Aurora: About

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. 

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!