A new student-run publication just hit the press—and it is the first of its kind at BYU.
Think back to your childhood days where you were excited about everything. You loved all arts and crafts and were especially excited to make a pinwheel out of straws, pins, and paper. Do you remember blowing on it and watching it spin, mesmerized by the changing colors? Another name for this whimsical contraption is “whirligig,” a term that also embodies the mission of the first BYU publication for children.
Launching this month, Whirligig puts creativity, physical interaction, and developmental value at the forefront in its print-only format. Unlike other children’s magazines, though, Whirligig allows everyone to contribute—from BYU students across campus to young magazine readers to professional writers around the nation.
The Birth
Assistant Professor Ann Dee Ellis (Fiction, Graphic Novels, Essay) has always nurtured a deep love for children’s stories. “I write them; I read them; I teach them,” she says. Over the years, she’s had many students who share that same passion, and she has wanted to find ways for them to be more engaged in the publishing process.
She says, “A thought came to me: Why not create a magazine for children produced by students here at BYU?” So, she teamed up with English Professor Chris Crowe (Adolescent Literature) and Assistant Professor of Illustration Melissa Crowton to make this new children’s publication an English+ course and job opportunity.
For Students
Whirligig allows college students from any discipline to work as writers, editors, and illustrators. Ellis says, “I hope that students in the class learn how to collaborate on a professional publication, learn how to work as a team, learn how to make something beautiful that will reach a wide audience, and learn that literature for children is important, complex, and nuanced.”
One graduate student, Mikayla Johnson (Creative Writing MFA ’25), served as managing editor from August 2024 to July 2025 and says that she gained incredible experience developing a publication from the ground up. She says, “Ann Dee Ellis, Chris Crowe, Melissa Crowton, Natalie Tate, and I had to recruit staff members, find and train genre team leads and logistics group leads, find guest speakers to teach us about publishing for children, seek funding, find a printing press, create email addresses, and start social media accounts.”
Though it was a tough process, it was well worth the effort as it fulfilled Johnson’s publishing and writing goal to create fun and artful literature for children. Having recently graduated and left the managing editor position, Johnson wishes she could have stayed: Whirligig “was extremely fulfilling and exciting for me,” she says.
Submissions
And even if you can’t join as staff, the team at Whirligig excitedly accepts submissions. Johnson says, “We want the magazine to be playful and full of surprises,” but also focused on childhood development, incorporating learning activities that can help children develop emotional, social, and fine motor skills. Ellis says, “We hope we can eventually publish student-written one-act plays, original music from the music department, and stories in various languages.”
Ultimately, Johnson says the material contained in Whirligig should “inspire young readers to also create.” Just like the St. Nicholas magazine, a children’s publication established in 1873, supported young authors such as Edna St. Vincent Millay and F. Scott Fitzgerald, Whirligig will promote children’s creativity by inviting readers to submit their works of art and stories to be features.
As Whirligig prepares to launch its first issue this August, it promises to be more than just a magazine—it’s a movement aiming to bring “light to children across the globe,” says Johnson. While they welcome creative work from BYU students and children, the Whirligig staff would like to personally invite adult professionals who may or may not be affiliated with BYU to join in this exciting new adventure.
To get your own free copy of the first issue or submit work for future issues, visit the Whirligig website here.