Say Hello To: Destiny Lyda

 It's time for another "Say Hello To" blog piece!

Credit to Destiny Lyda 

This week I talked to a creative writing major, Destiny Lyda. Destiny is a sophomore here at Bloom. She originally started out as a secondary education major but was quickly drawn to the creative writing track. She told me that through one of her GenEd classes, Foundations of Writing, she became more interested in the English Department and what it had to offer. Destiny explained, "I had a great professor named Dr. Costanzo who talked about English and linguistics with such a passion, it sparked something in me!" She went on to tell me that she had always had a passion for writing and she had even thought about pursuing it but never thought she could. Destiny mentioned her concern to Dr. Costanzo. From there, he encouraged her to check out the other writing classes offered at Bloomsburg and see what happened. 

But what finally tipped the scales for Destiny was after going through field experience in the education major. She realized this was something she wasn't truly passionate about, so she made the decision to follow her dream of majoring in creative writing. 

The transition from one major to the other was smooth and easy. When Destiny entered the English department, her advisor Dr. Wemple helped her navigate the new major.  He added her with picking classes and gave her access to resources and emails if there was ever a question she needed answered. At the start of Fall 2020, Destiny officially became a part of the Creative Writing track here at Bloomsburg University. She told me, "Every single English class I have taken has been the best. I have learned so much and I get to write and read to my heart's content!"

Here at BU, every department strives for student success and encourages students to share their work with many organizations on and off-campus. The English department is no exception. While Destiny and  I chatted back and forth over email, I asked her what was it about the department she liked the most. She replied that organizations like Warren, the literary magazine here at Bloom, was one of those things that she was drawn to. She also commented on the opportunities that arise for amateur writers through contests put out by the English Department or organizations like Warren. 

Destiny also told me that she cannot wait for the semesters to come. She encourages those interested in literature and writing to consider a major or minor in English.  Destiny explained at the end of our communication that she can attest firsthand that English is not just books and writing.  The English Department includes degrees in professional writing or literature. These paths can open many doors for students wishing to have a career with companies and organizations as high-quality writers or publishers. When asked about what should readers take away from this interview, Destiny replied, "There is more to an English degree than you would think. If you have even a slight interest in a class or track in the department, ask! If you want to pursue that interest, the English Department can help."

Bad Poetry Night: Warren Literary and Art Journal

Halloween Flash Fiction Contest

Welcome (back) to BU: Activities Fair Coverage

Welcome (back) to BU: Activities Fair Coverage

Hi everybody, and welcome to Bloomsburg University. If you’re returning, welcome back! Since this is obviously the English Department blog, covering any and all things related, we’re kicking off this semester with a recap of some of the great organizations related to the English Department.

WALES (Writing and Literacy Engagement Studio) is probably the best place to get help with any kind of writing project you’ll have this semester. The yellow bookmarks this WALES rep is holding in the pic are too little to read on screen, but they list available hours in Andruss Library (Schweiker Room), Bakeless 206, and Elwell Hall (N219). Check out their full schedule at http://bloomu.edu/wales for their full hours schedule, or email them at wales@bloomu.edu for an appointment.

Warren, the campus Literary and Art journal, just had their 70^th anniversary last year of the journal existing on campus (under various names). They’re holding their initial meeting Thursday, August 29, in Bakeless, so be sure to swing by and hear about all the cool things they’re doing this semester. These lovely ladies are showing the most recent edition of the journal, which is completely student-published, and also completely free, so ask them for any extras they may have lying around. Check out their website: http://warrenliteraryjournal.wordpress.com/

NCTE stands for the National Council of Teachers of English, and they “amplify the voice of educators through personal connection, collaboration, and a shared mission to improve the teaching and learning of English and language arts at all levels” (http://www2.ncte.org/). Check them out if you’re on the Secondary Ed English track.

The Voice, the campus newspaper, prints every Thursday and is always looking for new “voices” in their sections. Check them out online at http://buvoice.com/, especially if you're a writer looking for something to talk about.

Other pics and tables from the fair:

Table Top Gaming club, representing;

The Anime and Manga club was doing really well;

The Sci Fi club, having a blast (and apparently learning the ukulele);

Active Minds in health and wellness was so busy I could barely get a picture;

The LGBTQA table had FREE pride flags!

The Women’s Resource Center, perfectly posing;

And the whole fair!

Here's to the start of a great semester.

Upcoming Event: Warren Open Mic Contest

Happy Monday!

Guidelines for Warren's Open Mic Night have been released. Read below to find out how to join this event!

Bloomsburg University's Warren Literary Journal will be hosting an Open Mic Night that will be held at 6pm in the Student Service Center (SSC) room 004 on Tuesday, April 9th. Submissions are due no later than Monday, April 1st to the litmag@bloomu.edu email. The email subject must include the category of the submission that corresponds with one of the categories listed below.

Categories for Open Mic Night contest April 9th:

Poetry: Maximum 350 words, no specific form/style is required

Fiction: Involves imaginary events and people in the form of prose. Please limit pieces to 2,000 words maximum.

Creative Nonfiction: Wikipedia defines creative nonfiction as a genre of writing that uses literary styles and techniques to create factually accurate narratives. Please limit pieces to 2,000 words maximum.

Critical Essay: Thoughtco.com defines critical essay as a form of academic writing that analyzes, interprets, and/or evaluates a text. In a critical essay, an author makes a claim about how particular ideas or themes are conveyed in a text, then supports that claim with evidence from primary and/or secondary sources. Please limit pieces to 2,000 words maximum.

Contest winners will be notified no later than Friday, April 5th and are encouraged to read their pieces aloud at the Open Mic Night. However, all participants are welcomed to attend and read their submissions to the public. There will be pizza and refreshments available during the event.

Find the contests here:  

https://warrenliteraryjournal.wordpress.com/contests/