Room 404 Features Unconventional Stories

The first issue of the College’s newest student publication, Room 404, was released on Jan. 16. The idea for this bi-annual publication came to co-Editors Moss Turpan ’14 and Dylan Redford ’14 as a means to fill a gap they saw in the way in which students communicate and create on campus.

Room 404 is unique in the sense that the publication does not solicit submissions of already completed work. Instead, students are encouraged to meet and talk with others to develop ideas for projects, many of which explore life in the college environment.

The creators of Room 404 emphasize the process of creative collaboration that goes into producing the publication. All contributors Room 404 also act as editors and help one another develop ideas.

According to Turpan, the publication was created to “be a home for the kinds of projects that didn’t quite fit in any existing publications on campus.”

The content of the publication is interdisciplinary, and ranges in topic from academics to comics and graphic design.

For example, the first issue of Room 404 includes a series of logos for things that don’t need logos, a brief illustrated history of ancient Greece and an essay on how the aesthetics of dorm rooms affect one’s being.

“It doesn’t correspond to one’s sense of what an undergraduate literary magazine would look like,” according to Fulton Professor of Humanities Stephen Donadio, Director of Literary Studies at Middlebury and faculty advisor for the publication.

Another element that makes Room 404 unique is its emphasis on graphic design and presentation.

“We believe that how you present content is as meaningful as the content itself,” said Redford.

“[The content] has a physical presence that’s really authoritative [when] combined with the inventiveness of the prose element,” says Donadio.

All of the pieces published are the product of intellectual discussion and collaborative development of ideas.

“We’re not looking for finished products,” said Turpan.

Turpan and Redford hope to expand upon the 2-D format of the publication and incorporate audio and video elements into future projects. They have already filmed a short promotional video, released under the name “Room 404.”

While the first issue of Room 404 will contain content exclusively from Middlebury students, Turpan and Redford plan on utilizing work from students on other college campuses in the future.

Students interested in obtaining a copy of the first issue can email room404@middlebury.edu, and one will be delivered to his or her campus mailbox. Students interested in contributing to the magazine are encouraged to write to the same address.