Remember When Quarto Was A Class?
In Conversation with Former Executive Editor Declan Joyce
Written by Theo Martien
Over the past semester, I’ve spent much time combing through Quarto’s archives. In my investigation, I’ve gathered hints of how Quarto changed over time: in our 76 years of print, Quarto has weathered many seasons. Alas, the title pages of old volumes can only reveal clues about our ever-evolving magazine—like the names of past editors. To enrich my tracing of Quarto’s history, I set out to interview these alumni. This pursuit led to my phone call with Declan Joyce, the Executive Editor of Quarto in 2002.
Declan studied at the School for General Studies (GS) from 1998 to 2003, then spent the following year at the Journalism School. In Declan’s era, only GS students could edit or submit to Quarto. Though Declan studied at Columbia for five years, he was only with Quarto for one—as was true of all Quarto Editors then. At the time, Quarto was a class. This meant the entire staff turned over year to year—a major difference from our current structure, where praxis and community are cultivated through staff continuity. Under the supervision of Professor Leslie Sharpe, Declan co-led the magazine with Sandra Paulina Bazzarelli, another GS student. The class was entirely structured around creating a magazine: the assigned readings were submissions, with class meetings dedicated to discussing what should be published. Each Monday night, on the top floor of Lewisohn Hall, the 15 Quarto editors gathered to deliberate the week’s submissions. Declan described the physical room fondly—a haven with a “good atmosphere” for the group of eager writers.
Declan’s reminiscent tone reflected his “very fond” memories of Quarto. Their meetings were convivial “without breaking down into anarchy.” The editors dedicated themselves to the submissions, fostering fruitful and respectful discussions. Despite healthy debate over what to publish, Declan said their meetings never got heated. He says they had “great fun” together, often sharing in amusement at especially funny pieces. Delcan specifically recalled a piece titled “Soup,” which he described as “Beckett on acid” — a trippy play about “...[nothing] at all” in which one character repeatedly asks for soup. “Soup” can be read on page 72 of our 2002 volume.
Declan remembers an abundance of sophisticated pieces submitted to Quarto. He says they never struggled to “scrape together a sufficient number of good pieces,” but rather had to turn down many wonderful pieces due to limited space.
The year following his tenure as Executive Editor, Declan had a piece published in Quarto titled “Exhuming Mildred,” a soulful personal essay about metaphorically exhuming his mother’s story after losing her at age five. It can be read here, on page 39.
During our conversation, Declan woefully shared that his copies of Quarto were lost in a flood a few years back. I was pleased to send him digital versions so he could reconnect with his Quarto work decades later. In return, he offered us some advice.
To current Quarto editors, Declan says: “have fun with it” and “[don’t] take things too seriously.” We certainly have our fun, but, dear Quarto submiters, I promise we take your work very seriously.
To general Columbia students, Declan advises: “You have less time than you think you do, life comes bewilderingly fast. Start on your bucket list now.”