By: Luis Arjona Photo Via: OLAS Literary Magazine
Do you know what we love seeing more than anything? Localsbrsharing their talent and encouraging one another. The Bend has not been aroundbrfor long. Still, we are thankful to our wonderful community for supporting usbrand allowing the magazine to share the happenings and amazing people who makebrthe Coastal Bend great. Showcasing the abundance of talent in the area isbressential, considering the arts and culture scene is growing. Thosebrindividuals, businesses, collectives, etc. deserve recognition.
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This is where we welcome with excitement OLAS. Pioneered bybreditor Vanessa Pérez, OLAS is a literary and visual arts publication focusedbron, but not limited to, local creators. The magazine would also like tobrrecognize and provide a platform for smaller creators outside of the CoastalbrBend. Stemming from Pérez’s vision, the OLAS team has grown to include MelodybrMartinez as a design editor. The team also hosts an in-house creative directionbrteam consisting of Bella Carrasco, Jose Gonzales IV, and Regina Polanco.
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Aiming to provide local and smaller artists from neighboringbrcities with an honest, inclusive, and considerate platform, the OLAS team’sbrinspiration for the magazine stems from the creativity exuding in CorpusbrChristi.
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“Corpus has a thriving scene for arts and culture thatbrextends further beyond the confines of the Coastal Bend than what we think mostbrrealize. It’s like one of Texas’s best well-kept secrets. There’s so much lifebrhere that translates well to the page, or the canvas, or to music. We wanted tobraccess some of that and throw it out into the universe,” says the OLASbrteam in response to their influence for creating the publication.
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Composed of a range of visuals, from photography tobrgraphics, to paintings and the like, as well as a plethora of poems from somebrincredible local writers, OLAS is a myriad of beautiful work. Putting togetherbra publication is a daunting task. Still, the new publication does an excellentbrjob defining who they are by curating work that aligns with their mission. ThebrOLAS team’s gratitude was apparent when discussing the process of cultivatingbrwork and producing the first issue.
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“We would like to thank all the featured artists andbrthose who shared their work with us. As well as everyone who contributed theirbrlove, support, and advice throughout this process. It’s our deepest hope thatbrour community can witness the work we’re putting forth. And we hope forbrcontinuity in sharing this mutual appreciation of artists and theirbrcontributions to their fields.” An earnest and beautiful statement by OLASbrexemplifying their commitment to the community.
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OLAS is officially available for purchase. The first issuebrwas released on October 16th, 2020. Physical copies can be found at HybridbrRecords or ordered through social media. Issue 01 is runningbron a limited print, so get one while they are hot. Don’t miss out on procuringbrthis one-of-a-kind magazine featuring work from your favorite city on the bay!
Contact:
Instagram: @olaslitmag