Honors College: Populi Magazine Provokes Thoughtful Discussions

The Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College continuously prides itself on engaging students in intellectual discussion and compelling conversations.

Through the Honors 101 courses during our freshman year, we were given the opportunity to frequently engage in thought-provoking conversations that served to expand the mind and challenge the status quo. However, these opportunities become sparse as we delve more deeply into our paths of study. An organization that centered on this idea of group discussion spanning every discipline was needed. Thus came the birth in fall 2013 of the student publication Koi Talk – so named because of the meaningful conversations that took place around the beloved Koi Pond in front of the SM BHC. Featuring biweekly issues that highlighted students’ thoughts on a range of topics as well as “Koi Chats” to discuss the topic of the week, Koi Talk became an outlet for student discussion and creative collaboration.

Time has served to shape and mold the publication. With the onset of its fourth edition this past semester, Koi Talk was rebranded to take on the new title Populi Magazine. Populi, which means people in Latin, was a name that we felt better captured both the purpose of the publication – to give students the opportunity to share their stories and perspectives on topics they are passionate about – and our plans for its future trajectory. We are seeking to make the publication a showcase of the interests of the students at the University of Mississippi. From artwork, to poetry, to fictional short stories – Populi Magazine has become a mixed media publication that allows students to express their thoughts in a variety of fashions. Along with our set topics each semester, we welcome freelance photographers, artists and journalists to submit work for publication.

Our topics this year have spanned from “Religious Fundamentalism: An Anchor on Progress or the Roots of Stability?” to “American Medical Practices: Providing the Quick-Fix or the Long-term Solution?”. We have asked these questions: “What is the relationship between art and intention?” “Why write fiction?” “When does just war exist?”

Our goal is to intentionally provide overarching, broad topics so that individuals from every discipline can have the opportunity to choose a topic that interests them. We featured our first collection of artwork by Jake Thrasher and photography by Taylor Byrd, and we were fortunate enough this past semester to have an exclusive interview with Bruce Levingston, which provided insight into his life as a concert pianist and his new role as Artist in Residence at the Honors College.

Community engagement and inclusion of every individual have led Populi Magazine to become a means of sparking conversation, and we hope to continue this tradition into next semester as we move to an open submission format. We have decided that, rather than set the conversation topic before our peers, we are going to let them dictate the direction of the publication this semester, and we encourage all members of the university community to help stir deep discourse on our campus by submitting an article.

We are currently working on making a print edition highlighting our issues from the spring semester as well as planning for our fifth edition. Please contact us at populi.um@gmail.com and visit our website populimagazine.honors. olemiss.edu to read our current content. There is something for everyone, so enjoy!

Courtesy of Lizzy Wicks and the University of Mississippi Honors College

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