A Weekend of Congratulations

An ode to the academic building that is my home away from home.
(photo/Dale Long)

On Saturday, my university held its annual Honors Day celebration, a day in which students receive awards for their academic and personal success during the academic school year. It shouldn’t be a surprise the Department of English is a small community of writers and readers. Therefore, at our celebration on Saturday, it was a comfortable environment for various students to be honored. 

Me with my awards. (photo/Dale Long)

I received two awards—one for my publication success and the other for my outstanding work this year as production manager for the university’s “Polaris Literary Magazine.” While it is special to be recognized for my work, the acknowledgement is not the sole reason why I write. I write to share my work with others, but also to satisfy my creative desires. It’s nice my professors see my progress as a creative writer and support my journey. 

Saturday was the official release of the 2015-16 edition of “Polaris Literary Magazine.” As the production manager for the magazine, I am so proud of the work contained in this small collection. Having been a part of “Polaris” for the past three years, it has been an honor to be involved with such a quality publication. This year’s volume is no exception.

Me with Dr. Moore, the adviser for "Polaris."
She's also my favorite professor, poet and friend.
(photo/Cheryl Long)

The contributors provide an array of bright, powerful voices which I hope will inspire readers to write their own work. Within this collection of diverse voices, tones and themes, there are some common moments, from food to the color orange, to saying good-bye and ultimately an overwhelming amount of light.

This edition provides a glance into the wonderful work my colleagues, both at my university and at other universities across the country, are producing for readers. I feel confident this year’s edition of “Polaris” will continue its long legacy of providing readers with material as they sit by the beach during summer vacations or by the fireplace in a cold winter evening. 

The front cover design for the 2015-16 "Polaris." (photo/Kasy Long)

I hope each and every one of you will seek out the magazine. Follow this link to our website. I hope you’ll see the tender care put into each of the pieces in the collection. I hope you enjoy reading the material just as much as we had during the publication process.

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This is my final blog post for my Social Media Principles course. I want to thank all of my readers for joining my adventures this semester. I documented important moments, including my senior capstone project, memories with my friends and my sincere love for literature. Yesterday, I attended my roommate’s senior music recital, and as I was sitting in the audience and taking pictures of her, I thought in the back of my mind of how I could write a blog post about the memory. 

My roommate's senior music recital. (photo/Kasy Long)

Therefore, I am going to continue to write in this blog. I plan to keep this blog for as long as I feel it is appropriate. Join me as I travel to Jamestown, NY this summer to work as an intern at the Lucy-Desi Museum & Center for Comedy. I will have multiple things to say about the experience!

Join me as I stand by my best friend’s side in three weeks as she marries the man of her dreams. Join me as I begin my senior year of college in the fall, applying to graduate schools and other job opportunities. Join me as I actually present my senior capstone presentation.

Join me as I continue to grow and learn about the world around me. I invite you to become my reader and my friend.

This isn’t good-bye. I will be seeing all of you shortly.

(photo/iliketoquote.com)

-KJL-