besides writing poetry, Ju enjoys ignoring recipes, cuddling her friends, and watching horror movies through her fingers.
Secretary
Meghan is an Environmental Science major, English minor, and Secretary for the Beacon. She hopes to specialize in forest conservation in the future and continue writing lots of poetry. In her free time, she loves to go on long walks, find trees to sit in, and collect cool rocks. One day, Meghan hopes to publish a poetry collection, but for now you will find her reading and wandering through nature.
Treasurer
Kamya is a Psychology, Economics and Math major and Treasurer for the Beacon. She hopes to one day work in the field of Behavioural Economics and analyse consumer psychology. She spends her time reading mystery novels, watching anime, ordering truffle fries at every restaurant she goes to, and writing poetry.