Klipsun is a Chinuk Wawa word meaning sunset.
KLIPSUN magazine is an independent student publication at Western Washington University located in Bellingham, Washington. While Klipsun has existed in one form or another since 1920, it morphed into a magazine in the late 1960's. The oldest issue in this collection is from 1967. We are currently scanning issues from Western Libraries' Special Collections and will add them as completed.
The current version of Klipsun Magazine recently became a digital-first publication with new stories released each quarter. Each magazine focuses on features, multimedia, and issues affecting the Pacific Northwest.
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Klipsun Magazine, 2006, Volume 37, Issue 01 - September
Kate M. Miller
I can still remember how eager I was to come to college my first quarter at Western four years ago. I don't think I slept more than a few hours the night before. Not because I was scared, and not because I was nervous. It was because I couldn't wait to explore life through the eyes of a college student.
I didn't believe people when they said it would go by fast. Four years seems like a long time to an 18- year-old. Well it isn't.
I can't help but feel excited when I think that the stories in this issue of Klipsun might help others live life a little more fully during their time in Bellingham.
Sneak a peak at Northwest culture in "Hop- Head Nation." Learn how some locals use Bellingham's natural structures as their own personal jungle-gyms in "Hard-Rock Getaway" or discover what those barefoot people balancing on an inch or so of rope at Boulevard Park are up to in "Walk the Slack Line."
If you can't find a story that grabs your attention in the magazine, then I encourage you to peruse the selection online at klipsun.wwu.edu. There, you might find longboarding is the mode of transportation for you in "Kick, Push and Coast." Or you might decide that the multimedia presentation of one writer's experience in «l "Skydiving with Doctor Death" is an experience worth having.
I've graduated now, and I have one piece of advice for you. Live your life with no regrets. Appreciate the now and don't look back. I hope you find something that catches your attention in this issue. Thanks for reading.
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Klipsun Magazine, 2006, Volume 36, Issue 06 - May
Kate M. Miller
Change is scary. Staying in the comfort of the familiar is always easier than venturing into the unknown. That is why I am always inspired by people willing to innovate. It takes courage to look toward the new to amend the old.
Stories such as "Wave of the Future" and "Baker's New Breakfast" show how finding new ways to accomplish old goals can be a good thing. From the first bilingual school north of Seattle to an animal shelter that found an alternative to euthanizing, people are thinking outside of the box.
I hope readers, when reading this issue of Klipsun, will find a story that helps them remember where they have been but more importantly inspire them to think about where they are going.
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Klipsun Magazine, 2006, Volume 36, Issue 05 - April
Shannon Barney
I read somewhere how the greatest gift in life is having the serenity to accept the things you cannot change, the courage to change the things you can, and, most importantly, the wisdom to know the difference.
Granted, it's easier said than done, but in life we do make choices, and each one is part of a bigger picture. Therefore, make each choice with courage and conviction — without looking back.
You never know where your choices will lead you. They could direct you to a career in glass blowing, into the depths of the sea in a submarine, or into the great Northwest in search of Bigfoot. Klipsun touches on these topics, and I encourage you to read about them.
So, make your choices with courageous conviction because no real security lies in what isn't meaningful.
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Klipsun Magazine, 2006, Volume 36, Issue 04 - March
Shannon Barney
To scrap literally means to fight with fists. To me, however, the term “scrapper” encompasses a certain attitude.
Genuine scrappers take each day in stride, no matter how discouraged they might be. Life isn’t predictable, but instead of hating, complaining or seeking sympathy, they face the changing events before them. They play the cards they are dealt and, win or lose, don’t hesitate to ante up for the next game. It’s an attitude defining them.
Among the stories, I encourage readers to direct their attention to “Solace” or “A Light Within.” These stories deal with unexpected life events and how the people in them reacted. My hope is for readers to engage in these people’s lives and see that despite their unpredictable situations, they still get up in the morning.
