Ink Lit Mag

who’s who on ink

Sevy Perezeditor-in-chief, creative director

Rachel Goscheditor-in-chief

Michael Colliereditor-in-chief

Michael Lightfiction editor

Connor Madigannonfiction editor

Alyssa Rhodespoetry editor

our editorial board

our awesome advisersMichael Leali Audrey Smith

our formidablefiction team

Chloe LeachBrandon Behan

Ariel GodwinKristine Hauser

Sarah GoodeBobby Scheffel

Charlie HettrickTanner Hallenstein

Paige WolfeAndrew McElroy

and everyone else

Michael LightChloe LeachJonathan GrafBrandon BehanKristine HauserLC Graf-JuarezLauren Silichweb consultantAriel Godwinassistant web consultant

our convivialcreative team

Jeff LehmanJenessa BaumruckBri AtwoodRachel HabberfieldEmily Wright

our pulchritudinous poetry team

Spencer HawkHannah Steiner

Jonathan GrafDana Anderson

Kathlyn JohnsonDerek Kellison

our novelnonfiction team

Ink Lit Mag, No. 1The University of IowaIowa City, Iowa 52242Copyright © 2011 by the University of Iowa, College of Liberal Arts & SciencesAll Rights Reserved

Ink Lit Mag is an Iowa Writers Living-Learning Community project. Submissions for this issue were closed to the public. All of the wonderful pieces that appear here were subject to anonymous reading and voting processes, and anyone who could identify a piece’s origin was required to abstain during its voting process.

The mission of Ink Lit Mag is to provide experience and support to undergraduate students who are inter-ested in learning about publishing and having their work read by a larger audience, because we think writing is awesome.

just an editors’ note

We are proud to offer Iowa City and beyond a brand-new literary magazine from the minds of many hardworking undergraduate freshmen at the University of Iowa. In these pages are the creative works of the 2011 Iowa

Writers Living-Learning Community residents. When we closed the first issue to submissions, we were shocked at having had over one hundred pieces sent in to our magazine. We accepted three types of genres: fiction, nonfiction, poetry. We received everything from stories about time travel to poems about sea creatures, and what you see here is just a fraction of the great work that our friends and class-mates created. We wish we could publish everything. For awhile, Ink was just an idea. Back in September it was a thought that became a rumor that became a hopeful late-night meeting outside in Currier Hall’s cold courtyard. Luckily, due to our enthusiasm, we got bumped up to the Green Room, which would become our unofficial home. For the next few months we’d be meeting there, talking about typefaces and editing processes and Skyping our compatriots who were too busy studying abroad in the laundry room to join us. We talked about the look of the magazine, the feel of the magazine, and what we ultimately wanted to share with the world. We had the wonderful and rare opportunity to collaboarate with Marvin Bell (who insists we not call him Mr.). It is our hope that these collaborations be-come one of Ink’s trademarks, helping to influence the growth of the undergradu-ate writing community at large. Our mission statement’s tenants were chosen with care: to provide experi-ence and support to undergraduate students who are interested in learning about publishing and having their work read by a larger audience, because we think writing is awesome. We hope this first of many issues embodies the souls of those words, because we really do mean it. The art of writing is wild with fear and joy. It is a truly humanistic art. And while we agree that writing can’t necessarily be taught, we think it can be inspired and pushed forward with some great workshops and people. It can be brought to bloom with the right ingredients: drive, dedica-tion, and a genuine love for words and their inherent power. And we think there’s certainly no better place to find these elements than in one of five worldwide Cities of Literature and the Writing University. It is our modest hope that Ink outlives us. We hope that it becomes something that grows with each new issue, each new writer, and each new piece. The formula is a simple one: write what you love, love what you write, and show it to the world. And we love the writing that is apart of this creative, fresh, young publication. So sit back and relax; if you’re in Iowa City go grab some coffee. (We recommend the Times Club at Prairie Lights.) Turn a page and get lost.

Love,Sevy PerezRachel GoschMichael Collier

table of contentsfictionpoetrypoetry

nonfictionpoetry

nonfictionpoetryfictionpoetrypoetryfictionpoetrypoetry

nonfictionpoetryfictionpoetrypoetrypoetryfictionfiction

nonfiction

nonfictionfictionpoetrypoetryfictionfictionpoetrypoetrypoetry

Choose Chloe LeachEnvy James InesonHaiku Dealing with the Cultural Issues Regarding Sea Creatures Michael LightPut it Out There Spencer HawkAmerican Dream Rachel HabberfieldBetween the Bars Jeff LehmanLines for the Universe Alyssa RhodesEverything is Patterns Sevy PerezCalculation Sestina Ariel GodwinEvaporated Emily WrightSnakebit Ariel GodwinVerses from an Airplane Jeff LehmanSnowfall Dan LandgrebeStoic Silence Dan LandgrebeEffect / Affectation Connor MadiganFrenzied Ecstasy Kaitlyn OlsonFeather Emily WrightOblivion Rachel HabberfieldGravity Alyssa RhodesThe Master of Difference Vesper PrinceA Brief Note on the Ethics of Time Travel Chloe LeachAs Dead Inside as a Zombie, but Five Times as Good Looking Hannah SteinerFrancenstein Lives! (sic) Jonathan GrafPaws to Observe the Guppies Michael LealiWanderings Tyler EarlsExist Emily WrightSo It Goes Dan LandgrebeCall of Duty Jonathan GrafWillow Alyssa Rhodes DREAMS Jonathan GrafThe Book of the Dead Man (Ink) Marvin Bell13 Statements About Writing Poetry Marvin BellInterview with Marvin Bell

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