The Writers Bloc

The Jimnez-Porter Writers House Monthly Newsletter April 2012

Literary Prize winners to be honored at Litfest

By Shannon Mooney Senior physics and math major Dylan Bargteil said that he had always been confident in his poetry, but was never really sure if it would amount to anything. This was the case until his poem, A Brown Spot, won first place for this years Jimnez-Porter Literary Prize for poetry. Litfest, which will take place on May 4, is an annual literary event that features the fiction and poetry winners of the prize, sponsored by the Jimnez-Porter Writers House and Stylus. All winners receive a cash prize and their work is published in Stylus, and first place winners get to read at the event. Bargteils winning poem was written in response to a workshop prompt that asked the participants to write about an animal. Bargteil chose a pig, but said that more than just the animal made it into the poem.

LITFEST continued on Page 3

Writers House student releases first novel, poetry collections

By Jamie Lee Even though shes only a senior in college, shes written a young adult novel thats currently in the editing process. She also has two poetry books coming out in June. [Ive been] writing for a long time, she said. I got serious in high school, and thats when I got my agent. She got a writers guide from the library and emailed a bunch of agents. One replied. The novel, titled Joanie Dark, is about a girl that starts a chess club at her school. Im really bad at plot, she laughed. I love writing about characters, but theres not enough driving force. Were making some edits based on comments weve

Dylan Bargteil, editor of Stylus and first place winner of the Jimnez-Porter Literary Prize for poetry, reads at a TerPoets event. (Shannon Mooney/The Writers Bloc)

gotten from editors. Her poetry books are called Rotary Phones and Facebook, and Your Son. The first is about her relationship with her mother. They went antique shopping one day and her mother expressed her love of rotary phones.

EDEN continued on Page 3

Writing for Publication on Page 2 Student Profile: Patrick McGinty on Page 2

A Writers Thoughts on Page 3

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The Writers Bloc

Secrets of writing for publication (and making money!)

By Meg Eden If youre a second year student of the Writers House, you know the last semester of the program is focused on publication and that youre supposed to send your work out as part of your grade (which youre either thrilled or terrified about). If youre not yet graduating, then surprise! As a writer, chances are, youll run into a point where youll want to, or have to, send your work out into the world. At first, sending work out might feel intimidating. Its just like practicing the piano, says Johnna Schmidt, director of the Jimnez-Porter Writers House. Sitting down on the bench is the hardest part. Once you get yourself focused on the task of sending things out for publication, its actually very easy, especially with submittable.com. It might take a long time to be picked up, but the strategies are pretty simple: Be persistent. And by persistent, I mean obnoxious. Submit everywhere, and keep submitting even if you get rejected. Make writing a daily habit. Also set apart time just for sending in publication submissions. Respect the publishers styles and rules. Do some research. Sell yourself. List what skills and experience you have, even if they sound silly. Find a way to phrase them that doesnt sound silly. I was published in my high schools lit mag can also read Meg was published in Etchings. Look at the contributors section of literary magazines and see how other people put their qualifications. Again, send everywhere. With the power of Submishmash, submissions are often free and relatively quick! I once saw a literary agent listed in the Writers Market and thought Hey, its worth a shot. I emailed her and it turns out she picked up my novel! Stay in a writing community! When you graduate from the Writers House, still hang out with writers! Theres also the Maryland Writers Association, which is cheap if youre a student and gets you the insiders knowledge on writing happenings. Meg Eden has been published in Rock & Sling, The Science Creative Quarterly, and Crucible, among others. Her collection Your Son has received The Florence Kahn Memorial Award. If you want personal tips for your publication routes, feel free to check out her blog at artemisagain.wordpress.com or email her at pirate_pegleg@verizon.net

