By Nicole Findlay
The plight of fledgling authors seeking to publish their first works struck a chord with senior-year students. With the release Blank Page, Collett Tracey, an instructor in the Department of English, along with a group of six student editors, has provided a forum for the budding writers.
After the success of In/Words, a six-year old magazine produced by student writers from across Carleton, Tracey developed a sister publication Blank Page, aimed primarily at her First-Year Seminar students.
The magazines provide students with an opportunity to publish their work, while developing as both writers and editors, within a community of other writers.
Each of Blank Page‘s student editors became involved by happen stance – some came across a copy of In/Words and approached Tracey to submit their work, others learned of the magazine through friends already involved, still others attended the regularly held readings. What unites them all is a passion for the written word and dedication to supporting younger, aspiring writers.
The editors, Justin Million, Mark Sokolowski, Cameron Anstee, Nick Cuohan, Peter Gibbon and Amanda Besserer, each mentor the first-year students and future editors. The group aims to produce between four and five issues over the next semester.
The submissions criteria is loose and subjective but a theme emerges when pressed. The editors are looking for pieces that have an individual voice, honesty, creativity, meaning and also those that illustrate the vulnerability often felt but rarely expressed by first-year students.
The inaugural edition of Blank Page features a combination of poetry, short stories, rants, essays, reflections, and experiences.
In addition to producing the regular publication, the editors and writers will work to establish an infrastructure that future editors can build on. They have also developed workshops and open mics for students interesting in honing their creative writing skills, provided mentoring, feedback and guidance intended to reduce anxiety.
The next issue of Blank Page will be distributed in early 2007. Please send submissions by February 2, 2007 to blankpagepoetry@yahoo.ca.