The Experience Exchange, Washington and Lee’s new outdoors student magazine, is set to publish their first edition this winter. The publication aims to reconnect Washington and Lee and the local community to nature.

“[The publication] is based on the theory of the extinction of experience, which is the thought that humans are becoming more disconnected to nature. The more people who do interact with nature, the more likely they are to grow up to be adults who care about protecting the environment,” said Sofia Iuteri, ’27, the president and founder of the magazine.

The magazine will feature a wide range of media, such as poems, personal narratives, songs and more. All types of work that relates to the environment will be published, from study abroad experiences to sustainable initiatives.

“There is nothing filling this niche on campus, showing students some of the core parts of being a W&L student,” said Grace Rustay, ’27, a writer for the publication. “This magazine shows students the potential they have, what their friends are doing and inspires them to get outside and do more with their friends.”

As the magazine develops, its leaders plan to adapt its structure from a student organization to a more professional business model.

“I’ll hopefully be getting advertisements from local partnerships, like stores in town, and we will get our main revenue stream from there. Then hopefully we’ll be commemorating [or paying] students for their work,” said Iuteri.

Once the publication is released, students can find it all around campus and at local businesses throughout town.

Meetings for the publication take place on Sundays in the Outing Club Room from 7 to 8 p.m.. During meetings, writers share updates about the progress of the publication, and they work on writing, editing and designing for the upcoming issue.

“I try to create a positive and inclusive community during our meetings where anyone feels like they could get involved,” said Iuteri.

Many writers are excited for the upcoming edition, including Rustay.

“My section will be centered around the fun experiences that you can do with your friends around campus. For example, I’ll be writing a piece on decorating Christmas ornaments and small, inexpensive get-togethers you can throw with your friends,” she said.

By writing for The Experience Exchange, students can experiment with their writing abilities and prepare themselves for life after college, Rustay said.

“The magazine has given me the opportunity to come up with ideas and then refine it into something that will be cool and marketable and worthy of being in a magazine. So students will have that final product and can use it in a portfolio or a job application,” Rustay said.

The publication is supported by The Student Environmental Action League (SEAL) and The Connolly Entrepreneurship Society (CES).

For more information about Experience Exchange, contact Iuteri at [email protected] or follow the magazine’s Instagram at @expowlu.