Page 7 - Contrast2009

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rr v;Lrginia Woolf was right that a woman must have "a room \

,pfher own if she is to write fiction," we think that in our , ..
,.,,',r ') time of alienation and i!,!olationwriters of all genders must
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have a community of their own if they are to write, For us,
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Contrast is all about creating a community in which.writers

of all shapes and sizes can find a place to fit. We have hoped
to create a community where the writers at McDaniel can 'v

ashare their work in friendly forum.and get honest feedback

fro~ a:group of peers who are like-minded.
'we't·hus continued the practice from previous years of·

meeting'a'few times per month for poetry and short story

readings'during the spring semester, which allowed authors

to grow comfortable sharing their own work or reading the 0
works of their favorite authors. In addition, we' often came

away from these meetings with a renewed belief in the beauty

and relevancy o~ literature and a revitalized passion for

our,own writing. We recall many ~onversations, often in a

hesitant half whisper after a meeting, where we would catch

hints of such revitalization: a poet expressed a renewed

~i~or· in iesurre~ting a dead poem, or ~ writer revealed her

·plansto rebuild a dilapidated story. We also met for writ-

ing workshops, where authors could share the joy of their

crea·tion with others - and .receive commiseration during the

droughts of stubbo~n verses and unfruitful images. Like a

writer who arranges all of her metaphors and similes towards

a common unity, we have tried to situate all of our meetings.

and sessions towards creating this community,
We see Contrast as a reflection of this v~brant commu-

nity. We hope that by encountering our poetry, stories, and

artwork you can, not only delight in them, but errte r into
this thriving community of poets, writers, essayi,sts, and·

artists, ,Happy reading! .

-Devon Brackbill and Emily Taylor' ' ....
Editors-in-Chief

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