Klipsun Magazine

Klipsun Magazine Klipsun is an award-winning independent storytelling magazine at Western Washington University.

An independent student publication at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. Klipsun Magazine is published each quarter and includes features, multimedia and issues affecting the lives of the greater Bellingham area. You can find us online at klipsunmagazine.com or follow us at twitter.com/klipsunmag and instagram.com/klipsunmag. Klipsun is a Chinuk Wawa word meaning "sunset" in the language of the Chinook Indian Nation.

We’re hiring for fall!!!Image designed by
06/10/2025

We’re hiring for fall!!!

Image designed by

OUTSIDE SUBMISSIONS OPEN💥 Do you have a story to tell? Share it with the Klipsun Magazine team and you may have the chan...
05/10/2025

OUTSIDE SUBMISSIONS OPEN💥

Do you have a story to tell? Share it with the Klipsun Magazine team and you may have the chance to have your work published alongside our wonderful writers! Find the submission form through the link in our bio titled “Outside Submissions!”

Introducing…… Our new Klipsun K Designed by our very own
05/09/2025

Introducing…… Our new Klipsun K

Designed by our very own

Inside the buzzing broadcast newsroom, the air crackled with urgency. Anchors perfected their hair and makeup, producers...
04/25/2025

Inside the buzzing broadcast newsroom, the air crackled with urgency. Anchors perfected their hair and makeup, producers gave last-minute instructions and everyone worked in harmony as the countdown began: three, two, one… action. The typewriters stopped clicking and the room fell silent as the spotlight dimmed. Behind the scenes, newswriters spent countless nights behind a computer, digging for sources and characters in the community. 

Image courtesy of Campus History Collections, Special Collections Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections Western Washington University.

Take a look at our website to read the whole story!

It’s why some children come to have the same personality traits or political views as their parents. It’s why someone mi...
04/25/2025

It’s why some children come to have the same personality traits or political views as their parents. 

It’s why someone might start using the word “fire” to describe some good food because they heard their friend do it often enough.

Social learning theory, in short, is the way a person’s habits, traits and actions can be influenced by the people around them.

Photos and story by Sam Whitney.

Take a look at our website to read the whole story!

My room mirrored my mental state: bare, dying and cold. The only signs of life were my unmade bed and a stockpile of use...
04/25/2025

My room mirrored my mental state: bare, dying and cold. The only signs of life were my unmade bed and a stockpile of used cups on my bedside table. In the corner of my room, a stack of unread books collected dust — just one of the many hobbies I had abandoned.

The winter weather of Bellingham made my loft room cold compared to the rest of the house, yet I didn’t have the energy to buy myself a heater. Friends and visitors would comment on my bleak white walls and withering plants. I would laugh off their remarks but felt a deep pit of shame. I wanted to scream until my lungs burned because I felt no different from those plants.

Illustration by Grace Matson

Take a look at our website to read the whole story!

Nestled behind a gate, down a little dirt road in Bellingham’s Cordata neighborhood and surrounded by skinny alders and ...
04/24/2025

Nestled behind a gate, down a little dirt road in Bellingham’s Cordata neighborhood and surrounded by skinny alders and full-bodied cottonwoods, is Spring Creek Heritage Farm: a secluded family operation focused on producing healthy, high quality poultry. 

At Spring Creek, biosecurity is the name of the game for the Nelsons and the chickens they raise. Matt Nelson, his wife Amanda, and their two daughters, Evelyn and Priscilla, raise roughly 800 birds without pesticides or herbicides. Spring Creek’s primary goal, Matt explains, is chicken preservation.

Photo courtesy of Matt Nelson
Story by Seddie LeBlanc

Take a look at our website to read the whole story!

The first time I asked about my baby blanket, my mom told me it was lost in the fire. It wasn’t till I was eleven that I...
04/24/2025

The first time I asked about my baby blanket, my mom told me it was lost in the fire. It wasn’t till I was eleven that I realized there was no fire. 

Still, our world had gone up in flames. We had no idea at the time, but one night took everything we once loved.

I was welcomed into the world into the loving arms of Trina and Shane Aukschun. I was the fourth member of our happy family. We began creating memories that would soon be too painful to remember. 

Take a look at our website to read the whole story!

For developers, creating video games is a deeply personal endeavor. Behind every game’s visuals, characters, music and m...
04/24/2025

For developers, creating video games is a deeply personal endeavor. Behind every game’s visuals, characters, music and mechanics is a team of passionate creators working to craft a memorable experience.

By way of challenging gameplay or an impactful story, players interface with games in a way no other medium can achieve. The sensation of overcoming failure or having a personal stake in a narrative makes games complex cultural objects. Developers invert their role as storytellers onto the player giving them a newfound sense of freedom.

The road to creation is never without its trials. Yet, in the untold struggles, they weave magic — pushing boundaries, embracing risks and crafting stories that leave lasting impressions.

Illustration by Grace Matson.

Take a look at our website to read the whole story!

The cheeseburger as we know it today — a warm blanket of a gooey sharp cheddar melt or creamy American cheese atop a wel...
04/24/2025

The cheeseburger as we know it today — a warm blanket of a gooey sharp cheddar melt or creamy American cheese atop a well-done beef patty, between two soft yet sturdy sesame seed buns — is typically associated with the foremost corporate fast food giants like McDonald’s or Wendy’s.

As multinational monoliths of meat patties expand their reach even further, it’s often easy to forget what we have down the street. Just down the block, the unmistakable congregation of cars is lined up in a drive-in parking bay, waiting to be served at this fan-favorite establishment.

Photos and story by Austin Wright

Find our magazines on campus to read the whole story — or take a look at our website

Halfway through the first grade, Xander bit me on the View Ridge Elementary School playground. I don’t remember many spe...
04/24/2025

Halfway through the first grade, Xander bit me on the View Ridge Elementary School playground. I don’t remember many specifics from that day — I was 6 years old — but I do recall the imprints of his teeth being visible on my arm for a few hours. I knew that wasn’t something to be happy about.

What I remember most is that those teeth marks were the final straw for my mom.

“I felt like our neighborhood school wasn’t safe for you,” my mom said.

Story by Sam Whitney
Illustrations by Grace Mutson

Find our magazines on campus to read the whole story — or take a look at our website!

For students, the primary takeaway from a college experience is not just the degree but also the memories created during...
04/11/2025

For students, the primary takeaway from a college experience is not just the degree but also the memories created during time spent outside the classroom. It may feel like you have all the time in the world while you’re in it, until suddenly, it’s your final quarter. 

Story by Isabella Vandaveer

Find our magazines on campus to read the whole story — or keep an eye on our website this week!

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Klipsun is an award-winning independent student publication at Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington. Klipsun Magazine is published once each quarter and includes features, multimedia and issues affecting the lives of the greater Bellingham area. You can find us online at www.klipsunmagazine.com or follow us at www.twitter.com/klipsunmag. Klipsun is a Chinook Wawa word meaning "sunset."