Who we are

We're UF's only undergraduate literary and arts magazine, of course.

Est. 1995

Run exclusively by and for the undergraduate students of University of Florida, Tea Literary & Arts Magazine publishes the best writing and artwork created by our student body. Our publication is created entirely with the time volunteered by our staff. We strive to show the power and capability of Gainesville artists, writers, and creatives.

Tea takes pride in being a platform for UF undergraduate students of all identities. Our meetings are safe spaces and we work each day to create a place of security, positivity, and support for our staff and for the rest of the students at UF.

We create our magazine with the intent to showcase the voices less heard. We have worked with The Lynx bookstore, the Harn Museum of Art, Civic Media Center, How Bazar, The University of Florida Department of English, and other Gainesville communities and companies who also work to foster diverse learning and research environments.

Where we came from

When you open the second-ever issue of Tea, this is what you read in the masthead:

“Tea is the official hardcore java jivin’ subterranean ‘little pieces are stupid,’ nerve-wracking, sunshine-spewing, bloodletting, shin-diggin’, shirtless platito de pollo, spry leather whips, bondage fetish (?) and otherwise general poetry/ficción zine of the University of Florida.”

It was made on a borrowed Xerox machine and hand-stapled. The contents vary from hand-scribbled letters, a poem titled “How to Write” by Matthew DeVille, and dedications to Lou Reed, Princess Leah, Henry Miller, Chopin, and Harriet the Spy.

It maintains a sort of punk-rock, tongue-in-cheek, refuse-to-take-yourself-seriously ideology that we at Tea still find to be very, very important in life and in publishing, and work to keep today.

Blackbird Prize for Poetry

All poetry submissions published in Tea are eligible to receive the Blackbird Prize for Poetry. The prize was originally advocated for by Dr. Kevin Knudson, Professor of Mathematics and former Director of the UF Honors Program. In 2012, Dr. Knudson named the prize after one of his favorite poems, “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird” by Wallace Stevens. ​

Palmetto Prize for Prose

All prose submissions published in Tea are eligible to receive the Palmetto Prize for Prose. In the past, students were selected each year by Professor Jill Ciment, the award-winning writer of Small Claims, The Law of Falling Bodies, Teeth of the Dog, and other works. Currently, esteemed English Department faculty members at the University of Florida such as Professor and published author David Leavitt judge and present the award.

The Autumn Blossom Prize for Art

All art submissions published in Tea are eligible to receive the The Autumn Blossom Prize for Art. This prize has been judged and presented by Distinguished Professor of Drawing in the Expanded Field Antoine Williams.