On Friday, June 1, more than 70 students and faculty filled the Alice Holst Theater in Stauffer Hall to celebrate the release of Quicksilver, the annual student art and literary journal at Pacific Union College.

At the event, guests indulged in homemade ice cream and strawberries while Quicksilver contributors gave a poetry reading. Zach Dunn, a senior television and film major, acted as master of ceremonies for the event. He wore sunglasses and black clothes in classic beatnik style and led the audience in snapping their fingers after each reading.

This year, student editor Elizabeth Rivera decided to publish the the journal with a color cover. She wrote to alumni who were published in past Quicksilver journals,requesting donations. Alumni, along with Main Street Books in St. Helena, donated $600 toward the publication.

For Rivera, the most rewarding part of editing Quicksilver was “seeing people pick it up and read others’ works slowly, seeing that there is an artistic community at PUC, and being able to encourage that.”

Quicksilver, established in 1933 as Crater Verse,features poems, short stories, essays, collages, paintings, and photography. While it is a student publication, faculty and staff poetry has been featured in past issues. Issues of this year’s Quicksilver are available at the English department and Campus Center, free of charge.