“If the New Yorker and the Atlantic had a bastard child, it would be The Claw,” pronounced Mortiz Sudhof ’11.

That’s quite the goal, but former editor-in-chief Sudhof hopes “The Claw,” Stanford’s relatively new arts and letters magazine, is up to the task. Despite its recent birth–the first issue came out last year–The Claw is already carving out a niche among Stanford’s numerous print publications and leaving a mark with its rich literary tradition.

“We wanted to see a certain kind of writing at Stanford that we hadn’t seen before,” said Charlie Mintz ’10, senior editor of The Claw. “Writing that captured others.”

It all started about three years ago when former editor-in-chief Anjali Albuquerque ‘11, along with several other students, came up with the concept of a magazine that focused on international relations. The idea finally came to fruition last year–the first issue of The Claw published in winter 2009, with a broader focus than its original idea. The Claw is now a social forum to showcase some of students’ best works in investigative reporting, fine arts, fiction, essays and “everything in between.”

The Claw prides itself for its high standards, and ensures that every piece of writing undergoes a rigorous process of numerous drafts–and multiple critiques from the staff.

“What makes us different from other publications is that we will sit on a piece for as long as it takes to get polished and done,” said Alice Nam ’11, one of The Claw’s co-editors-in-chief. “I went through 13 drafts of an article before it was done.”

That focus on finesse and honing articles leads to The Claw’s unique style of feature stories–investigative, research-heavy articles reminiscent of newspaper feature articles.

“It’s [Features], not just flat news–it’s more like storytelling,” Nam said. “It’s like magical realism. You tell the story but from a journalistic point of view.”

Another section of The Claw called “Talk of the Quad” features editorial columns. In addition, there are short stories and poems, a photo essay and essays that blend investigative research with liberal dabs of eccentricity.

“It’s a balance between light satirical pieces and heavier pieces that deal with issues like the war tribunals in Bosnia,” Mintz said.

The Claw also sets itself apart from other literary magazines by making it a point to complement hard-core journalism with humor.

“I was brought on as the humor guy,” said Max McClure ’11, a co-editor-in-chief. “Throughout the pages, there’s this sense of weird humor, and that is what we’re aiming for. Everyone brings their own brand of quirkiness to it.”

In addition to the written portion of the magazine, The Claw emphasizes the visual aspect of its publication, ranging from scattered doodles to fine art.

“It can be difficult,” said Claire Lorentzen ‘10, the senior art & design editor. “Sometimes the layout process takes over my life and other times it’s really relaxing.”

But in the staff’s opinion, the aesthetic value of the print edition is worth the effort.

“I think it’s the most attractive magazine on campus,” said Justin Calles ’13, a senior design editor.

Another unique fixture of The Claw is that it provides the rare chance for non-fuzzies to have the opportunity to indulge themselves in the humanities.

“The fact that I’ve got a chance to drive to another city to interview a famous author, or I went down to Tijuana to interview a music DJ–just the process of doing that feels like real journalism,” McClure said. “It’s like playacting for me. That is very rewarding because I’m a biology major so I may never get that experience again.”

“The Claw’s a great way for us to keep in touch with our fuzzy side,” Nam added.

The experience of being deeply involved in something early in its history has also been satisfying, particularly for freshmen.

“I hadn’t done an interview before and I didn’t really know how to design using InDesign,” said Sophie Carter-Kahn ‘13, a senior design editor who has also written several articles. “And now I can do it. It’s also fun to get into something that’s just starting and to have a big role in it.”

The next step for The Claw is to reach its goal of establishing the magazine as a long-standing, well-respected student publication. Submissions for The Claw are encouraged, and the staff is always on the hunt for good ideas from new writers.

“There’s a quality of writing that is latent in Stanford,” Mintz said. “And we want anyone who thinks they have a good story to come to us.”