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Klipsun Magazine, 2006, Volume 36, Issue 03 - January
Jessica R. Evans
Time flies. For example, I can't believe my baby sister just turned 5. She's starting to ask those hard-to- answer "why" questions like "Why is the sky blue?"
After a series of these questions, I experienced an "ah-ha" moment when I recognized her constant curiosity — and my lack of it.
In today's information-cluttered world, I think we coast too much. We need to ask more questions, seek more answers and initiate more change — starting in our own lives.
From the slums of Africa to Memorial Park In Bellingham, these Klipsun articles are stories of people living on a learning curve.
Check out "Roughing It" to see why a Western student chose to live on Sehome Hill. I also recommend reading about one mother's greatest loss in "More Than a Number," and another mother's saving grace in "Andrew's Will."
My hope is that one of these stories inspires you to create a change in your life. Be the curious 5-year- old you once were, and, at any moment, be willing to sacrifice what you are for what you could become.
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Klipsun Magazine 2005, Volume 36, Issue 02 - November
Jessica R. Evans
I'm a lists person. I get a strange delight from checking little Nike signs on my daily list of "Things to do."
This issue's stories of triumph, surrender and hope inspired me to create an ongoing list — a list of things to do before I die. Learning 12 languages, solving local hunger and playing the mandolin, while extra ordinary, don't occupy a spot on the list. Other topics, however, such as mystery, money, romance and religion, definitely beg a place.
My list will surely grow just as Klipsun's repertoire will. But when my time is up, those little tingles of satisfaction from the checked swooshes won't mean as much as all the moments spent in between making the lists.
I hope these stories motivate you to build your own lifelong lists, but most of all I hope something inspires an appreciation for all you gain along the way to making your marks.
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Klipsun Magazine, 2005, Volume 36, Issue 01 - September
Paolo Mottola Jr.
Autumn is the season of transition at Western. A new academic year embarks, and the accompanying anxiety and excitement consumes university life.
New students curiously walk the campus, helping each other navigate the unfamiliar environment. Old friends meet and catch up on the events of summer. Days become shorter, and the colors of Bellingham change.
Klipsun is also in transition. The magazines format has changed to embody shorter features and increased visual content. Inside this issue, readers will discover a great range of transitions that Western students and members of the greater Western community experience.
I encourage sports fans to read Shannon Barney’s story about a former Western athlete’s progression to playing in the NFL. Those interested in politics should read Chris Taylor’s interview with RFK Jr., or Chrystal Doucette’s story about a Western student who survived cancer because of a stem cell transplant.
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Klipsun Magazine, 2005, Volume 35, Issue 06 - May
Paolo Mottola Jr.
Klipsun celebrates lifestyles, art and entertainment by telling a variety of stories about people residing in, or connected to, the Pacific Northwest.
My editorial staff and I have evaluated how these stories can be presented more effectively. The result is a reformatted magazine, which includes more art and shorter stories.
The content of this issue includes hiking, body building, last I wishes and rap music — assorted topics that individually delve into a slice of life.
I recommend reading Jamie Trudel's “Two Men and a Baby” to our readers intrigued by gay rights. Photography enthusiasts should look at Matt Anderson’s “Walkin’ the Rail.” I encourage eco-friendly readers to check out Cara Shaw’s article concerning the U.S. exporting technological waste. These diverse stories I reflect our colorful writers, editorial staff and the greater Western Washington University community.
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Klipsun Magazine, 2005, Volume 35, Issue 05 - April
Christina Seya Twu
Saying goodbye? Not always.
Sometimes it’s hard to bid farewell when we depart from a person, an era or Ideology, but people find comfort in the possibility of returning again and recapturing what once was.
Because this notion is so prevalent in modern lifestyles, the Klipsun staff decided to make a tribute to all things old and explore symptoms of nostalgia that surround us today.
In Bellingham, the Ladies of the Evening Society members honor the history of Fairhaven bordello owners and madams in the 1890s by dressing and acting the part of historical legends. Upon returning to her hometown of Leavenworth, a student finds her Bavarian 'roots invaluable to her as the town risks losing its old world charm to modern day commerce.Today, putting vinyl on a turntable is an event in itself, and a family f dairy farmers recalls a time before computer-monitored milking.
