By Gabriella Pozell, Contributing Writer
Once again, the English honor society Sigma Tau Delta is sponsoring “Ampersand,” an annual literary publication that showcases the creative works of West Liberty University students.
Students from all majors are invited to submit their works of poetry, short fiction that is ten pages or less, photographs, drawings, collages, and other artwork that could be easily incorporated.
“Ampersand” has been an important tradition at West Liberty. According to Faculty Coordinator Nicole Naegele, it has been in publication for over twenty years. This year, however, the tradition is getting a little modernized, by going digital. Previously, “Ampersand” was printed and distributed to interested readers, but the 2014-15 edition will now be an online publication easily accessed on the Humanities webpage.
The deadline for submissions is Friday, Feb. 13. After the deadline, the editorial board will meet to make their selections and inform the students whose pieces were chosen by the first week in March. Around April, once the publication is compiled, Sigma Tau Delta will send out an announcement when it is available to read online.
Naegele explained some of the benefits of participating in “Ampersand,” “(Students) put time and effort and bits of themselves into their work, and even though some of it feels very intimate and personal, it’s rewarding to have it acknowledged by others. They can point to their work in the publication and say, “I was published.”” Editor Britney Gordon participated in “Ampersand” last year and expressed what she gained from the experience, “This is a great opportunity for students to have their work shared and published. I have been able to add this to my resume, and it has helped me learn the process of submitting for a publication.”
Students can email their submissions to [email protected], or if they have artwork that is not in the form of a computer document, they can submit it to her in room L31. For any questions, students can contact Naegele or Gordon ([email protected]).
