The Garden Statuary (TGS) is the University of British Columbia's undergraduate literary journal, founded in 2010 and operated, edited, and peer-reviewed entirely by UBC undergraduate students. Publishing two digital issues each academic year with a combined annual print edition, TGS provides a formal platform for outstanding student work in literary studies and creative writing while preserving the intellectual history of UBC’s English and Arts community.

The journal accepts a wide range of genres, including essays on literature and language studies, fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, stage and screen plays, visual art, and photography. Each submission undergoes a blind peer-review process in which at least two editors evaluate the work to ensure fairness, academic integrity, and editorial rigor. Authors whose work is not selected are invited to request feedback, reinforcing the journal’s commitment to mentorship and learning.

The Garden Statuary belongs to a long tradition of undergraduate literary publishing at UBC that includes Arc (1979), Whetstone (1990s), Roots (1990s), and Uprooted (2005–2006). Since its founding, TGS has published over 200 pieces of undergraduate work and continues to serve as a collaborative space for emerging scholars, writers, and artists.

The journal’s name originates from a professor’s marginal comment describing an essay as “like a garden statuary: pretty, distracting, and useless.” TGS reclaims this phrase as a symbol of its identity—whimsical, reflective, and intellectually serious. We believe undergraduate work is not ornamental, but vital, and we are proud to showcase the creativity, curiosity, and critical insight of UBC students.

The Garden Statuary

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The Garden Statuary

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