ADA, Okla. – East Central University’s Dr. Joshua Grasso and student editors will be releasing this year's “Originals” literary journal on Tuesday, March 24, at 3:30 p.m. in the Linscheid Library.

“Originals” is a collection of students, alumni, staff and faculty work. The book has been published since the 1950s. This year, Grasso and his student editors received about 150 pieces; they spent over two months reading through and deciding which ones to publish.

“We wanted pieces that were very representative of all the kinds of voices here,” said Grasso. “The idea was, we wanted to make it more like older Originals, going back like 30 to 40 years. We went to the 2016 issue and found one poem that we felt really represented that issue, and we published it. We published it along with one piece of art from that issue, too. As a way of saying that those students who are gone now are still a part of this world.”

Every year, students are chosen to serve as editors of the journal. Sarah Christensen, Jayde Landreth and Megan Moss, were selected as this year’s editors.

“Originals represents an opportunity for student writers to have their voices heard. It gives them space to share their creativity, effort, and perspective. It represents a shared community at ECU that allows students to leave behind a legacy for others to read and enjoy,” said Landreth.

The English department is also putting on the “Scissortail Creative Writing Festival” set for April 2-4, 2026.

For more information on “Originals,” contact Dr. Joshua Grasso at jgrasso@ecok.edu.

-ECU-