Creative Writing in the Community: A Ball State Student’s Experience

English 409, Creative Writing in the Community, is an immersive service learning class here at Ball State. In the class, Ball State students work collaboratively with community partners from various facilities to create poems and stories. The class culminates in a printed anthology and a public reading of the imaginative works. On Thursday, April 18, Creative Writing in the Community will hold a public reading of the collaborative poems and stories at 6:30 PM in Cornerstone Center for the Arts. The public is welcome for the free event!

The following is one student’s recent experience in the class. This post is written by BSU student, Liz Janoson.

*Cover of the 2013 Issue of the Creative Writing in the Community Anthology

In Print Interview: Marcus Wicker, Poet

Marcus Wicker is this year’s poet for the In Print Festival of First Books, which will be on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week! His debut collection of poems, Maybe the Saddest Thing, was selected for the National Poetry Series and published last year by Harper Perennial. Below, Wicker discusses his book, inspirations, and writing experiences among other topics in an interview conducted by Makayla Sickbert. Also, be sure to check out interviews with In Print Festival’s fiction author Eugene Cross and nonfiction author Elena Passarello, and don’t forget to join us on March 19 and 20 at 7:30 PM in the Student Center Ballroom for the 8th annual In Print Festival of First Books!

*Photo provided by Marcus Wicker

Marcus Wicker’s first book Maybe the Saddest Thing was selected for the National Poetry Series and published by Harper Perennial in 2012. He has received fellowships from The Poetry Foundation, Cave Canem, the Fine Arts Work Center, and Indiana University. Wicker’s work has appeared in Poetry, Beloit, Third Coast, and Ninth Letter, among other journals. He is assistant professor of English at University of Southern Indiana and poetry editor of Southern Indiana Review.

The following interview was conducted by Broken Plate 2013 student faculty member Makayla Sickbert.

Publishing Internships and Scholarships Available to BSU Writers

Did you know there’s a writers’ conference in Muncie, Indiana?

Well, now you do.

Thanks to a grant from the Discovery Group, Ball State students can 1.) intern at or 2.) attend this summer’s Midwest Writer’s Workshop, a yearly gathering of agents, editors, publishing professionals, and writers whose mission is to help Midwesterners become published authors. Participants can gain real-world experience and build the kind of credentials that will give them an advantage in their careers.

To get this kind of experience as a college student is unusual. To get it as a college student not in New York City but in Muncie, Indiana is amazing.

There are up to 15 internship spots available. Find out more here: Discovery 2013 Internship

There are up to 10 scholarships available: Find out more here: Midwest Writers Workshop Scholarship.

The deadline for applications is Friday, March 29, 2013 at noon.

For more information, please talk to the Project Director, Prof. Cathy Day of the English Department.