The Cube (publishing - process - praxis) is a publishing nexus housed in Michigan State University's Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures (WRAC). The Cube supports, promotes, and produces open-access works created by diverse members of the mid-Michigan and Michigan State communities. Our publishing focuses on messages of social justice, accessibility, diversity, and inclusion. We provide a space for diverse voices to publish and advocate for their work and engage with audiences they would otherwise have difficulty reaching. This Poster, featuring The Cube's director, its graduate assistant, and its lead undergraduate web developer, will provide an overview of the work the Cube does, from brainstorming to final product, and show how we faced adversity and thought creatively in the wake of massive budget cuts to the humanities. 

To access a PDF of the "We Are The Cube" poster, click here.

Description of the Poster 

This poster is made using something similar to a mind map, with bubbles named “high-impact experiential learning,” “people,” “mentorship and community,” “projects,” “process,” and “skills.” Surrounding those bubbles are smaller bubbles with descriptions (described below). 

We are The Cube. 

Publishing - Process - Praxis  

We are a publishing nexus that supports, promotes, and produces open-access work created by diverse members of the mid-Michigan community, focusing on messages of social justice, accessibility, diversity, and inclusion through high-impact experiential learning. We provide a space for diverse ranges of persons, places, and communities to publish and advocate for their work and to engage with audiences they would otherwise be unable to reach. 

High-Impact Experiential Learning Circle: 

Mentorship is key. Project proposals come to The Cube via our website; from there, we review projects and hire paid undergraduate and graduate interns to complete the work. At any given time, The Cube has between twelve and twenty interns, and our entire budget is dedicated to labor. 

 Throughout our processes, students are mentored by faculty members, encouraged to take risks and make mistakes,  praised for their good work, and given credit for that work. For a full list of our mentors and interns, see our website: https://thecubemsu.com/. 

Experiential learning programs allow students to take risks, make mistakes, and learn from those mistakes in a safe and supportive environment. 

There are two goals. One is to learn the specifics of a particular subject, and the other is to learn about one’s own learning process. 

Experiential learning works in four stages:  

• concrete learning,  
• reflective observation,  
• abstract conceptualization, and  
• active experimentation. 

All of these are key for developing both hard and soft skills, which students will need to be ethical pioneers in their fields and in their communities. 

Representative People Circle: 

Catherine Davis, User Experience and Design Intern 

Shelby Smith, Writing and Editing Intern 

Grace Houdek, Graphic Design Intern 

Jaclyn Krizanic, Social Media Intern 

Jeanetta Mohlke-Hill, Editorial Assistant 

Emily Lin, Lead UX Designer  

Mitch Carr, Graduate Assistant and Project Coordinator 

Kara Headly, Former Social Media Intern 

Community & Mentorship Circle: 

Dr. Kate Birdsall, Director 

Dr. Alexandra Hidalgo, Editor-in-Chief  

Dr. Marohang Lumbu, Editor-in-Chief 

The Writing Center at MSU 

Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures (WRAC) at MSU 

Projects Circle: 

The Current, digital and print magazine 

JOGLTEP, academic journal 

Constellations, academic journal 

Agnes Films, feminist film collective 

The Red Cedar review, literary journal 

REO Town Reading Series Anthology, digital book 

Superheroes Die in the Summer, digital book 

Process Circle: 

Brainstorming 

Collaboration 

Client Relations  

Consistent Voice and Branding 

UX Design and Engineering 

Skills Circle: 

Confidence  

Editing and Writing Style Guides 

Professional Development 

Risk Analysis 

Develop Professional Portfolio 

Human Centered Design 

Developmental and Copy Editing 

Poster by: Dr. Kate Birdsall, Mitch Carr, and Emily Lin (Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures (WRAC) Department))