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Anncia Li

The Kairos Times and the Power of Print: Exclusive interview with Alice Lee



Having been familiar with the Kairos Times since its pilot issue, I wanted to dig deeper. I wanted to look behind the words "student-run literary magazine"; I wanted to see through to the student that runs it all—Alice Lee, the editor-in-chief. You might know Alice already from her campaign for student council president last year, or you may have seen her articles in the Sentinel Sun or heard her speak in the Revolve STEM Club. In my interview with her, Alice answers some questions first-time readers and contributors might have, as well as some more hard-hitting questions on what art is, the future of Kairos, and even her thoughts on graffiti. Read till the end for even more magazines and other writing opportunities!


There are a lot of students at Sentinel with a variety of different interests. In terms of readers and contributors, who is Kairos for?


"We really want to highlight the stories and voices of students. We also want to create an open discussion between students. I'd say that with our main magazine we're trying to get everyone interested, people from different ages, family members, teachers, school staff, community members. We really want to open the floor for discussions in terms of students to students, how we are feeling about specific topics, and how we are having shared experiences. So I'd say it's mainly for students."


How do you reach new writers and artists and encourage them to submit?


"There are a lot of people who write and draw in their free time but they don't feel as comfortable with sharing their creative work. What we try to do is find those people and encourage them to submit their work, especially because a lot of people have fears about whether they are good enough in terms of their artwork or their writing. It doesn't matter, you're just sharing your voice out and there's not a room for us to judge you. It's your creative expression. We want to be able to bring the background writers and artists out of their shells, because in the end, it's a very rewarding thing for everybody. For those who aren't comfortable with publicizing their name or attaching their name to their work, we also have an option to submit anonymously."


I know the Kairos Times is a literary magazine. But art can mean many things. So what is art as defined by the Kairos Times Magazine?


"We want to open the floor to different kinds of entries. While we are limited in terms of a physical page, and the work has to be on a physical page, we really want to see whether we can bring it off the page, or invite students to submit works that break that boundary. For example, if you have a 3d artwork, you can maybe share a photo of it. We're kind of thinking about integrating digital things with physical copies."



Revive Tomorrow Art Exhibit at Art Vancouver. An acrylic painting with augmented reality elements.


"For the Kairos Times issue in June 2023, we're looking forward to having a more interactive experience. This could be QR codes or things hidden inside the magazine that people can interact with using their phones."


So will Kairos push the definition of art or champion its own definition of art?


"That's a really good question. I think that art is always evolving. If you think about what art was defined as many, many, years ago compared to now, there’s a disparity because we have different technological advancements in the modern age. The definition of art is always evolving. With the future of the Kairos Times we hope to support that. We'll see where art can push us."


I know you can submit things like photography or writing, but what interests me is what you won't accept.


"We really want to open the floor to any submissions. The only restriction I'd say is we just don't want anything that might hurt anybody, or anything that is harmful towards people or a group."


What's your stance on graffiti being submitted?


"Ooh…this is a controversial one. I think art has to exist somewhere, and the legalities of private property is a conflict. I think that there's an issue with private properties versus artists. That isn't really a creative discussion but more of a legal one, because I think it's not going to stop. That's someone's outlet to share art, even though it's not legal."



Banksy, Basquiat being “stopped-and-frisked” outside the Barbican Centre, 2017. Photo by Ungry Young Man, via Flickr.

"If you think about Banksy, right, he's probably vandalising half the time. But what makes his artwork valuable is the fact that he's vandalising things and he's anonymous. It's not very legal but people appreciate his art. With that, art changes value. Especially Banksy, he can just be a regular vandal artist, but now his art has value, people don't consider the legality of it."


Graffiti on the abandoned house at Tyee Point at Horseshoe Bay, 2022. Photo by @nopettttting via Instagram.


"Personal opinion—I'm not talking on behalf of the Kairos Times right now—it's a creative work. I think the restriction of legality around it is whether we are endorsing vandalism. If it was under the form of a photo, I guess that would slightly change things. But that's not to say we should meddle with legal grounds. It's a really tricky question."


"If [graffiti artists] are comfortable with submitting anonymously, I don't speak on behalf of everybody but it's still an art form. If graffiti artists are really interested in submitting, and if they have any digital work, that could also serve as a good medium for their work from a physical location into a digital format."



The Power of Print


What business do print magazines like Kairos have when the digital form costs nothing, weighs nothing, and is free from any physical limits? I argue that print still carries more weight than digital. If you post something on social media, people can very easily see it. Yet they can just as easily forget about it, scroll past, and it will be lost beneath other images and videos, like a drop of rain in the ocean. Even with this article of mine: will you come back and read it again? I doubt it. But the material form has a staying power. It has weight. It has a physical presence. You can see it sitting on your shelf. You can feel the glossy pages as you open it, and when you do, it's nothing but you and the magazine. Nothing else is demanding your attention. You can take your time with every word and every image. And if your work is in there, it is immortalized. People will remember it. People will come back to it. You can always feel proud as you open that magazine, and see your work materialized in the pages.


Magazines like Kairos can only exist thanks to your submissions. Even if you aren't an artist or a writer, this might be the time you become one. You are the ones defining art and pushing the boundaries. Don't wait to open up your notes app or your sketchbook, your journal or your camera roll, to find something that you can submit!



Thank you to Alice Lee for speaking with me!


The Kairos Times submissions are open now and close on December 30.




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