Meet the international students behind Perspektif Magazine

As international students, it’s easy to feel as if you’ve found yourself in a ‘strange land’. It’s this concept which the talented team at Perspektif Magazine, run by the Indonesian Students’ Association (PPIA) at the University of Melbourne, will be exploring as the theme of their upcoming issue ‘In This Strange Land’.

This newest volume will be available online via Perspektif’s website (https://perspektif.ppia-unimelb.org) this Friday, August 13th. To celebrate, Perspektif will also be hosting an online launch party via Zoom on the same date featuring live readings from contributors. Open to anyone, this event is a must-attend for any literature lover and can be registered for via the link in bio on Perspektif’s Instagram (instagram.com/perspektifmag).

We spoke to the brilliant minds behind this savvy publication – all international students, by the way! – to learn more about the meaning behind Perspektif and what to expect from the upcoming volume. Read on for the full interview (and, psst, a couple of hints – you’ll want to keep tabs on their Instagram to not only purchase their uniquely designed Melbourne-inspired merch, but also to look out for their open recruitment in September if you’re interested in joining the Perspektif team!).

Perspektif Magazine is known for the high quality of its pieces by students including essays, poems and photography. What makes Perspektif meaningful for its readers and contributors?

Jennifer Chance, Managing Editor: Perspektif is all about showcasing the unique voices and talents of students, and we celebrate having a diversity of ideas in our volumes. I think Perspektif is meaningful for readers because the magazine strives to tackle common issues in a different light, with our contributors given the chance to dive deep into certain topics of interest and share their own views.

Sabrina Kosman, Editor in Chief: Our volumes always star social issues as the overall theme, and spotlighting pieces by students allows for an in-depth analysis of how world issues affect the younger generation.

As a magazine, we like to have a connection with our contributors so that each piece is collaborative between the two parties. A lot of our contributors are long-time readers of our magazine, which is why we often have repeated writers across our volumes. For Perspektif Magazine, the team, contributors and readers are one. We are all part of the Perspektif family and we treat [our contributors and readers] as such.

The upcoming volume of Perspektif has a striking title: ‘In This Strange Land’. What kind of content can we expect to see in this volume?

Jennifer Chance, Managing Editor: ‘In This Strange Land’ is a particularly reflective volume that I think is very relevant to what’s happening in our world today. This volume explores the conversations that surround migration, and focuses on fleshing out people’s personal experiences as migrants. We’re really excited about this volume as a team because we all have immigrant backgrounds. It’s also been refreshing to see the unique ways that different people carry this element of their identities.

Nadya Evelyn, Creative Director: This volume will mostly feature the personal experiences of international students who have moved to and are living in another country. As Perspektif falls under the Indonesian Students’ Association of Australia (PPIA), we trust that this theme will resonate well with our readers. We hope that readers who may be a little homesick at this time will feel a sense of belonging through this volume, knowing that they are not alone.

To our local readers, or rather those who haven’t experienced migration, we hope that this provides some insight into what your international peers may be feeling. And as usual, our readers can definitely expect to see amazing illustrations from our creative team with hidden meanings behind each stroke!

Besides the magazine itself, what other kinds of projects does the Perspektif team work on?

Arletta C. Witaria, Marketing Director: We see the magazine as more than just a biannual publication, and more so a community. With that comes the responsibility of creating a connection with our audience. We try to achieve this with projects like our podcast and poetry readings.

Our podcast, Teduh: Reimagined, strives to spark important conversations among our listeners. We discuss social issues that are pertinent in our society but may not be talked about enough. We invite known names from various communities to come on our podcast and share their knowledge, educating our listeners on these topics. Meanwhile, our poetry readings allow our contributors to read their poems as they were meant to be read.

Vanni Anastasya, Events Director: The Perspektif team really does more than just publish magazines. One of our biggest projects each year is producing our own merchandise. This year’s merchandise includes tote bags, pouches and sticker sets featuring designs inspired by both the city of Melbourne and the Perspektif team’s Indonesian heritage.

Can you give us some insight as to what your experience as a member of the Perspektif team is like?

Jennifer Chance, Managing Editor: In the editorial team, you edit content from various contributors as well as having the chance to submit content of your own. We also cooperate with the creative department to conceptualise illustration ideas for different articles.

As a member of the Perspektif team, I think the most amazing thing is being so involved in the process of publishing a ‘legit’ and professional-looking magazine. It’s an incredible experience to see something you’ve worked hard on coming out in print, knowing that you’ve played an important role in the publication process regardless of the department you’re in.

Arletta C. Witaria, Marketing Director: Our brand as a magazine has always been to address relevant issues in our communities, and this applies to the content we put out across all of our platforms. Through social media, we like to put forth human interest stories or question and answer prompts that make our online presence more relatable.

Working as the head of our social media has allowed me to interact with our audience on a whole other level, and it really does feel like I’m a part of something big. And with the countless hours of meetings we have, it really does feel like Perspektif Magazine is my own little family.