Our Story
What is a Smudge? A smudge is the threshold through which everything passes, the liminal, the place where anything can happen. A smudge is a site of liberation, the place where colors, cultures, aesthetics, traditions, blend, merge, and build. A smudge is a demarcation of transformation, the in between, the pupa and cocoon between caterpillar and butterfly. A smudge can become anything. The smudge is us.
Smudge was founded in 2021 when a group of students discussed the frustrations of cultural misunderstandings in the writing workshop, especially during critiques. Smudge was created to prevent further misinterpretations, to provide a safe space for writers and artists of color where they feel like their work will not be undervalued and misjudged.
Our name comes from a poem, “Smudge” written by Malachi Jones who won the Golden Portfolio Award from Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. The final line of his poem captures Smudge's presence on campus: "A black mass against a bright canvas." Rather than hiding away, Smudge takes pride in this presence.
Check out our video “The Story Behind Smudge” here.
President, Illustrator, Layout & Web Editor
Lili is a Design major at Wheaton from Vermont. They are a big fan of sandwiches, beabadoobee, and watching movies in bed.
Co-Editor in Chief, Illustrator
Adrian (Soo Min) Rhee is a Psychology major with a lifelong love of writing. They love writing about the minutiae of emotions and everything in between. Outside of writing, Adrian enjoys video games, crocheting, and talking.
Treasurer, Co-Editor in Chief
Kiara is a Neuroscience and Computer Science double major at Wheaton from Mumbai. She loves creating and reading poetry, and has a soft spot for pink skies. She misses the tropics, but New England is slowly helping her fall in love with the cold.
Social Media Manager, Editor, Illustrator
I’m Nico! I’m a biology and visual arts major. Some of my favorite art mediums are printmaking and painting. I especially love how all forms of art bring people together. I’m a dancer who loves going out into the city or to the beach, and I talk about my cats whenever I can.
Editor
Bella is a nerd from a decently-sized town who’s really into writing! Cat fanatic, chronic reader, professional fumbler and aspiring romance novel writer.
Editor
Angel is a New York based Writer, Thespian and lover of all things creative and imaginative. First generation kid born from Mexican immigrants, I hope to uplift the human experience through a marginalized lens and share stories that otherwise are forgotten or overlooked.
Interested in joining the team?
Email smudgemagwc@gmail.com and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can!