Do you know about the work that goes on in course English 171? Few students do. Yet, its culminating project is a well-known venture to capture the spirit of the arts at Buffalo State.

A publication that works to include diverse voices from anyone on campus, Portrait literary arts magazine is described as a “portrait of the people and what they want to release into the world” by Creative Director Aoife Clune.

The magazine, published digitally in the fall and in print in the spring, has “come and gone a few times,” said Professor Roy Bakos.

He worked on the magazine when he was a student at Buffalo State in the 1990s, but it stopped publishing shortly after Bakos left. Portrait came back briefly in the 2000s, disappeared again, then started back up in the late 2010s, then retreated yet again.

But in June of 2021, Bakos, who returned to campus 10 years ago to teach, was asked if he would helm the newly created class dedicated to publishing Portrait magazine. By the following semester, the magazine was up and running again.

Bakos and the rest of the English Department believe that by offering a one credit class available to be taken up to four times, they can create consistency in the publication. The hope is that the course will soon be available to take up to six times, with seniors who are on their fifth and sixth semester of publishing Portrait being able to earn three credits for their capstone.

The process of creating Portrait as a class starts with deciding on cover art, designing a poster to advertise, and deciding on a submission deadline. Then the class decides on what works to publish and begins editing and formatting. The full magazine is published towards the end of the semester, with this semester’s edition due to release in late November or early December.

Bakos stressed that although Portrait is now offered as a course, it is still fully a student-run literary magazine, joking that “Portrait, like Wu Tang [Clan], is for the children.”

The class consists of a mix of majors, not all within the English department, and prides itself on publishing a range of creative works. Visual arts, even sculptures, are included in Portrait.

“We’re very open to publishing a lot of different creative stuff,” said Zach Ogren, a senior English major and editor of Portrait. “As long as we can figure out a way to put it in, we will.”

Students this semester, like students throughout Portrait’s storied history, know the importance of having a campus literary arts magazine.

“It provides that creative outlet to record that moment in the school’s history that we wouldn’t be able to have otherwise,” said Ogren.

He also noted Portrait is “providing students with a foot into the world of publishing.”

But the Portrait staff knows there is an audience beyond those looking to be published.

“We’re trying to get it to such a wide audience that it’s going to touch somebody in some way,” said junior Hospitality major Mark Hager as he spoke of the talent and versatility behind many of the works they’ve published.

Yet as important as the work that goes on in English 171 is, the class is so much more. They speak of it as being a community, with Professor Bakos often bringing food to share with the class. Hager took the class because Bakos was his Writing 100 teacher and he really appreciated his teaching style.

Bakos seems to be the epitome of any good English teacher: dropping plenty of f-bombs, wearing classic band merch, and always carrying a bag of Portrait magazines to share and promote the work within.

Bakos noted that he had left a few copies around the University at Buffalo, where he also teaches, and frequently hears compliments about the work that his students put out.

“Portrait is run as if it were a professional magazine,” said Bakos. “It can seem all over the place, but it’s how an actual creative business is run.”

He mentioned that his contemporaries are often surprised that a group of students created such a professional piece of work. Especially since their budget is only a little over $300.

“We did it not only with students in a short amount of time, but with a small amount of money,” he said.

At the same time the English department strives to sustain Portrait as a steady publication, E.H Butler Library is also adding all previous and future editions of the magazine to the Digital Commons.

“It’s part of Buffalo State for now and forever,” Bakos said proudly.

Though the submission deadline for the Fall edition has now passed, Portrait staff are still drumming up excitement about publication at the end of the semester.

As editor David DuBois said, “I’d encourage people to pick it up and take a look.”