After a full semester of hard work, editing, and putting their hearts on paper, Harmonia/Discordia is holding their spring 2026 release party on May 11, and invites all SUNY Old Westbury students and staff to attend.

A club of critical essayists, creative writers and editors, the club publishes two magazines a year of both critical and creative writing, as well as photography, collages and artwork of all types.

“It’s a celebration, not only of the student contributors, but also the student editorial team who put a lot of work in, in the semester to get this work out,” said Elizabeth Schmermund, an assistant professor in the English Department and faculty advisor of Harmonia/Discordia.

The release party will have some mingling, snacks, drinks and also students reading aloud their published work.

“It’s very social,” said Schmermund “One of the best aspects of Harmonia/Discordia is that the students who are involved form a community. It’s not just a campus-based community, it leads to friendships even after graduation.”

It’s not just English majors who are published, it’s anyone on campus with the drive to write.

“There’s a lot of different writers in Harmonia, and everyone has their own style,” said Lori Yamond, a junior and president of the club. “Anyone can join, which is fun because sometimes we’ll get majors who are so oddball from English, but people have a passion to write and Harmonia is where you can channel that passion.”

Literacy rates in the U.S. fluctuate but have regressed since COVID-19 hit the nation, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, an organization that runs annual cyclic studies on competency of United States adults.

This depletion in English proficiency extends to SUNY Old Westbury as well.

“I think it’s been part of a larger issue that may even predate COVID,” said Schmermund, faculty advisor of Harmonia/Discordia. “It may even predate generative AI, but one of the steps I’m taking is that I’m doing a lot of in class writing assignments.”

Yet the Harmonia/Discordia isn’t only for writers who have already written, but for anyone who wants to develop creative and critical writing skills or develop as an author.

“Rejection is part of the game, but sometimes you get really good feedback,” said Schmermund. “And I know that our Harmonia/Discordia student editors will accept a work and say ‘Hey, we noticed this one part in this piece needs citations here,’ and it’s the same for our creative pieces.’”

For students with a fear of critiques, Harmonia/Discordia is a place to learn perseverance in the name of publication.

“If it’s something that you love, keep writing, you don’t let anyone scare you away from what you love to do,” said Schmermund. “And also writing is less about talent and more about putting that work in and keep going even in the face of fear.”

With the National Literacy Institute reporting that 54% of American adults reading below sixth grade levels, the club is also a place to learn how to better one’s reading and writing skills.

“Joining the editorial team is a really good way,” said Schmermund. “When submissions are selected, it’s all anonymous, so no one knows who submitted what. It’s essentially an anonymous workshop, so you can use that to revise and move forward from there.”

Brianna Leconte, a junior at SUNY Old Westbury who is experiencing her first publication in the Harmonia, has first-hand experience with writing and the emotions that come with it.

“I started writing since I was in elementary school and I’ve wanted to be published since middle school,” said Leconte. “I was so happy. It’s surreal as a writer, It’s hard to put yourself out there. It’s unbelievable.”

The release party, one of many over the past two decades, is open to all with a desire to create, build lifelong bonds, develop students’ confidence in their literacy skills, and perhaps build a legacy.

“There’s that question everyone asks you: What do you want to leave behind? And writing is my thing,” said Leconte. “I want just a piece of that out there for people to resonate with and connect with.”

Harmonia/Discordia spring 2026 magazine release party. May 11, 2026 at 1:30 p.m. at SUNY Old Westbury in the New Academic Building, Room 3123.  Free admission. Drinks and snacks will be served.