Written by Kimberly Steele
I have been a Contributing Writer for The Vindicator Magazine since I came to Cleveland State in 2004. Since The Vindicator itself is celebrating 50 years of publishing, I would like to take a walk down memory lane of all the pieces I've contributed to this publication.
When I first stepped on campus in August 2003, the first thing I saw in the display bins were The Cleveland Stater, The Cauldron, and The Vindicator Magazine. I was thrilled that Cleveland State had its own magazine. I transferred from Cuyahoga Community College where I wrote for the campus newspaper called "The Voice." Before that, I was at Youngstown State University right out of high school where I published poetry in their Penguin Press Journal.
The first two pieces I published in The Vindicator were poems titled "Metaphor" and "Moonlit Stroll." They appeared in the April 2004 issue. I keep the physical copy of this since my last name was spelled wrong, and it cracks me up every time I look at it!
I had to go back to Tri-C for a while, but was able to re-enroll at Cleveland State in 2014. That's when I published the clip "My Battle with Depression" about my depression and how depression took the life of Robin Williams in the November issue. Then in 2015 I had busy publishing spree where I published "Shy vs Introvert" clip about the differences between the two in February, "The Big A" clip about Asexuality myths, plus two poems entitled "Morning Delight" and "So Sad It Hurts" in May.
The string of clips continued in September 2015 when I published "I wish black lives mattered to black people" a clip about my boss' 4 year old grandson's murder on the blog. Then in November 2015 came "My current identity crisis" clip about my depression once again.
In 2016 I published two clips on the blog. In April I published "THEIR GOING TO GET YOU!" which was about April Fools Joke videos I found online. In June I published "Pulse: My acts of solidarity" a clip about the Pulse Nightclub shootings.
I think in 2016 I also should have published a piece called "Something Worth Growing" which was about my Online Erotica Magazine. I can't find a paper trial for that piece, but I remember getting a couple of calls from other students about it, so I'm almost certain it was published.
"Finally I can work in peace" was a clip about Cleveland's new LGBTPQA+ community ordinance I published in November 2018.
My last clip was published in May 2019. "Being a BLERD: Beginning as a Cosplayer" clip about my becoming a Black Cosplayer.
I've never really had a clear theme direction when it comes to what I put in The Vindicator. Personal issues that come up are often my go-to, but LGBTPQA+ topics are also particularly of interest to me. What is consistent is that I've always found the submission process open and welcoming. Plus I've always had positive interactions with Section Editors - even when they would reject a piece of mine. These are just a few small - but important - parts of why I feel like The Vindicator has been around so long.
It was pretty cool looking down memory lane. I have quite a diverse portfolio of literary works through The Vindicator Magazine. A nice way to celebrate 50 years of a valuable writing platform.