These are the symptoms.This is nostalgia.
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Klipsun Magazine, 2005, Volume 35, Issue 04 - March
Christina Seya Twu
Juggling is an art. Whether it is juggling school and grueling nightshift labor, balancing spirituality and faith with the demands of a material world or the actual craft of juggling, this skill seems to appear as a resurfacing theme in this issue of Klipsun.
Traditionally, the first issue of the quarter is non-themed and contains a variety of stories. This issue appears more as a mosaic than miscellany. Individual snapshots converge to form the greater picture: our world and lives are in a state of continual tension between two effects, ideas or paths.
In the midst of our juggling act, the sun still rises and sets every day. Life happens. I hope that comes across in this issue.
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Klipsun Magazine, 2005, Volume 35, Issue 03 - January
Jeanna Barrett
When we selected this issue’s theme in November, the topics on all our minds were the election and ensuing political issues. We found ourselves so passionately talking about certain topics that we felt we had no other choice than to publish these controversial topics in Klipsun. Some people on the Klipsun staff expressed concerns about publishing a political issue so long after the election. We decided, however, that just because the election was over didn’t mean we had forgotten the issues.
Politics are personal. They affect our everyday lives, from paying taxes to checking out library books, and they affect our futures, from having the right to choose to traveling the world. For this issue, we tried to ensure each story was as objective as possible and covered a wide range of issues that affect each U.S. citizen personally.
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Klipsun Magazine, 2004, Volume 35, Issue 02 - November
Jeanna Barrett
Before I was a journalism student at Western, I would pick up Klipsun at various locations on campus, flip through it, read a couple of stories and set it down. I never understood the full magnitude of work that one issue of Klipsun requires. Since the magazine is a student-run publication, everything from the photographs to the stories to the cover design is created, edited and finalized by Western students. Production is an amazing process, and words cannot express how it feels to see the final product on stands throughout Bellingham.
Similar to Klipsun staff members in the past, we have strived to make this issue as flawless and captivating as we can. The editorial staff took pride in choosing stories that catered to a wide variety of people in the community. In this issue, in addition to light stories about poker and bingo, we included stories about environmental issues, such as global warming, and about social issues, such as the illegal use of prescription drugs. While the writers poured their time into creating their stories, we as an editorial staff poured our energy into creating a beautiful final product. I hope all who read this issue keep in mind the incredible journey one issue of Klipsun takes.
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Klipsun Magazine 2004, Volume 35, Issue 01 - September
Katie Grimes
Traditional athletic stereotypes need not apply.
In today’s society, typical representations of athletes look more like NFL players than everyday people. For the second issue of Klipsun, we decided to break open this stereotype and show the face of people whose participation in sports is anything but predictable.
It is tradition that the second issue of Klipsun is a themed one. Though sports are something a variety of newspapers and magazines cover, Klipsun had yet to fully explore them, until now. What we found was a handful of people whose desire to participate was fueled by a passion for their sport that had nothing to do with fame or fortune. Each story has an inspirational undertone and shows that being an athlete can strengthen both body and mind. So enjoy this fall issue and remember that athleticism is relative.
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Klipsun Magazine 2004, Volume 34, Issue 06 - June
Katie Grimes
Going to the chiropractor. A seemingly insignificant event for most people, but what if you are a dog? Part of the joy of editing a publication staffed by students is seeing what sorts of stories they will come up with. Giving few restrictions to our writers ensures that topics they choose will be unique and spontaneous.
In this issue, you will find stories directly related to the experience of their writers. The love for her favorite shoe inspired Christina Twu to investigate the history behind Chuck Taylor All Stars. As an intern for the Seattle Mariners, Katie James stumbled across the story of a Safeco groundskeeper whose skill in landscaping runs in the family.
Stories in this issue reflect the interests, talents and creativity of its writers, and we hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did.
