Puño y Letra, Lincoln’s student-run magazine written in Spanish, has fostered a welcoming and inspiring community for both students and readers for the past nine years. This year, partly due to budget cuts and Spanish department needs, the magazine has transitioned from a class to a club.

Spanish teacher Trevor Todd, the adviser of Puño y Letra, believes the magazine has provided an inclusive community where students can express their voices. 

“It’s a space for a published form of student writing, voice and opinion, including current events, storytelling and lived experience,” he said. “It’s a vehicle for student voice and awareness-raising for our readers. … It’s a validation of a shared experience, too.” 

By providing a platform for student voices, the magazine captures the various experiences of its writers and provides a platform for them to share their stories with a larger audience. 

“We have a readership of 1000 and usually make 1000 copies for each edition,” said Todd. “The copies go out to all the high schools in town, including in Tigard, Tualatin, and Gresham. All of these regional schools and groups get our magazine. I want the stories to get out more than anything.” 

Claire Corcoran, a co-leader of the current club remembers when the magazine was produced during a class. 

“Students come to Puño y Letra and have a safe space to talk with other Spanish-speaking students in their native language,” she says, “It was a fun [class] and an escape. According to Todd, due to budget cuts and needs from the Spanish department, the class has transitioned from being offered as an elective to becoming a club. This new change will mean adjustments for students who worked on the magazine during class.” 

“It’s hard to meet more often, and also recruit Spanish-speaking students to write articles for the magazine,” Corcoran said. 

The magazine aims to continue to engage with the community by sharing its work and connecting with students in the Portland Metro area.

“I want … to keep being what our members want the club to be. I want to still get physical copies out into the community. We’ve always had them go out to our Mecha Latino Student Union conference, as well,” said Todd. 

If you are in search of a welcoming environment, a space to come together and share experiences, play games, watch movies, talk and more, then Puño y Letra is a great club to join.