When Ted Esborn isn't contemplating whether the world's fastest Zamboni is speedier than the world's fastest steamroller, he co-edits j. mag, an undergraduate literary magazine, along with Kyle Fritz. A junior History major, Esborn has been involved in j. mag since his freshman year, when his friend Leigh Lieberman dragged him to one of the meetings. "I thought Sarah and Annelise were cute so I continued responding to their e-mails until I was assigned a theme about the body," Esborn said. His first piece was supposed to be about a body shop. He ended up writing about a "peaceful exchange of money" that happened on the way there instead.
Sarah Gibson and Annelise Pruitt founded j. mag in the spring of 2001. The magazine is published twice a year and each issue has a theme. This semester's theme will be refined. "The theme helps in the process of reading the magazine. It's really something that you can keep in the back of your mind as you read the issue," Esborn said. As editor-in-chief, he holds influence over the order of the magazine and the pairing of stories with photographs. "We try to find photos that match the attitude and feel of the writing," Esborn said.
Although Zeniada already existed when j. mag was established, Esborn doesn't think the two magazines compete. "The best evidence of that is a very successful joint reading, which was held recently," Esborn said. "At a school like this, where so much emphasis is placed on career orientation and academics, for two arts groups to be competing is silly. Lots of people are involved in both organizations and the two groups are trying to survive in the same environment that's not necessarily nurturing to the arts." Currently j. mag has six staff members, all of whom write articles. Esborn noted that it's always more difficult to get writers who are committed than ones who are interested.
The biggest challenge he has faced while running j. mag is starting a new generation of the magazine, which follows an era where the people who founded the magazine also managed it. "It's difficult to connect elements that they would have wanted connected and to try to find a new identity," said Esborn. The main problems the magazine faces right now are lack of awareness on campus and lack of funding needed for color printing. "Color helps people pick up the magazine," said Esborn. "It goes with our whole mentality that a picture can help you relate to a story."
All of Esborn's contributions have been non-fiction, although he writes plays and fiction as well. He became interested in writing when he was 14. His mom asked him to write a play for her birthday and to submit it to a playwriting festival. "I wrote it, but gave her a choice. She could either read it or I could submit it." The play ended up being produced in the Marilyn Bianchi Kid's Playwriting festival in Cleveland.
Esborn has also acted in and directed several Barnstormers productions. "I find acting much more difficult than writing. I really admire people who act because to do it well is to dedicate huge amounts of time and energy to it." His experience with playwriting didn't help him learn how to act, though. "It's a completely different process. You have to let your own feelings about the way a piece is written go when you're acting and get a hold of what the writer is doing. You have to abandon your writing instincts and thoughts of what it's like style-wise and embrace what the other writer has done," Esborn said.
Right now though, Ted is focused on writing. His vision for j. mag is to achieve widespread campus recognition. "j. mag hasn't really been established yet. We're still at the point where we've got a core group of people who serve as writers, editors and staff," Esborn said. "I think when we get a new crop of writers this year, we'll get completely new stuff." The next issue will appear in early December.
