What happens when you combine colored pencils, plastic sheets and a dash of school spirit? At Bricowlage Student Journal’s Shrinky Dinks event, students discovered that the answer was a recipe for creativity and community.
This took place in the library on Friday, Sept. 12 in the Center for Research and Writing. Shrinky Dinks are small, custom charms created by drawing on a sheet of plastic, then placing it into an oven to shrink it down to a smaller size and thicker size.
Morgan Munroe, a first-year attendee, said, “I think I was just interested in trying out all sorts of different things. It seemed neat to me. It seemed like something to do to find and make more connections here.”
This event will be followed by paper plants in the library on Friday, Sept. 26 in the Center for Research and Writing, where attendees can craft paper plants.
According to senior and Vice President Kayla Turner, Bricowlage is a club that prints and publishes a literary magazine every academic year, featuring works submitted by innovators. This includes writers, artists, photographs, designers, crocheters and more.
“We like to put together stuff that we can talk about, and that sparks creativity for us. In the past, we’ve done stuff that can actually be submitted, like free rights or prompted writing and collages,” said Turner. “The collages are a big favorite.”
The process of submitting includes uploading to a form that can be found on Bricowlage’s Instagram page. There is also the QR code for it, which is in the back of any of the physical magazines. Submitted works can range anywhere between writing, short stories, poetry, essays, photography and art.
Senior and Bricowlage President Evan Parker said, “The first semester, we do a lot of fun stuff like this, and then the spring semester is really devoted to putting the journal together, piecing everything together, editing, working with authors and getting them in.”
Bricowlage holds meetings every other Friday at 3 p.m. in the Research and Writing Center in the Mason Library, where the club does a different activity every meeting. Events in the past have included collaging, creative writing, blackout poetry and crafting.
“For our meetings, we mostly focus them on crafts and group activities that get people talking,” Parker said. “But we also have plans for around midterms and finals week to do a tea night where people can come and study.”
According to Parker, when a student submits they are automatically entered into Bricowlage’s giveaways the club does throughout the year, one including a $25 gift card to Toadstool Bookshop and others, such as sketchbooks and pens.
So, as Turner says, “Submit!”
Zoey Spirito can be contacted at
zspirito@kscequinox.com
