Meet Amelia Sollenbarger – Voice of Authenticity and Ambition for Chinook 53

“Art is the whole reason I’m here,” Amelia Sollenbarger declared as she sat proudly poised in all semblance of passion and aptitude one would expect from the editor of the fifty-third edition of Chinook – the annually anticipated literary magazine.

As editor, Amelia works beyond overseeing the curation process and has been entrusted with the responsibilities of choosing the publication’s theme, designing the front cover, and organizing incoming submissions. With a strong emphasis on individual expression, Amelia is excited to see essay, short story, poetry, photography, and artwork submissions that convey the theme of Visions & Ideals. Written and visual pieces that convey ambitions, childhood dreams, and accomplishments are strong contenders for a spot in Chinook’s pages. Amelia reassures that “anyone can submit their work, not only Otero students. It’s a community, and a lot of people outside of campus have cool things to showcase.” 

The grail to showcase what makes each artist, writer, or photographer unique is a reverberation of Amelia’s own relationship with art. Having received an art-based scholarship in April of 2023, Amelia has been pursuing a major in Studio Art. It is for this same reason that Amelia is prioritizing the representation of traditional art for this year’s edition of Chinook. When asked about the use of Artificial Intelligence in artwork and writing, Amelia expressed cautionary hesitation. “Done well or not, AI art is scary. This is about people’s visions, and AI does not fit that theme.”

Accepting the role as editor was a rare moment of impulse for Amelia, as she declined the opportunity to consider the offer; a decision that has served her well as Amelia continues to meet each “to-do” with great consideration. Working every two weeks to prepare, Amelia asserts that she is prepared to continue vetting submissions before the submission window closes on February 28th. 

Following a heartened story about how Tim Walsh, the original founder of Chinook, is the grandfather of her childhood best friend, Amelia concluded the conversation with the sentiment, “traditional art, like ink, can’t be erased. You have to either work around it or start over. The smell of graphite and the smell of fresh paper – immediate calmness.”

Submissions for the fifty-third are to be sent to chinooksubmissions@gmail.com or submitted physically to Otero College by February 28th, 2025.

Visit the official Chinook Publication site here: https://otero.edu/campus-community/chinook-publication/

---

Submission Guidelines

Any form of original creative writing, or art, may be submitted. This includes: poetry, short stories, essays, and two dimensional art work.

Please submit written works in Microsoft Word.

• Poetry – 25 lines or less
• Artwork – submitted as JPEG picture files
• Photography – submitted as JPEG picture files
• Short Stories – 1500 words or less
• Essays – 1500 words or less

Please include your:

Name,
Address,
E-mail address,
Telephone number,
Otero College instructor or School (if not Otero College)

Submit works via e-mail to Amelia Sollenbarger at chinooksubmissions@gmail.com (Recommended & Preferred)

By mail:

Otero College
Humanities Center
18th and Colorado Ave
La Junta, Co 81050