Rebel

The Rebel, Fall 1967
Image source: The Rebel, Fall 1967

East Carolina’s art and literary magazine, now known as REBEL, has been published continuously since 1958, making it one of the oldest, most resilient publications on campus. If variations in name – from The Rebel to most recently, REBEL in uppercase – are discounted, it is the longest running publication. Even the venerable student newspaper, East Carolinian, experienced a decade-long hiatus, from 1969 through 1979, when it was supplanted by a hip, left-wing paper, Fountainhead, and a minority publication, Ebony Herald, before resuming its run as the student newspaper from 1979 to the present. Only REBEL has survived the decades, now in its sixth, without eclipse. Along the way, it has received more awards and honors than any other student publication, barring none. Although print copies circulated are modest compared to the more abundant East Carolinian, REBEL proves that quantity and quality are distinct measures of achievement, clearly preferring the latter.

The first issue appeared in the spring of 1958, funded by the Student Government Association and published under the title, The Rebel. That 23-page issue featured a sketch of Ernest Hemingway on its cover and included an essay on Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, two short stories, art sketches, and poetry. The issue was edited by two students, William Arnold and Bryan Harrison, and its contents were entirely the product of student writers. ECC Writer-in-residence Ovid Pierce served as its advisor.

The student editors explained the new magazine’s rationale as follows: “When one thinks of ‘rebel,’ one generally thinks of two things: The South and revolution. And both of these connotations have, in a loose sense, a real meaning for the beginning of this magazine…. We hope the magazine will stimulate thought, create a variety of opinion, and provoke an interest in a highly developed and important art form. We believe that the achievement of these goals would constitute a revolution on any campus.”

In the 1960s, REBEL won positive recognition from various corners including a seemingly unending succession of All-American Honor Ratings from the Associated College Press. Capturing the confident spirit of the publication, early 1960s editor Junius Grimes added his take on the magazine’s mission by noting “The Rebel is rebelling against the South, but this rebellion is not only against, it is for the South. It is a rebellion against those forces in the South which helped to create and have helped to sustain the poverty and ignorance of our region.”

A later editor, Alfred Willis, added along more existential lines, “The Southerner has always been at the limits of his possibilities finding his philosophies no longer effective in fighting the ‘original terror’ of immediate and inimical destruction… It is the problem of the proper use of knowledge. It is the problem of Why are we here. When did we come, and whither are we going.”

As a cutting-edge publication, REBEL has repeatedly addressed social and political issues evident on campus and in the community. In the Fall 1967 issue (11/1), the magazine welcomed students back to town with a photo-essay featuring pictures of squalid living conditions in Greenville and those inhabiting them under the title, “Welcome to Greenville.” Making the photo-essay relevant to campus, the front cover juxtaposed a smartly outfitted coed and a plainly attired older black woman, their backs to one another as if to capture their proximity as well as the very different worlds they inhabited, one on a burgeoning college campus and the other on the fringes of poverty, all but forgotten and ignored except when fore-fronted on the student magazine’s cover. That photo-essay was the work of Charlie Griffin, a 24-year-old freshman who had recently come to North Carolina from India following stints in the U. S. Army and the Peace Corps.

The same issue included an interview with D. D. Garrett, one of Greenville’s leading black businessmen and a respected spokesman for the local black community, as well as a review of William Styron’s (1925-2006) recently published controversial novel, The Confessions of Nat Turner. A cartoon illustration for the review presents a lanky, young black boy in tattered overalls and old shoes leaning on a copy of Styron’s book, his large face looking out inquisitively at the reader. The same issue included an interview with Ovid Pierce about his recent novel, The Devil’s Half, and another interview with a “semi-hippie, Guru, and mystic of the unknown.” No doubt, this issue, like a subsequent one examining “legalized murder” (capital punishment), was meant to elicit thought, controversy, and intellectual exchange.

Throughout the decades, REBEL has shown resilience in adapting to and transforming local culture. In the 1970s and 1980s, it worked with entertainment venues such as “The Attic” and vendors like Budweiser to offer bar prizes for literary contest winners. In the 1990s, it partnered with the Greenville Museum of Art to stage shows for art contest winners and poetry readings. At every step, the East Carolinian, recognizing REBEL as a literary cousin, gave the magazine prominent coverage.

Most recently, REBEL has branched out technologically, including not only art and literature on its pages but digital media inserts featuring student musical performances, anime, and film. And it has established a wide-ranging presence on social media outlets such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, moving the publication well beyond the traditional ink and paper format toward new avenues of expression and exchange.

The innovative, even rebellious excellence of REBEL has won it numerous awards over its six-decades-and-running history. And its successes appear far from over. The exceptional quality of its poetry, fiction, and non-fiction alongside often stunning drawings, sketches, and art-infused page designs makes the publication a striking visual experience if not an utter shocker even for those simply skimming its pages. Yet most importantly REBEL remains a showcase for the profoundly rich and diverse creativity informing student expressions of literary art and culture.

Sources

Additional Related Material

Image Source: The Rebel, Fall 1967.

Image Source: East Carolinian, Oct. 31, 1967 

Citation Information

Title: The Rebel

Author: John A. Tucker, Ph

Date of Publication: 3/4/2021

 

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