The Currents Literary Magazine has been a staple of Christopher Newport University’s creative writing community for several years now. The magazine is completely run by students (with the help of creative writing professors in CNU’s English Department) and helps publish works of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction and lyric across the Tidewater Region.

Shannon O’Keefe is the Managing Editor of Currents and has weathered all of the difficulties of running a small literary magazine. O’Keefe has found a plethora of ways to get students and writers involved with the magazine, such as working with other literature and writing based groups like Sigma Tau Delta (which O’Keefe is also president of), Open Mic Nights and outreach to schools and writers across the region. While Currents is not an official Resident Student Organization, its small yet passionate staff has helped make it a staple of CNU’s writing community.

O’Keefe is excited to see so many aspiring writers send their work into the magazine. “It’s very rewarding to see people reach out and say ‘I’ve never been published before and I want to be published.’” Currents doesn’t charge to submit to the magazine and keeps the price to buy copies of the magazine low so readers can enjoy it too.

The next issue of Currents will come out within the 2023-2024 academic year. While submissions for that issue are closed, they are accepting submissions for the issue expected to come out in the 2024-2025 school year. Submissions are due February 15, 2024. If you wish to submit to Currents or have interest in editing the magazine, contact O’Keefe by email at [email protected], or go to the link: https://forms.gle/nsrvqfWnYwPfkdAf8 You can find Currents on Instagram at @currentslitmag. You can also buy issues of the magazine on Amazon.