Ourglass Student Publication

magazine cover featuring an assortment of blue and white butterflies on an orange background

The "best-of-the-best" creative writing and visual art produced by our talented community of students.

Ourglass is the journal of the English and Graphic Design programs at CCD.  It celebrates the best creative work from our talented student community, showcasing poetry, prose, drama, design, and artwork.

We invite all CCD students to submit original work! We welcome submissions in creative writing, visual art, and graphic design. “Best of the best” means we look for work that reflects the complexity, beauty, and diversity of student voices. Past contributors have come from a wide range of backgrounds, including both native and non-native English speakers, and have included work in languages other than English. We encourage submissions that are bold, expressive, and take creative risks.

 

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Important Information

One submission at a time: Please submit only one piece per submission. You are welcome to submit multiple pieces, but each must be submitted separately. Including a cover letter or bio is optional. This helps our editors review your work more efficiently.

Genres:

  • Poetry: All styles are welcome.
  • Prose (fiction, nonfiction, or flash fiction): Submit a single piece or a collection of connected pieces, up to 8,000 words.
  • Essays/Criticism: Submit one piece or a connected collection, up to 8,000 words.
  • Short Plays: Submit one play, preferably 10 to 12 pages, in standard script format.
  • Visual Art/Graphic Design: Submit art of any medium. Files should be 300dpi or higher with the longest dimension being 3000px or higher. Accepted file types - JPEG, PDF, PNG, TIFF. Accepted color profiles - RGB, CMYK, Grayscale.

Response Time: We accept submissions throughout the academic year, June 1st through May 31st) and respond in August. We greatly appreciate your patience, as we receive a high volume of submissions. 

For more information about submitting, please contact ccd.ourglass@ccd.edu. 

Submit Your Work

All writing submissions (excluding student editors) will be eligible for the Leonard Winograd Award, named in honor of longtime English professor and editor of Ourglass Leonard Winograd. The award is given annually to recognize excellence in writing. Finalists are chosen by the editors, and the winner is selected by an anonymous faculty member not associated with Ourglass. To donate to the Winograd Award, go to the CCD Foundation website. Be sure to mark this as a "Tribute Gift" to the Winograd Award.

When you donate for a past issue, you are not only helping Ourglass and the Leonard Winograd Award, you are also helping the CCD Foundation and their scholarship fund to aid other CCD students. We’ll cover the cost of shipping! How cool is that?! 

Interested in an issue between 2016-2019? Contact us at our email below. 

YearOrganizationAwardEditorsDesign
1991Community College Humanities Assocation, Lit. Magazine CompetitionLiterary Magazine CompetitionBill Richards, Susan Simons, Steve ThomasRichard Jividen
1992CCHA, Literary Magazine Competition2nd Place Winner Southwestern DivisionJim BryantRichard Jividen
1993CCHA, Literary Magazine Competition1st Place, Southwestern DivisionJim Bryant, Kathy WinogradRichard Jividen, Gretchen Heinemann
1994CCHA, Literary Magazine Competition1st Place, Southwestern DivisionRichard FleckRichard Jividen
1997CCHA, Literary Magazine Competition2nd Place, Southwestern DivisionLeonard WinogradRichard Jividen, Gretchen Occhionero
1998CCHA, Literary Magazine Competition2nd Place, Southwestern DivisionJennifer Gessner, Richard FleckRichard Jividen, Gretchen Occhionero, Sue Helsel
2003CCHA, Literary Magazine Competition2nd Place, Southwestern DivisionLeonard WinogradSue Helsel, Richard Jividen, Gretchen Occhionero
2013CCHA, Literary Magazine Competition2nd Place, NationalJeffrey Becker, Jennifer GessnerJohn Kjos, Sue Samuelson
2015CCHA, Literary Magazine Competition1st Place Magazine From Small CollegesJeffrey BeckerAndria Regan, John Kjos, Sue Samuleson
2017CCHA, Literary Magazine Competition3rd Place, Best MagazineBrian Dickson, Annie HowleySena Bryant, John Kjos, Sue Samuelson
2018CCHA, Literary Magazine Competition1st Place Tie, National Brian Dickson, Annie Howley, Jeffrey BeckerJames Fladung, Sue Samuelson, Doug Ekstrand
2019CCHA, Literary Magazine Competition1st Place, Southwestern DivisionBrian Dickson, Mary-Claire Ibarra, Elisa Turner, Jeffrey BeckerKrissy Main, Sue Samuleson, Doug Ekstrand
2019National Council Teachers of EnglishSuperior CategoryJeffrey Becker, Brian Dickson, Mary-Claire Ibarra, Elisa TurnerKrissy Main, Sue Samuleson, Doug Ekstrand
2020National Council Teachers of EnglishExcellent CategoryJeffrey Becker, Brian Dickson, Mary-Claire Ibarra, Maizie VatsaasMariely Marquez-Lopez, Gretchen Occhionero
2021CCHA, Literary Magazine Competition1st Place, Southwestern Division, 40th Anniversary EditionJeffrey Becker, Brian Dickson, Mary-Claire Ibarra, Maizie VatsaasLisa Stacy, Gretchen Occhionero
2022National Council Teachers of EnglishExcellent CategoryBrian Dickson, Jeffrey Becker, Mary-Claire Ibarra, Alexandra ErtelMariely Marquez-Lopez, Gretchen Occhionero, Alon Morris, Andrew Orduna
2022CCHA, Literary Magazine Competition2nd Place, Southwestern DivisionBrian Dickson, Jeffrey Becker, Mary-Claire Ibarra, Alexandra ErtelMariely Marquez-Lopez, Gretchen Occhionero, Alon Morris, Andrew Orduna
2023CCHA, Literary Magazine Competition2nd Place, Southwestern DivisionBrian Dickson, Jeffrey Becker, Mary-Claire Ibarra, Riley Nugyen, Sabrina SpannGretchen Occhionero, Cassie Renier, Zoe Whitely
2023National Council Teachers of EnglishSuperior CategoryBrian Dickson, Jeffrey Becker, Mary-Claire Ibarra, Riley Nugyen, Sabrina SpannGretchen Occhionero, Cassie Renier, Zoe Whitely
2024National Council Teachers of EnglishREALM First ClassJeff Becker, Brian Dickson, Milo Halpern, Remy Koehler, Riley Nguyen, Kim O'ConnorGretchen Occhionero, Jennifer DeLeon, Auggie Rodriguez, Mean Zuiderveen

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Email us: CCD.Ourglass@ccd.edu