It’s hard to walk past the man with the bandages staring helplessly from the latest issue of Atlantis. But where did this mysterious man come from? The creative magazine of UNCW is filled with thought-provoking stories and poems, its pages splashed with student photographs and artwork. Few think about the origin of the journal, assuming perhaps it appears out of thin air. Editor-in-Chief of Atlantis, Abigail Chiaramonte, is in fact the magician behind this trick.

Before becoming Editor-in-Chief last May, Abigail worked as the proofreader and submissions coordinator for Atlantis. Now she works alongside an editorial staff organizing meetings, budgeting, and ensuring that each step of the process is completed on time. “The Editor-in-Chief has to keep track of all the different things going on and make sure that everything is rolling smoothly, so I was kind of a good fit,” Abigail said. This is an understatement. With a tight deadline, she says that the most challenging part of publishing is the time constraint and encouraging students to submit work. She has been wildly successful, with an astounding 500 pieces of writing and art submitted for each issue.

Atlantis is a collaborative effort, with Abigail as its captain. Students from all majors find a creative outlet through the magazine, submitting varied art forms, from short two-word poems to drawings to pages of prose. The magazine is not limited to UNCW students and receives submissions from UNC Greensboro, UNC Asheville, and Cape Fear Community College. Chiaramonte’s passion for the magazine shines through when she describes the importance of a creative outlet on campus. “It’s not just photography, it’s not just art, and it’s not just creative writing,” Abigail said. “I think that the arts are really underrepresented, just because so much funding gets funneled into different areas. It’s really exciting that we have the opportunity to publish a magazine that showcases student art.”

Despite the long hours put into creating the magazine, Abigail’s eyes brighten with delight when asked about the rewards of the process. She describes the best feeling as when “you get to hold [the completed magazine] in your hands and think ‘Oh, it was so worth it. It’s done. It’s beautiful and I’m so happy about it’”.

Abigail eagerly reveals some future plans for Atlantis, including a color-printed summer issue and hopes to release a digital magazine to publish a greater variety of work from artists. She also encourages students to attend the year’s upcoming events: a bake sale this September and an open-mic poetry slam in October. Performing is optional, of course.

When she isn’t buried in 100 Years of Solitude, Abigail is typing away at the novel she is writing for her senior thesis. On top of this impressive feat, she will be graduating UNCW this December with a BFA in creative writing, an English minor, and a certificate in publishing. Although her mother was initially worried when Abigail changed her major to creative writing, she has myriad plans for the future, including getting “a big girl job in a publishing house”, designing cookbooks, and applying to grad school. All these might be possible. Her work as a media group leader provides her with a framework for these goals by gaining experience with budgeting and interacting with people. Like all good magicians, Abigail plans everything ten steps ahead. But her work with Atlantis has taught her a trick for the real world, she says: “knowing what to do when something doesn’t go according to plan”.