Student Profile: Patrick McGinty

By Jamie Lee Patrick McGinty is cool. He wears scuffed leather boots and rumpled clothes, smells like cigarettes, and lists drinking as one of his favorite hobbies. He started writing poetry while in community college four years ago. It started off as an outcrop of something else music. If something doesnt work as a song, it becomes a poem, he said. My inspiration changes a lot, he added. I meanit is what it is, it just happens. After transferring to Maryland as a philosophy major, he switched to English. Ive liked poetry workshops [best], he said when asked about his classes. Truthfully, hes not entirely an exercise in contradictions. Outside of class, hes a serious singer/songwriter with fiftytwo songs posted on his website hosted by Bandcamp. Im trying desperately to get signed, he half-confessed, halfjoked. He describes his music as folky, pop music. When asked about his choice of genre, he named the storytelling aspect as most appealing. Theres a lot you can do with [folk music]. My music ranges from very simple, catchy pop to longer five to six minute songs. Friends Anika Warner, a junior Womens Studies and English double major and Sadie Echols, a freshman English major, chimed in with their own opinions: Hes great. Hes really talentedamazing lyrics, a wonderful songwriter. After graduation, hes considering getting a masters in professional writing. I could see myself teaching, but its not a set career goal. His dream job is to be a musician. He admitted this without hesitationthe same way he said his favorite drink is Jameson, his favorite cigarettes are Maverick Menthols or Newports, and the same way he said that all he wanted was people to listen to his music. Check him out at www.pointstostars.bandcamp.com

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The Writers Bloc

A Writers Thoughts:
Litfest vs Art Attack by Maya Motayne
May 4, previously known to Writers House students as Litfest, is now judgment day. We are all faced with a choice: to attend the Art Attack concert featuring B.O.B., or not to attend. Instead of making us all torture ourselves over the choice between these two events, Litfest ought to be rescheduled for another day. Its not that Litfest is not important to students of the Writers House. To us, it is not only just an event to honor the awarded writers, but also to say goodbye to members of the Dorchester family who are graduating or simply to say goodbye before a long summer apart. No one cares about supporting fellow writers than the members of the Writers House, but the fact of the matter is that we only get one big concert a yearan incredibly affordable concert to remind us that there is light at the end of the tunnel right before we plunge into the bottomless pit that is exam week. The entirety of the Writers House is required to attend Litfest, so the date of this event should certainly not be on the same date of the biggest entertainment event of the year. We should not have to choose between breaking Writers House rules and celebrating the end of the year with the rest of the University. Please, make it possible for Writers House students to attend both of these important events by changing the date of Litfest. Also, lets not forget that last year we had to sit through Nelly as our concert headliner.

Litfest

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I often get obsessed with a physical sensation or image, he said, and explained that the piece was partly inspired by the feeling of a plastic bag thinning and ripping as it is stretched out. It makes me feel really uncomfortable. Bargteil, who will be attending grad school at NYU, said he definitely plans to continue writing, and is excited to be inspired by New York Citys art scene. There are all these art communities, he said. Im excited to get involved with the music scene, the art scene and the writing scene. First place fiction winner is sophomore government and politics major Nick Meriwether, who was surprised when he

found out that he was in the competitions final pool. I didnt think that much of it at the time, he said. I just did it on a whim. Meriwether won for his piece of fiction titled Apple Juice, which describes a young father who is spending his last day with his daughter before her mother takes her away. Meriwether began writing seriously in college, and said that he is influenced by David Simons The Wire, which takes place in Baltimore, where Meriwether grew up. As a result, much of his inspiration comes from the city. Other fiction winners include second place winner Laura Pavlo and third place winner Lyla Lawless. Poetry winners include Maria Zilberman and Brendan Edward Kennedy in second and third, respectively.

Eden

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She was saying she just loved the feel of the keys, said Meg. Im like, dumbfoundedhow the heck do you use a rotary phone? Meanwhile, Your Son is about her relationship with her father. She grew up in a rural area, where she picked up a woodworking hobby. Because Im an only child, Ive put on my self fulfilling [the role of a son]. With such intimate subjects, she admits it can be a challenge. Its hard to write about family, she explained. And her parents dont always read everything she writes. Theyre proud and theyre supportive. They told me to do something you love but be conscientious about it. But her focus isnt just writing. She also enjoys art, computer science, chess, and is a vocalist for the Gamer Symphony Orchestra, which creates music using synthetic sounds. I like exploring everything and learning new things, she said. Her time at Maryland is winding down, but she isnt stopping any time soon. With a career in writing just starting, how could she?

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The Writers Bloc Print Staff

Taylor Lewis, Editor-in-Chief, Print Editor Meg Eden, Print Reporter Jamie Lee, Print Reporter Shannon Mooney, Print Reporter Maya Motayne, Columnist

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