This is a student blog post submitted by Kelsey Wilp C’17. Kelsey is an English major with a concentration in Creative Writing. She is the Senior Editor of the North Branch Literary and Fine Arts Journal.
North Branch senior staff: Jonathan Love, Zoe Larson, and Kelsey Wilp.
Greetings from the Wilson Hall Computer Lab!
My name is Kelsey Wilp and I am the Senior Editor of the North Branch Literary and Fine Arts Journal. You may have seen me at one of our two incredible on campus events earlier this school year. I read alongside my fellow staff members from my cringe-worthy high school diary at “Mortified NPU” and read a piece detailing my hatred for Middle School dances at our Anti-Valentine’s Day Extravaganza “Stupid Cupid!” We like to laugh at our pain here at the North Branch.
This is my second and final year working on the recently-revived literary and fine arts journal and I have to brag that the North Branch has gone through a lot of changes. Since last year, our staff has grown from four to twenty-four and the number of submissions received was at an all-time high. We have been working hard to forge a stronger bond between the English and Art departments by including more art majors on staff and collaborating with our events and in the process of selecting pieces for the journal. There are also students from other majors on staff whose different perspectives and talents are welcomed.
Spring semester is the busiest time for the North Branch. We began advertising for submissions in the fall and Senior Lit Editor, Jonathan Love, and I made promotional videos that Professor Reinhold Dooley gave “Two thumbs way up!!!!” Those short films can be found on the North Branch Facebook page. We celebrated the end of the submissions process with our “Stupid Cupid!” event which drew a large crowd of lonely souls who needed a place to haunt on Valentine’s Day.
The literature admissions process began the week of February 20th and was directed by Jonathan Love. He kept the staff on track and was able to get us through the process in three evening meetings. The staff met on the second floor of Brandel Library and read each individual written piece aloud and took a vote on what should be included in the journal this year. The next week, the art admissions process began, directed by Senior Art Editor Zoe Larson who got us through one single meeting in Brandel to choose the artwork that will be included in this year’s journal.
Now that the admissions process is complete, my staff and I are beginning the process of designing the journal, which will be sent off to the printer soon. Zoe and Jonathan worked together to weave the art and literature in one cohesive order so that thematic elements of both will complement each other.
Once the copies return to campus, we will have a distribution celebration in the form of our highly-anticipated release party! Like last year, there will be readings, live music, snacks, laughs, and good times. Be there!
I am so excited for everyone on campus to see the best poems, prose, paintings, drawings, and photography that the North Park student body has to offer.
Questions? Email northbranchsubmissions@gmail.com.
Related: