City College student Fedella Simonson submitted a poem, telling her own personal story of coming out to her abuela, to a campus literary journal last year.

Simonson hoped it would get published. But what she didn’t expect was to actually win an award with it.

“I was shocked,” said Simonson, who is interested in photojournalism with a social justice focus. “I didn’t even know there was an award. The fact I had admirers and maybe people related (to the poem), or maybe people who felt that they needed that. I got goosebumps.”

Student writers and artists are invited to submit pieces to The City Works Journal to get published along with fellow students and national writers. 

City Works is San Diego City College’s literary journal that has been publishing poetry, fiction, prose and artwork since 1994. Students in English 249 evaluate the submissions, selecting the best for print.

“All those students who are chosen as the best one (of each group) get a $50 prize,” said professor Hector Martinez, who has been teaching English at City College for 20 years and is one of the managing editors with professor Manuel Lopez. 

Half of the journal is reserved for City College students, while the other half is open to the public.

“It is a great opportunity to validate yourself and your work alongside other students,” Simonson said. “(It) shows people there is a community that you can feel safe in.”

For more information about submission requirements, visit sdcity.edu.

Deadline for submission is February 21.