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Aurora: About

Mission Statement

The Aurora is the literary forum of Davis & Elkins College. Its main goals are to showcase talent among faculty, staff, and students and to stimulate the intellectual nerve of the college as a whole. The magazine is an annual publication produced by student editors and funded by the college's student assembly. 

History

Davis & Elkins College's literary magazine was first published in the Spring of 1963 under the name Adum, taken from the word adumbrate, which means to foreshadow. The magazine was advised by Dr. E. H. Hunter Davis and edited by student Romany E. Sear. In the Spring of 1979, the name again changed to Kami. The magazine was advised by faculty member Robert Weber and edited by student Bill Kates Jr. 

Merely two years later, staff and editors settled on the name Aurora, for, as 1980 editor John Elza states, "the phenomenon of the Aurora is surrounded by a sense of beauty and mystery. As writers and artists, we try to capture a similar sense of beauty and mystery in our works."  For 39 years, the Aurora has kept its name and its purpose: to inspire readers and writers by evoking a sense of awe, capturing the beauty and mystery of our people, our minds, and our hearts.  

The Aurora began with a small staff, and for years, single individuals, pairs, and small groups of people have kept our magazine alive. For several years, Aurora was defunct due to the pandemic. In 2024, a group of talented and dedicated students came together to revive Aurora, and we look forward to continuing this long literary tradition by publishing a new issue in 2025!

Contributors

A group of two faculty members and eleven students at the first Aurora meeting

First Meeting of 2024

Students and faculty came together to revive the Aurora

Sydney Tammarine

Current Aurora Advisor

Professor of English

Bill King

Former Aurora Advisor

Professor of English 

Chelsey Patterson

Former Aurora Advisor

Professor of English 

Kass Williams 

Executive Editor 2018-2019

English Major 

Emily Alexander 

Editorial Assistant 2018-2019

English Major 

Jakeya Perrin

Coeditor and Treasurer 2018-2019

English and Art Double Major 

Emily Coleman

Coeditor 2019

English Major and Business Minor 

Alexis Smith

Public Relations Officer 2018-2019

English and Criminology Double Major