Others have tried it, but Quincy House resident Bradford Z. Mahon '02 thinks he can make a commercial success out of an anthology of Harvard students' writing.

Mahon has postered extensively on-campus over the past several weeks, seeking contributors to his planned anthology Rantings from Harvard--even though the book doesn't yet have a publisher.

With the goal of a 2001 publishing date, Mahon said he expects his book to have about 300 pages and deal with a vast range of topics--including politics race, religion and death.

The viewpoints expressed in the book "should be an energetic perspective that you just don't normally see," Mahon said. "[It's] an opportunity to say something in an off-campus publication."

In his posters, Mahon writes that he will almost certainly include pieces under 2,000 words that are submitted early. He said that while he expects to receive many poetry submissions, other forms of literary expression--such as plays and essays--are welcome.

"I don't want to restrict people to a certain number of genres," he said.

As an off-campus publication, Mahon said he envisions Rantings to be carried "all over the country" in various national bookstores, such as Barnes and Noble.

Producing an anthology of student writing is often more difficult than it seems, said Caroline N. Whitbeck '01, president of the Harvard Advocate, an on-campus publication of student art, fiction, poetry, reviews, interviews and personal essays.