A new student journal will be making its debut on the Keene State campus this spring. Bricowlage is a new organization created by KSC students to provide a platform for student creativity.
The idea for Bricowlage stemmed from a previous cross-institutional partnership with the University of New Hampshire. Students from both institutions worked together to publish a journal titled Scriptor. In recent years, a couple of Keene State students decided to take the project in a new direction, creating the new student journal titled Bricowlage.
“We spent weeks sitting down together and creating goals, talking about logistics and writing our constitution until everything felt perfect,” Bricowlage president Julia Messinger said.
Bricowlage vice president Cierra Taber goes forward to add, “[We] really wanted to revamp the image of this journal to include more representation of Keene State students and their talents.”
Since Scriptor only features works of fiction, the KSC team saw the need to expand to include a wider variety of genres, according to Bricowlage faculty advisor Katherine Tirabassi.
“[They] felt it was important to focus on student creative writing in multiple genres here at KSC, rather than fiction only,” Tirabassi said.
The journal will feature all genres of creative work, including poetry, short stories and even short plays. Students are encouraged to submit their work regardless of their background or experience with art or writing, according to Taber.
“Bricowlage is more than just a ‘literary journal,’ but instead should be seen as a journal for the creative minds of Keene State,” Taber said, “Students are welcome to submit photos of sculptures or paintings they have created in their free time, and those who write as a hobby are encouraged to submit their work(s).”
The journal gets its name from the noun ‘bricolage’ meaning, “construction or creation from a diverse range of available things,” Messinger mentioned. The Bricowlage team is dedicated to having that idea be reflected in the journal and who they are as an organization.
“We knew that we wanted to provide the KSC student body with a place to express themselves creatively in a group of people who all yearn for the same goals,” Messinger said.
The team is devoted to making the journal an open space for students to submit their work. Their goal is to provide students with the opportunity to take pride in their work and showcase it to the campus community, according to Messinger.
“We want to give student writers a place to publish their creative work… We feel it’s so important for people to be able to submit their work to be reached by an audience when it’s something they’re proud of,” Messinger said.
Taber further expands upon this idea, stating, “I hope to provide students with this feeling of accomplishment and pride within their work… Not only that, but I hope that through this journal, we can provide a sense of community throughout our student body.”
Tirabassi is looking forward to seeing what comes from its publications, “I hope that this publication will offer greater opportunities for the wider public to enjoy this excellent writing that I’ve had the privilege and opportunity to read in the courses I teach.”
Bricowlage plans to release its first publication this spring. For more information, email Julia.Messinger@ksc.keene.edu.
Caitlin Howard can be contacted at:
choward@kscequinox.com
