"The Night the Bed Fell"

Hello, Ink Quill Friends!

I have thoroughly been enjoying the Creative Writing class by Mrs. James here at BCC.  All of you Ink Quill and creative writing people who have not taken this class…WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?  I loved learning about and writing short stories this past month.  Now we are in poetry, and I am really looking forward to writing a Sestina and Villanelle!  I read these types of poems in Intro to Literature class last semester, and I thought they were so unique!

However, my blog post today is about one of my favorite short stories.  I read this story during middle school or high school, and I absolutely fell in love with it.  It is the funniest short story I have ever read, and I would love to be able to write one like it one day!  Alas, I am horrible with writing funny stories, but I can dream about and work at it anyway.  The name of this hilarious story is “The Night the Bed Fell” by James Thurber.   Some of you have probably read it before; however, it never hurts to read it again.  Besides, this story never loses its wit and charm!  On the other hand, if you have never read this story, you have missed out on some good belly laughs.  So, take a break a moment for a moment from your studies (you are reading this blog post anyway) and read “The Night the Bed Fell.”

 http://litizen.wordpress.com/2011/09/27/the-night-the-bed-fell-by-james-thurber/

Hopefully, you have finished laughing by now.  Now you can get back to work – and writing!

Morgan Pait
Assistant Editor

Deadline Approaching for Christmas Story Contest

Hi, Ink Quill Society Friends!

I am very excited about what is in-store for our club!  We had a wonderful magazine last year and I know this school year’s submissions will be just as wonderful (if not even better!).   

As a writer, I enjoy having the opportunity of submitting some of my work for publication, and I hope you all do, too.  This month there is a great opportunity to have your short story published in a local newspaper.  The Fayetteville Observer is currently accepting submissions for its annual Children’s Christmas Story contest.  There are three age groups (kids, teenagers, and adults).  I hope that each one of our club members will use this opportunity to submit a Christmas story.  This is a win-win situation.  If your story is a winner in your category, you will have your Christmas story published in The Fayetteville Observer, and you will win $100.  However, if you do not win, this is still a good opportunity to work on your writing skills.  Also, the Ink Quill Society would love to receive all of the submissions that our club members and fellow BCC students send to the contest.  The stories will be put into next semester’s printing of the Ink Quill Society magazine.  So no matter how you look at it, your story will get published!

If anyone is interested in submitting a Christmas story to The Fayetteville Observer, the deadline is November 30^th.   Here is a link to more information about the contest and the rules for entry.  http://fayobserver.com/fayobserver.com/files/6d/6d9f5e35-48ee-45e1-a3e0-a0e14d8ae999.pdf

Have fun writing and Be Creative!

Morgan Pait

Assistant Editor

Hunting for Book Giveaways

Hello, all! As many of you know, reading is an amazing way to really improve your writing skills and stretch your creativity to new lengths! Unfortunately, reading can also become a fairly expensive habit once your local library’s shelves have been depleted of new stories. 

Many authors have recognized this and to try to help this situation, they will offer their books as giveaway prizes on blogs. Many times these books will come straight from the author, who will even take the time to sign the book for you. The trick is to find the giveaway blogs.

A really good one is ‘A Christian Writer’s World,’ run by Lena Dooley. Dooley is an author herself, having written many historical romances like, ‘Maggie’s Journey,’ ‘Mary’s Blessing,’ and the soon-to-be-released, ‘Catherine’s Pursuit.’ While all the books given away on this blog are Christian, many of them could be sold as regular fiction because they are definitely not overly spiritual. The link to this blog is: http://lenanelsondooley.blogspot.com/

There are several other blogs like this. To find them, simply Google search it. Just make sure it is a legitimate giveaway blog.

Remember to be preparing your submissions for publication in the magazine! I know they will all be great!

Katie Galyean
Secretary

Creative Community

I love the scratching of pens and the crumpling of paper. I must press hard when I write; the pages in my composition book crackle when I turn the page. These sounds are comforting and energizing when I'm alone, but they are even more so when I'm with others who are writing or drawing.

All of my seated class use the first ten or fifteen minutes to write a journal entry. I used to use this time to grade or plan, but I decided that instead, I would write with my students. Now, I bring in a composition book just as they do. I don't know if seeing me write matters to them, but the shared activity means a great deal to me.

Writing is, and, I imagine, many other art forms are, often solitary endeavors. When people in one room devote themselves to creative work at the same time, even if their efforts are separate, the air changes. The charge is almost tangible.

I experienced this fully for the first time in a high school creative writing class. The teacher would give us time, and the only requirement was that we read, write, or do something creative that had nothing to do with homework. I usually wrote in a journal with multicolored pens and markers. Everyone around me took out a novel, began to doodle, or worked on drafts of poems and stories. A girl next to me copied her favorite lines of poetry (often e. e. cummings) into a small green spiral notebook. I craved that time. It felt like that thick and serene silence of a snowy field, but it had those little sounds (turning pages, sighs, uncapping markers, pencils sizzling across paper) of branches cracking, ice bits clicking, and something happening.

