Today I got to Reid Hall about 15 minutes before my Spanish class started, so I had some time to kill before I could actually enter my classroom. I wandered towards the main stairwell looking for a place to sit, saw an empty bench by the stairs, and decided to sit there. There happened to be a campus publication on the bench—MSU's Literature and Arts publication, Read This! The above picture was obtained from their website.
The issue was from Fall 2009; I'm not sure how or why it was there. However, I am an English major so I decided I should look into it. It is composed of poems, short stories, photos, and various artwork all aesthetically arranged for the reader/viewer's pleasure. I opened up to the first page and read a striking poem which alluded to some aspects of Bozeman I am all too familiar with; I was immediately glad I had chosen to read it.
Last spring, I remember looking through the same publication because my friend's sister was a Senior in the Photography program and had about eight photos in the last issue of the magazine. It's almost off-putting because there are no ads or editorials, save blurbs about the contributors and a note inviting anyone to send in their contributions of any sort. If I dabbled in creative writing or poetry more, I probably would send something in.
On a related note, the more mainstream school newspaper at MSU is called the Exponent, sponsored by the Associated Students of MSU (ASMSU). It includes music and book reviews, relevant articles about activities going on around campus and around town, and my favorite, "ExpoRants!" in which contributors rant about a subject of their choice — always entertaining. They also run classified ads 30 words or less free for students.
One of my classmates from last semester is an editor from the Exponent, and I talked to him about becoming a writer. He said they are always looking for more people and I should look into it. I fully intend to do so, but I haven't gotten around to it because I've been quite busy...it's definitely on my to do list. It also turns out that another classmate of mine is an editor for Read This! So MSU really is a small world. Or a small piece of the world.
Reading community publications like the Exponent and Read This! is a really cool part of being a student here; it makes me feel more connected (especially when I know the author of the article I'm reading, which has happened on numerous occasions). It's also a lot more enjoyable than reading Puritan literature...the downside of taking American Literature I.
No comments:
Post a Comment