Toyon Literary Magazine

Toyon is the Cal Poly Humboldt English department's annual literary magazine. Run entirely by students since its first issue in 1954, Toyon showcases the work of established and emerging artists from Humboldt County and all over the world.

Toyon is a multilingual journal of literature and art that encourages creative writing and artmaking on the North Coast. The journal promotes environmental and social justice, both in content and practice. 

Students from any major can enroll in the English courses associated with Toyon (English 460/461) to learn about the editorial process, aesthetic theory, and publishing. English department faculty partner with students to help facilitate the many technical elements of publishing Toyon, but all submissions are read and selected by HSU students. 

Toyon recognizes diversity across disciplines, cultures, and regional boundaries with an emphasis on inclusivity, intersectionality, and multilingualism. In recent years, Toyon has focused on finding new ways to make the journal accessible to every reader. The past two issues were recorded as audiobooks, in addition to print and digital issues, and Toyon accepts submissions in any language. Toyon has been published in English and Spanish since 2016. 

Read more about Toyon on their website:

toyonliterarymagazine.org

Want to help produce Toyon?

You will need to enroll in ENGL460 (Fall) and ENGL461 (Spring) in order to fulfill a role on the Toyon staff. This class will teach you about the editorial and production process, as well as marketing and publicity approaches for literary work. These courses function as an (unpaid) internship in the form of the class and will help students prepare for a variety of careers.

Requirements for Enrolling

You must meet the writing general education requirement. 

Student Involvement and Hands-on Experience

Students enrolled in English 460 (Fall) and English 461 (Spring) learn about the editorial and production process, as well as marketing and publicity approaches for literary work. These courses function as an (unpaid) internship; every enrolled student fulfills a role on the Toyon staff. The courses are open to all students who have met the writing general education requirement. Many English students choose to take English 460/461 in their senior year to benefit from the valuable career training.

Publish with Toyon

All are welcome to submit their work to Toyon for consideration. Our editorial team of Humboldt undergraduate students read submissions in October, November, and December only, but we are open to submissions year-round. Please expect a response time of 3-16 months.