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Klipsun Magazine 2004, Volume 34, Issue 05 - Spring
Annie Billington
With discussion about sex from Sue, the hostess of the “Sunday Night Sex Show,” images of drug problems on the five o’clock news and edgy lyrics from Courtney Love, these topics—sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll—are often on the forefront of many people’s minds. Although many of these contemporary issues often go undiscussed in everyday, casual conversation with friends and/or family, it is important to address them.
As journalists, we strive to broaden our skills by reporting and writing on subjects that are often uncomfortable or unfamiliar. As editors, we challenged our staff writers to push their personal boundaries and limits and develop stories they may have normally shied away from.
In this issue, you will read stories that are edgy, unconventional and distinctive. Each story provides a glimpse into different lifestyles. We hope you enjoy reading these stories as much as we did.
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Klipsun Magazine 2004, Volume 34, Issue 04 - March
Annie Billington
As I walk past faces of strangers on a sidewalk or through Red Square, I often wonder about the life story behind each nameless face. I speculate about the experiences they have encountered, who they have met and what is important to them.
After reading this issue of Klipsun’s unusual stories, I realize that each person has a story behind their life. No one’s life is the same. No one’s life is like your own. Most importantly, you can never predict the history or life of a stranger. Each person has a story to tell, whether it be great or small. As you read these stories, you will peer into the windows of the lives of people linked to the Bellingham community.
For this issue of Klipsun, three contributing stories from journalism students who studied in Prague, Czech Republic reveal their experiences of living and studying abroad. Western students, Peter Louras, Josh Dumond and Lee Fehrenbacher spent fall semester in Europe studying Czech history, language and culture. Perhaps by walking past the faces of these three students, one may not expect that they participated in the Moroccan Ramadan, consumed electric green alcohol illegal in the United States or visited Auschwitz.
Whether you are introduced to European culture through a firsthand perspective, shown the heart of a cat lover or familiarized with a man with a passion for poetry and vintage clothing, you will discover the importance behind each of these people and their story.
I hope that after reading this group of stories, you too, realize the depth and magnitude each nameless face possesses. Take time to discover the life story of those around you.
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Klipsun Magazine 2004, Volume 34, Issue 03 - January
Kiko Sola
It’s tradition at Klipsun to use a theme for the second issue of the quarter. It gives the staff writers a stronger focus on their story because they have a specific set of boundaries given to them by the editors. We decided on the theme of “Life Changing Experiences” hoping for amazing, interesting and inspiring stories.
This issue is particularly special to me, because it is my last Klipsun as editor in chief. And while this chapter in my life comes to a close. I’ll leave with the knowledge from my personal experiences and these stories that failure is not fatal and success is not final.
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Klipsun Magazine 2003, Volume 34, Issue 02 - December
Kiko Sola
Producing an issue of Klipsun is not an easy task. Playing phone tag with sources, revising stories 20 times, working in the office until 2 in the morning, balancing a load of upper-level classes and eating Doritos as a substitute for two major meals of the day takes a toll on one's body and mind.
Only the strong survive the production process, and you have to possess a deep passion and love for journalism to make it that far.
Consequently, each story in this issue has an underlying theme of passion that mirrors the hard work we put into our magazine. You'll be introduced to a guy who collects pigeons and treats them as family, a surfer who braves winter weather for his sport, brothers who have persevered through personal tragedy to become rising stars and many more who shared their stories.
I'd like to thank my editorial board, designers, adviser and staff writers for their hard work and dedication. Without them I would be face down on the floor screaming, and the Klipsun office floor is not a place anyone should be. Also, special thanks to Matt for taking care of me like always.
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Klipsun Magazine, 2003, Volume 34, Issue 01 - Fall
Kiko Sola
It’s tradition at Klipsun to use a theme for the second issue of the quarter. It gives the staff writers a stronger focus on their story because they have a specific set of boundaries given to them by the editors. We decided on the theme of ‘Youth Culture,” hoping for intimate portraits of what it’s like to be a young person in Whatcom County today.
