WORD is a FREE quarterly magazine offering a signature variety of reporting and commentary on popular culture, politics, and the arts, along with fiction, poetry, humor, and cartoons, all through the lens of Isla Vistans. The magazine is available in print on the UCSB Campus, or at various Isla Vista hangout spots and eateries.

WORD Magazine was created in the fall of 2007 as a way to redefine what it meant to be a college student living in Isla Vista. By choosing to highlight the numerous cultural and innovative aspects of student life rather than perpetuating the negative party school stereotype, WORD was able to draw attention to a different side of this vibrant community.

With guidance from veteran writer and journalist DJ Palladino, successful illustrator/designer and former WORD staffer Brittany Ragan, and IV Arts Director Anna Jensen, students learn the ins and outs of magazine publication. Due to being a student-driven publication, each story, photograph, and illustration was created by someone who knows and loves Isla Vista in a way that only a local can.

Today, WORD‘s mission remains the same as when it first started:

  • Provide an inclusive and supportive environment for budding writers and artists to learn and grow

  • Showcase Isla Vista and UCSB students in new ways that emphasize originality, creativity, and community

  • Make people proud to call Isla Vista their home

Check out the past couple of issues!

Issue 43:  https://issuu.com/wordmagazine1/docs/word43final-issu

Issue 44:  https://issuu.com/wordmagazine1/docs/word44-pages-issuu

Issue 45:  https://www.wordmagazine.org/issue-45  

Issue 46: https://www.wordmagazine.org/issue-46

Issue 47: https://www.wordmagazine.org/issue-47

RECENT EVENTS

WORD Magazine team attended the Associated Collegiate Press conference in Long Beach, California in March 2022. They presented in two sessions, showcasing their articles on the housing crisis in Isla Vista and bilingualism in media featuring their bilingual article on the canners in Isla Vista.

Give them a read below!