At the northwest corner of SCC, there is a cement roundabout with a nearby sidewalk leading to a tall building tucked behind the foliage labeled “Visual Arts Center.”
Inside the spacious hall, your eyes will hit art-lined walls. At the bottom of the back staircase is a narrow corridor with lockers lining the room.
Past the lockers and to the right, you will find a small door donning a sign that reads “Spindrift.”
The tiny office is adorned with bookshelves bearing a prolific amount of copies of SCC’s student-produced art and literary journal of the same name, which are no longer being sold by the college.
What is Spindrift?
Spindrift accepts submissions of art, literature, music and video from students as well as established artists and writers in the pacific northwest.
When you hold a copy in your hand, it has the same look and feel of a professionally-crafted book that one would find at Barnes and Noble.
At more than 150 pages in length, Spindrift is jam-packed with art and written works that range from haikus to short stories.
Each publication features hundreds of submissions which have won a number of awards. Spindrift is also curated, assembled, printed and published entirely by students with oversight from two faculty advisors.
And it has been so since 1966.
Nowhere to be Sold
However, purchasing a copy of Spindrift may prove a more difficult task than locating the Visual Arts Center.
SCC’s bookstore has not been selling issues this school year and the staff is unsure when they will be selling it again for reasons that remain unclear.
Bookstore manager Sione Pauu said he did “not have accurate information.” Greg LePage, an employee who has a number of copies in his office, was also unable to provide a definitive reason, saying “we have been very busy with the new system.”
Spindrift cannot be sold out of office, online, at other bookstores or anywhere outside of the campus. It cannot be sold unless a cash box is requested, which can take up to three weeks to process according to Katie Johansen, Spindrift’s literary assistant.
Johansen said that she too has stacks of Spindrift in her office which a number of people have asked to purchase, yet she has had to turn them away for the time being.
However, she noted one exception: The upcoming Spindrift jury show, which showcases student work and allows people to vote on art to be included in this year’s issue, along with providing a rare chance to purchase the publication itself.
“Getting people to see what we’re doing on campus, what the students are doing and then being able to put that together … is what the benefit of this magazine really is,” Johansen said.
The jury show will take place in the Visual Arts Center on March 3 and 4 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m..
“If you’d like to come during those times, you can buy [a copy of Spindrift],” Johansen said.
A Convoluted Issue
Spindrift Art Editor Tara Matthews and Art Advisor Chuck Shultz confirmed that the literary journal is not able to be sold because the school will not allow it.
“It’s sad, because we have a lot of great art and literature that a lot of the students at Shoreline have generated,” Matthews said. “Their parents and their families would like to purchase it, and it’s not available.”
The Spindrift advisors would also like to sell more copies to help increase the college’s revenue, as they are aware of the current budget crisis.
Given the proper tools, like a Square system and the permission to sell their product outside of the campus, they believe they could make a lot of money selling old and new issues alike.
“We have backlogs of old issues, back to the eighties,” Johansen said. “We would really like to be able to sell those at a reduced price … but we can’t really do that either.”