The Ink Quill Society is now official with a constitution, officers, and regular meetings. For the past three weeks, we have spent the majority of our meeting time with a few creative prompts. Libraries are magical places anyway: that communal effort of studying or reading, the fairy godmother or -father presence of the librarians, and the quiet breathing of all those books and the characters, knowledge, and words that fill them. But when we, four or five of us gathered around a study table, hunch over our notebooks to fill or draw lines, the shimmer intensifies.

Whatever deluge of work or stress has preceded or will follow that half hour, I feel renewed, more connected to my creative self, more sure of my identity as a writer (in addition to wife, mother, and teacher), and assured that others like me are striving to maintain a commitment to creative work.

Mrs. James
Faculty Editor

The Ink Quill 2012 Release!

This week, The Ink Quill literary and arts magazine began its limited release! The print shop on campus is working hard to keep up with the demand for copies. Many contributors have already picked their copies up in Mrs. James's office.

On Monday, the editors presented and read from the magazine at the library's Annual Poetry Reading. Contributors also came to read their works.

Photo: Jack McDuffie

Mrs. James presented The Ink Quill and read her poem "Book Ends" and Stancey Roshell Brayboy's poem "The World Forgotten: A Villanelle." At a later reading, she read KC Melvin's poem "Papa Rooster Crows."

Photo: Jack McDuffie

Photo: Jack McDuffie

BCC alumna and The Ink Quill Society developer Elizabeth Lennon Diaz read her works "Pete and the Gang" and "Have You Seen My Sanity?"

Photo: Jack McDuffie

At a later reading, Elizabeth also student Antonio Diaz's English and Spanish language poems "The Handkerchief," and "Bewitched," and "Passion of Love."

Photo: Jack McDuffie

BCC Staff Member Ginger King read an excerpt from her short story "The Last Full Measure of Devotion."

 

Photo: Jack McDuffie

On Tuesday, Mrs. James and Jean Butler presented the magazine to faculty, staff, and administration at the all-campus assembly. Several attendees waited for copies, and more have made requests. 

Photo: Karen Cecil

Mrs. James holds a stack of magazine copies as faculty, staff, and administration members line up at the end of the all-campus assembly.

We expect that copies will remain scarce and that the magazine will spark interest in The Ink Quill Society and inspire everyone at BCC to submit work for the Spring 2013 issue of The Ink Quill. Watch for copies in various locations on campus, and start submitting for next year! Submissions are already arriving.

The Ink Quill: A Metaphor for the Writing Life

The names "The Ink Quill" and "The Ink Quill Society" came from the students in BCC's new creative writing class in Fall 2011. Of course, these words bring an image of writing. But I've been thinking about the names of our publication and our new club, and I see that "Ink Quill" also captures two major aspects of the writing life.

First, writers need the ink. The ink fills the pen and makes it write. Metaphorically, the ink could be inspiration. Inspiration isn't just a sudden bolt of brilliance that comes from nothing. By inspiration, I mean everything we experience, read, learn, and observe. It comes from art, books, and travel. It comes from meeting and talking with new people. It also comes from encouragement that other writers (including and maybe especially those we will never know personally) and family members and friends who support our writing.

Next and most importantly, writers need the pen or the quill. Without the quill, the ink simply sits and looks pretty in a bottle. The quill gives the ink shape and life. The quill part is more difficult. It requires action. A writer has to write, and anyone who writes is a writer. Loyalty to the quill may involve writing exercises, keeping a journal, writing a blog, writing poems, writing stories, writing essays, writing letters...writing anything.

The Ink Quill and the society encourage and support both these aspects of the creative life. We hope that our magazine both supports writers and artists who are dedicated to the quill and provides new ink for writers and artists through the amazing work in its pages. I think The Ink Quill is the perfect name.

Mrs. James
Faculty Editor

Submission Guidelines for the Spring 2013 Issue

The Ink Quill is seeking submissions for consideration for its Spring 2013 edition. We encourage submissions from students, alumni, faculty, staff, and administration.

Submission Guidelines

Send all submissions to theinkquillsociety@gmail.com. Include necessary information in the body of the E-mail and attach submissions. If you are unable to scan an art piece, let us know, and we may be able to help you.

Submit any or all of the following:

·         Up to two stories (word limit for each: 1200 words. Condensed versions or excerpts from longer pieces are okay)

·         Up to four poems

·         Up to two essays or creative non-fiction pieces (word limit for each: 1200 words. Condensed versions or excerpts from longer pieces are okay)

·         Up to five art pieces or photos

Include

·         Your name as you would like it to appear in the magazine

·         Your BCC E-mail address

·         Your relationship to BCC (student, alumni, faculty, staff, administration)

·         A title for every piece (including photography and art)

·         The medium (oils, acrylics, pencil, mixed media…) for art pieces

·         Your expected graduation date (month and year) if you are a student

Please submit from your BCC E-mail address. We will use this address to contact you with our decisions regarding your work.

All submissions are subject to basic editing.

Profanity, overt sexual content, and excessive violence will not appear in the magazine.

We are seeking colorful art or photography pieces for consideration for The Ink Quill cover. We will consider all art and photography submissions for the cover art.

Submission Deadline: February 1, 2013

Because we will receive submissions until February 1, we may not inform you about the pieces we have accepted for publication until after this date.