The publishers and editors of Puerto Del Sol celebrated the publication of the magazine’s Spring 2025 semester issue at Zuhl Library on April 23. The theme of their new edition, Issue 60.1, was “Freak.”
Since 1964, Puerto Del Sol has served as New Mexico State University’s semi-annual print journal, displaying the literary works of Aggies, approved by the editorial team and their readers. Their Spring 2025 issue features 54 total authors. The “Freak” issue release party included lunch as well as a session where attendees could make cut-up poetry from magazines and newspapers.
Poetry editor Madelyn Parker said that one of her favorite parts of being an editor at Puerto Del Sol was being able to directly observe trends in current literature.
“It is really exciting to see what other students are doing. To be able to sift through our submissions and publish strange things. We try to pick stuff that is not so contemporary, because we are excited about new things,” Parker said.
Managing Editor Anna “Dunes” Sehnal said that each new theme of the magazine does not just reflect those literary shifts as they evolve each year, but also the tastes of its staff.
“I think that this issue especially feels like it has been curated with specific literary sensibilities that come from the editors,” Sehnal said. “Every year, the issue is different. And every time we have new people enter the program, we start working on the magazine, the issue changes because the tastes of the literature alter. So, this one stands out from the rest in that it represents the current staff group. Especially because we choose things that are more experimental, edgy, and unafraid to take risks when it comes to form and language.”
Managing Editor Maxwell Griego explained how the publishers choose each semester’s theme, through a voting system.
“We usually do a Google Form where people could kind of just upload whatever themes they were thinking of,” Griego said. “And then once they were posted, we all voted, and ‘freak’ happened to be the one that was favored. When we were discussing the different varieties and ways that ‘freak’ manifests itself, it seemed like a broad theme that people could relate to in many ways. Which is something you should always try to go for when choosing a theme. You do not want to restrict too much.”
Sehnal said publications like Puerto Del Sol are important in order to provide publicly available literature to the NMSU community.
“It is important to have access to different types of literature and different ways to investigate and play with language,” Sehnal said. “And so, literary magazines are just one way to do that. There is also a lot of value in online publications and unrestricted access publications that you can find that are not kept behind a paywall. It is critical to have places where resources, literature, and various voices and experiences can be curated for.”
Those interested in purchasing a copy of “Freak” or their issues of past semesters can visit Puerto Del Sol’s online website.
