Sara Fuentes
North Bureau Chief
The student literary arts magazine, Panku, at Broward College is now celebrating its 60th year ofdi splaying the creative talents of our student community. The launch party of the magazine is April 18, and Panku will be distributed to all campuses in the week following the launch party.
For the past 60 years, Panku has symbolized the ever-evolving artistic community at Broward College. Its primary goal is to display the finest work Broward College students create.
Panku Magazine has displayed some incredible artworks created by students from Broward College. Some of these pieces have earned recognition for talented students, while the magazine itself has gained fame for the stunning cover designs featured in its earlier issues. According to Professor Marjetta Geerling, the advisor of Panku Magazine, For the 2023 issues of Panku, the magazine received many awards from the Florida College System Publications Association, including Best Individual Artwork, Best Magazine Photography, and Best Cover.
Another key factor for the incredible work Panku publishes is the team of editors behind the magazine, and all the support the team offers the students. A notable example of this is Alanna Fitzgerald Robert, a BC student who started involving herself by submitting her writing piece.
“I became involved in the magazine because I wanted a place where I could use my skills as a writer and meet other creatives, and the magazine seemed like a good place to start. Being part of it, I have been able to meet a community of people who are all equally resolute and enthusiastic about their work,” she said.
Fitzgerald Robbert eventually decided to become a team member of the magazine. “I first got involved in Spring 2023 when the magazine accepted my literary submission. The following semester, I joined the team as its literary editor, and now I am the Editor-in-Chief, also known as the Panku,” she said.
The Panku magazine is currently working on its only issue for this semester, which is also the most special one as it is to celebrate its 60th anniversary. Current students may be interested in submitting their artwork to be published by the magazine. The deadline for the Fall Semester submissions was Nov. 1, however, we are not accepting any more submissions for this current issue as we are only publishing one issue this year. Any submissions received will be considered for the Fall ‘24 issue, said Professor Geerling.
Fitzgerald Robbert has a small message for the student community at Broward College. “I want the Broward College community to know that we are a space for all creative students. We want Panku to be a space for writers, painters, graphic designers, film students, etc., etc. at Broward College,” she said.
For more information about Panku, visit https://www.broward.edu/students/publications/panku/
