Multilingual journal cultivates language appreciation


Photo of the Trojan Bloom logo, which is a red and yellow leaf with "Trojan Bloom" in black lettering.
The publication aims to foster interest in foreign language learning and encourage intercultural communication. (Photo courtesy of Logan Christianson)

When she was seven years old, Logan Christianson made her first best friend. She grew up alongside Adia, whose Punjabi family became Christianson’s “second home.” Through this, she was introduced to Bollywood, joined in on celebrations of Indian holidays and made a lifelong friendship that sparked her interest in cultural and language study.

“Getting that intimate peek into someone else’s culture or someone else’s livelihood from such a young age, I feel, was really monumental in making me value different languages, different cultures,” Christianson said.

These early interactions cultivated an interest in global connections and community for Christianson, a freshman majoring in international relations. When the opportunity came to join a new foreign literary journal last fall, Christianson quickly put her name forward and now serves as the journal’s productions and social media manager.. 

Set to publish in April, Trojan Bloom is USC’s first student-run multilingual literary journal and is a space for students to publicly express creative works in their studied or native languages. According to Tania Apshankar, a junior majoring in creative writing who serves as the journal’s first editor in chief, the publication aims to foster interest in foreign language programs, encourage intercultural communication and present students the opportunity to further explore language in creative ways.

Trojan Bloom plans to offer biannual editions both in print and digitally, featuring exclusively undergraduate creative works in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, cartoons and other forms of literature. Works can be submitted in one of the 15 languages taught at the University and are limited to a maximum of 500 words. Students interested in submitting this semester must do so by March 8. 

For Apshankar, the journal’s emphasis on the multilingual aspect immediately attracted her. 

“There are a lot of literary journals on campus that are student-run which are in the English language,” Apshankar said. “We definitely felt this need. There’s a gap for foreign languages.” 

Hannah Schoettmer, a sophomore majoring in sociology, is both an editor and web designer at Trojan Bloom. Schoettmer said the journal’s multilingual approach is significant in its practical applications in both the “global workplace” and “global community.” 

“We live in a society that’s becoming increasingly multilingual especially with the advent of the internet and international travel,” Schoettmer said.

Associate Professor of Classics Lucas Herchenroeder, a member of the journal’s faculty advisory board, emphasized the practical applications of being multilingual and also said language learning is a way of “encountering forms of human experience that are beyond our own.” 

Lydia Whitman, a junior majoring in creative writing and editor at Trojan Bloom, said she believes the journal’s stories are unique in that they can be both reflective yet also introduce new ideas.

“I hope that when people read these, they will be able to relate to the content but also to learn something new about someone else,” Whitman said. 

While the journal has yet to fully explore plans to expand in other forms of media, intentions for biweekly podcasting are in the works. Herchenroeder said he hopes to expand podcasting into Latin and Greek in the near future. 

“I think podcasts would be great, not just for the students producing them [but listeners too],” said Herchenroeder, who used podcasts to study Arabic as a doctoral student.

The journal’s editorial team said they aim for readers to reorganize their perceptions of language not only as a route of functional activity, but increasingly toward a method of personal fulfillment and growth. Additionally, the journal aspires “to give more tools to language learners and also a platform for people to portray whatever they’ve been learning or writing in different languages,” Apshankar said. 

Herchenroeder said he anticipates a strong turnout for the first issue and believes students will recognize the opportunities the journal presents. 

“I hope that the journal will encourage serious thinking about the special opportunities that students have for language study and exploration during these very short few years that they’re in the University,” Herchenroeder said.

Editor’s note: This article was updated at 12:04 p.m. on March 2 to reflect that the deadline for submissions to the Trojan Bloom multilingual literary journal has been extended to March 8.