At a celebration of the 25th anniversary issue of Bellerive on Feb. 28, attendees got a first look at a new documentary about the publication produced by UTV, UMSL’s student-run television channel. (Photo by Derik Holtmann)
Often, when Clay Butler talks about his work at Bellerive, people will ask if he’s referring to the country club, unaware of the literary magazine that shares its name.
So when Butler and Remy Xa, a fellow communication major at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, were tasked with coming up with a public relations plan for the 25th anniversary issue of the annual publication produced by students in the Pierre Laclede Honors College, they saw an opportunity to explore its history and legacy.
The 25th anniversary issue of Bellerive features 112 pages of poetry, prose, academic essays, art, photography and music from current UMSL students, faculty, staff and alumni. At a launch party for the new issue on Friday, attendees got a first peek at a short documentary produced by members of the Bellerive staff and UTV, UMSL’s student-run television channel.
Last spring, Xa and Aliena Abernathy, a senior English major, worked together to bring back UTV after it had been dormant for years. Xa, Abernathy and Butler – UTV’s current president – are also involved with Bellerive and saw an opportunity to leverage UTV’s full television studio, which includes three standing TV cameras, an anchor desk, green screen, editing bay and more, to help get the word out about the 25th anniversary issue.
The 25th anniversary issue of Bellerive features 112 pages of poetry, prose, academic essays, art, photography and music from current UMSL students, faculty, staff and alumni. (Photo by Derik Holtmann)
As treasurer for UTV, Xa also sees the documentary as a way to build on UTV’s anchor priorities of accessibility, education and collaboration with other student organizations and departments.
“When we were all in the Bellerive class, it just seemed like a natural connection when Clay and I were selected to be members of the PR committee,” Xa said. “There are people in this class that were not alive when this book was first printed. We’re Honors students. We want to show up for our college. And Bellerive as a publication itself is truly a pillar of what the liberal arts education is. I just love it for the fact that people across all majors can participate, and the moment of joy you see when people hold the book in their hands for the first time.”
The documentary outlines the process of creating the 25th issue of Bellerive, featuring interviews with UMSL faculty, staff and current and former students who have worked on the publication. Abernathy, who is the current secretary for UTV and served on the editing committee for Bellerive, said the documentary specifically focuses on the people who produce Bellerive – whether in art, layout, editing or PR – in order to give the UMSL community insight into how the book is created and demystify the process.
“What I’m hoping that people take away from the documentary is an insight into the selection process and creation process of this book,” Abernathy said. “I want people to be as in-the-know as possible about how we treat their work and how their work ultimately ends up the way it does in the book. Many of these people have never had their work shown in public before and it can be kind of a terrifying experience for any writer, so we want them to feel comfortable and knowledgeable about how we are treating that work. Your own work is a very intimate thing, and we want to show everyone that we are treating it with the utmost professionalism and respect that it deserves.”
Audri Adams, a senior academic advisor in the Honors College, first got involved with Bellerive as a student before becoming the publication’s faculty advisor four years ago. Originally founded by Associate Dean Emeritus Nancy Gleason, Bellerive has become an Honors College tradition and a key part of the college’s writing-intensive curriculum. In 2023, the publication won an award in the National Collegiate Honors Council’s Honors Publications Contest.
In addition to creating bonds between the students, Adams said working on Bellerive gives them insight into the world of publishing, particularly through their work on various committees, such as editing, art or PR.
Audri Adams, the faculty advisor for Bellerive, is interviewed by students for UTV’s short documentary about the publication’s history and submission process. (Photo courtesy of Clay Butler)
“Something that sets us apart is that students from every major are involved, and so they bring different specialties to the class,” Adams said. “They bring different perspectives, and I think it makes the final issue more appealing to a wider audience.”
Bellerive receives hundreds of submissions each issue and, of course, not all make the final cut. Abernathy, Butler and Xa all acknowledge that putting yourself out there can be an incredibly vulnerable and intimidating process, but they hope that the documentary highlights an idea of resilience by encouraging people to take the leap and share their work.
“One of the things that we wanted to affirm in the documentary is that it might be a little scary, but the rewards are incredible, so put yourself out there,” Xa said. “If you don’t make it in, that doesn’t mean your work is bad. It just means it’s not right for this particular issue, and we’d love to see you submit it again. Because we’re open to alumni as well, we are always welcoming members of the greater UMSL community to get in here. We hear stories, and I’ve seen firsthand even, from staff members and professors who submit, share that same joy in their eyes when they hold the book in their hands for the first time. We want to try and capture that moment.”
Watch the full documentary on UTV’s YouTube channel:
