On Friday, Nov. 22, Rowan’s Literary Magazine, Avant, hosted its once-a-semester event appropriately dubbed “Hell Night.” Hell Night began at 2 p.m. this year, beginning what would be a nine-hour event. While attendance in Victoria Room 200 waxed and waned throughout the long night, more than a dozen students helped determine the fate of over forty submissions to the magazine. 

With water, food, and laptops strewn about, students sit focused in a line across from the whiteboard as various mediums are projected–poems, drawings, paintings, and photographs. Most students are dressed in pajamas, sweatshirts, and tees, having come prepared for the long night of deliberation. 

While one side of the board contains the projections, the other half of the wall has “Avant HELL night” written, notably emphasizing the “Hell.” However, the group still manages to have fun despite the title. When the observation and analysis of a piece is done, the voting screen appears, where the people decide if a submission should be accepted (Elmo on Fire GIF) or resubmitted (The Chum Bucket on Fire GIF). Keeping biases in mind, submissions are reviewed anonymously, and Avant holds a tertiary option of “Abstain” (Dog on Fire GIF), where if a voter knows the artist or it was their work, they can vote to opt out that round. 

In the past, Avant’s “Hell Night” has gone as late as 3 a.m. In advance, the ProfLink notice for the event listed the meeting’s times as 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. Unusually, the night ended before midnight. Megan Nielson, the assistant editor for Avant Magazine, explained the reason for this. 

“We’ve had more consistent club participation rather than everyone sending everything in at the deadline,” said Nielson. “It also usually starts at 4 p.m.” 

With more consistency throughout the semester and an early start, “Hell Night” encroached on becoming a morning event, too. 

This year, Avant received forty-five submissions near the deadline, Nov. 20. Other submissions previous to the deadline were reviewed weekly at club meetings, leaving only the forty-five submissions for the final night. 

As the members of Avant reviewed submissions, they cheered for accepted pieces, critiqued submissions, praised submissions, and were able to closely judge the anatomy of submitted drawings while also laughing over if a “Feet Oil Painting” meant someone painted with their feet. 

Throughout “Hell Night,” Avant members make the most of it and more, as they review submissions while having fun as a close-knit group. Even after all submissions were covered, a majority of the team remained in Victoria 200, talking and playing games. 

Avant’s Assistant Editor, Adam Buckley, confirms this sense of community within Avant. 

“It’s a very emotional journey, we see each other at our best and worst…my favorite part is the bonding experience,” Buckley said. 

As the editing and publishing process is now in the cards for Avant, submissions for the Spring Issue will open next semester, with another “Hell Night” to come.

You can find more information about Avant on their Instagram @rowanavant, or find them in James Hall Room 2102 every Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m.

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