Cranford Teen Creates Literary Magazine To Uplift Marginalized Voices

CRANFORD, NJ — Cranford High School senior Sophia Marie Joseph has had a passion for writing her entire life. But when she realized there was a lack of minority voices within the writing community, she decided to take matters — or rather, a pen — into her own hands.

Joseph recently launched her own online literary magazine titled "the carnelian corner." The magazine is meant to serve as an outlet for aspiring writers to publish their work, as well as connect them with fellow writers to better develop their craft.

In particular, "the carnelian corner" advocates for people of color, those in the LGBTQIA+ community, women, immigrants and other marginalized persons.

The magazine prides itself on being a "magazine for minorities by minorities," the website states.

Joseph said she decided to name the magazine after the gemstone carnelian, which is a brownish-red crystal, because it is said to "help timid speakers become eloquent and bold."

"I felt like [the name] was perfect because I want to be able to give people a voice who have not had a voice," Joseph said.

On her website, Joseph wrote that as a child, she was selectively mute and struggled a lot with words and how to communicate them properly to others. But when she began writing, she found herself "falling in love with words."

Joseph herself identifies as a Black, pansexual, Haitian American woman, and said she wanted to create a literary magazine for uplifting, rather than muffling, the voices of the marginalized.

Joseph said she was born to a first-generation Haitian American mother and an immigrant Haitian father. She grew up hearing stories from her parents and learned that storytelling was a way to learn more about her culture, values and traditions.

Joseph also published her own novella, "Madeira," in honor of her grandfather. Currently, Joseph is working on two novels, a book of poetry titled "girlhood" and a book of prose titled "Goodnight, Seol," according to her website.

Those interested in contributing to "the carnelian corner" can choose among submitting poetry, prose, opinions pieces or novel excerpts. For now, Joseph is mainly accepting writing submissions, but she said she hopefully plans to expand the magazine to accept art submissions as well.

"Whether you're an experienced writer or an unexperienced writer, there's a place for you on this website," Joseph said.

Each submission on the literary magazine will cost the writer $5, which will then be donated to NJ4Haiti — an organization that helps provide relief and rehabilitation for Haiti.

"When I was making this magazine, it was always my vision to do something that could help my community in some way," Joseph said.

NJ4Haiti is located in Elizabeth, which is where Joseph's father lived when he first moved to America. Because of that, Joseph said this was an organization she felt compelled to partner with.

You can check out Joseph's literary magazine at this link to learn more about it.

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