This issue is particularly special, because every Klipsun read er has been young. We’ve all experienced being at awkward ages, trying to discover and establish identities, reaching goals and stumbling through hardships. My hope for you as a read er is that you will find a story in this issue that will remind you of your own youth, looking back at the journey that has led you to adulthood. For these kids, the journey has barely begun.
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Klipsun Magazine, 2003, Volume 33, Issue 05 - June
Kiko Sola
Passion. Discovery. Perseverance.
This issue of Klipsun wasn’t intentionally subcategorized into these three themes. But after careful examination, the words passion, discovery and perseverance stood out as appropriate descriptions for this collection of stories.
Passion exceeds being just a hobby. Scars and burns from spinning fire are medals of honor. Sharing the most intimate form of art, the human body, is a way of life. A man creates his fine wine by pouring his heart and soul into every glass.
Discovery distributes knowledge. A new technological advancement has advantages and repercussions, while a way to classify personality traits travels across the seas.
Perseverance gives inspiration. These people have been generous enough to let us into their lives, giving us a brief glimpse at what it’s like to experience the aftereffects of war, to have been born too early, or to have life taken away too soon.
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Klipsun Magazine, 2003, Volume 33, Issue 04 - April
Karla Tillman
Last summer I spent 20 hours per week working as a public relations intern at the Whatcom Museum of History & Art. Although I wore a nametag that said “VOLUNTEER,” I was not doing the work entirely for free — I was receiving university credit. When my supervisor asked me to write a feature story for the member newsletter about museum volunteers, I was surprised to discover that hundreds of people contribute their time and energy (for free) to this downtown landmark. As they contribute to the museum, they are ultimately improving the Bellingham community.
Although Klipsun doesn’t normally have a theme, we editors decided to use one for this issue. We instructed our staff to write stories focusing on individuals, organizations, nonprofit groups, volunteers, programs, events, businesses or anything else that contributes in some way to the improvement of communities within Whatcom County. Sound too general? That’s because it was; we didn’t want to be too specific. And the result was exactly what we had hoped for. We received a diverse collection of stories. Some you might expect; others might surprise you.
Community improvement is happening everywhere, not just in the places or with the people you’d imagine. For example, have you ever noticed the decorative benches and colorful metal garbage cans on the sidewalks of downtown Bellingham? When I worked at a downtown shop, every day I’d throw out my coffee cup into one of the hideous concrete garbage bins on the sidewalk in front of our store. One day I stepped out to toss my cup, but the garbage bin was gone. We complained about the inconvenience for a week, mumbling about the perishable items (e.g., banana peels) that created a stench in our store’s overflowing garbage can. But as I complained, I had no idea that bright, festively designed garbage bins had been created and were in the process of being placed throughout downtown. And with the addition of artsy new benches, a little color was added to this business district. People actually took the time to think about how downtown could be improved, and how they could contribute to beautifying the area.
After reading these stories, I was more thankful for those who work to make our community a better place. I think you might be too.
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Klipsun Magazine, 2003, Volume 35, Issue 01 - March
Karla Tillman
Like many of you, my time is limited. To keep myself orga nized, every day I write a list of things to do. It’s always a very long list of things such as, “Finish essay,” “Go to gym” or “Do laundry.”
But after reading the stories in this issue of Klipsun, I was inspired to write a more important list of “Things to Do.” I wrote a list of things to do in my lifetime. Several of the stories in this issue feature local people who have made sacrifices for the sake of others or have set incredible goals for themselves. Although aiming to be the world’s no. 1 female powerlifter, climbing Mount Everest or ser\ing in the Army were not on my list of things to do, these stories encouraged me to think of all the great opportunities I would like to have and the things I would like to do (or at least try) in my life.
I hope you will also find these stories to be motivating, whether they encourage you to follow a childhood dream (as football player Erik Totten did), give something a second chance (as one of our writers did for “Welcome to the Waterfront”) or try some thing new (such as kiteboarding). Whatever you gain from these stories, I hope you also decide to think about and write your own list of things to do in your lifetime.
