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When walking to class one September afternoon, Syracuse University sophomore Jenna Sents spotted something that caught her eye — a light pink poster with a woman’s portrait on it that read “Sapphic Magazine.” When she scanned the QR code on the flyer, it led her to a page with information about the publication and its first interest meeting.

“I didn’t know people talked about that word because I just don’t really see it a lot,” Sents said. “I was like, ‘I need to go to one of these meetings.’”

Sapphic Magazine launched at the beginning of this fall semester. Founded by SU junior Maya Dupuis, the magazine strives to create a safe space for sapphic individuals to feel celebrated within the broader LGBTQ+ community. “Sapphic” is an umbrella term referring to romantic relationships between women regardless of gender or sexual orientation.

With the help of co-editor-in-chief Sents and a small team of SU and SUNY ESF writers and artists, Sapphic Magazine has printed two editions this semester. Its first edition, “Sapphic 101,” serves as an introduction to sapphic art and culture with terminology, poems, interviews and more. The second edition, “Lavender Scare,” explores the Lavender Scare’s history and highlights creative writing about sapphic love.

Sapphic Magazine members meet weekly to vote on edition themes, pitch creative writing ideas, and pair writing with photography and art. This safe space for sapphic-identifying people to come together and express themselves brought ESF sophomore Kaiva Yanoski to the magazine.

“Realizing that I could talk with other people about my experience and write about it was just so exciting to me,” Yanoski said.

Though the magazine’s editions are short, Dupuis said the team packs as much variety into the pages as possible. Readers can immerse themselves in a short story by a sapphic-identifying writer on one page or peruse a collage of photos and quotes on the next. By designing editions to be unfolded and hung like a poster, the team also incorporates a secondary function into their work.

Dupuis and Sents said they try to curate a raw, DIY aesthetic for the magazine. The magazine’s team handmakes each issue — printing and folding or stapling a spine of pages together — to disperse around SU’s campus and local spots like Recess Coffee. When students stumble upon an issue, Sents said she hopes it will feel like a friend made it especially for them.

To promote Sapphic Magazine on SU’s campus, the team held a launch party on Nov. 9. Dozens of students attended the party, huddling around a bonfire, dancing to a DJ set in the front yard and doodling on a communal poster. Dupuis and Sents also handed out issues of the magazine for attendees to read.

Dupuis, who’s originally from London, drew inspiration from the sapphic party scene in her home city. They said they wanted to replicate these spaces on SU’s campus so sapphic-identifying students could socialize in a party setting without feeling threatened or endangered.

“The environment that we created was completely different from any party I’ve ever been to,” Yanoski said. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a space like this to celebrate myself and the people I love, let alone a space for just women or non-binary people.”

The morning after the party, the team received vulnerable messages from attendees who expressed their gratitude for the safe space Sapphic Magazine created. Sents said there’s an unspoken trust among members of the sapphic community that allows them to connect, even if they aren’t out to their friends or family.

“There’s no denying that having a space like that is needed after all of the positive feedback that we got,” Yanoski said.

Although Dupuis is studying abroad in Florence, Italy next semester, the team still plans to meet each week to collaborate on new editions. Dupuis said she hopes to compile all of the magazine’s editions into one flipbook that showcases sapphic culture. Becoming a registered student organization will provide the printing budget that’s necessary to do so.

RSO status will also help Sapphic Magazine reach more students, including those like Sents who didn’t see sapphism represented on campus until joining the publication. The team hopes to celebrate and empower the sapphic community with each new edition.

“There needs to be a space for sapphic voices,” Dupuis said. “Our world is going through a sapphic renaissance and our college should reflect that.”

Published on December 3, 2024 at 10:51 pm

Contact: Jepryor@syr.edu