Rushlight
c/o Sue Standing
English Department
26 East Main Street
Wheaton College
Norton, MA 02766-2322
Telephone: (508) 286-3400
Email: rushlight@wheatonma.edu
Rushlight, the Wheaton College (Norton, Massachusetts) literary and visual arts journal, was founded in 1855 by Lucy Larcom (1824-1893), an important 19th-century writer and educator. After working in the cotton textile mills in Lowell, Massachusetts, she taught from 1854-1862 at what was then known as Wheaton Female Seminary. Larcom's poems were widely published and anthologized during her lifetime. Harriet Beecher Stowe once referred to Larcom as "America's Elizabeth Barrett Browning." Larcom's memoir of her early life and work as a "mill girl," A New England Girlhood, is considered to be a classic study of early American childhood. When Larcom named The Rushlight, she proposed as a brief motto this couplet: "A Rushlight flickering and small, / Is better than no light at all." For the first few years of its existence, Rushlight served as both a newspaper and literary magazine.
Even though the Rushlight flame was nearly extinguished on several occasions due to lack of funding, the student editors have consistently persevered to keep publishing throughout the magazine's history. In 2005, we celebrated the sesquicentennial of Rushlight by producing a special retrospective issue of the journal, containing excerpts from writing published in each decade of the magazine's existence. We are proud that Rushlight is the oldest continuously-publishing student literary magazine in New England. Rushlight serves as a showcase for Wheaton's many talented student writers and visual artists, many of whom have gone on to careers in the arts.
Submissions Policy: Current Wheaton College students, staff, and faculty may submit original poetry, short stories, brief plays, and creative nonfiction, for consideration for publication in upcoming issues. Students are also encouraged to submit photographs, drawings, and paintings for possible publication. The submission deadlines are usually October 31st for the fall issue and March 31st for the spring issue. For details, please contact the editors: rushlight@wheatonma.edu.