North Star* Liberal Arts / Creative Writing & Literature vol CORE VALUE: TRANSFORMATION

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Solomon Ferguson
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1 VOYAGER North Star* Liberal Arts / Creative Writing & Literature vol. 8.3 * Jinny Beyer Quilt Pattern September 11, CORE VALUE: TRANSFORMATION Our task, in the aftermath of September 11, was and continues to be the transformation of the effects of evil into something beautiful and good. Marianne Williamson It is good to realize that if love and peace can prevail on earth, and if we can teach our children to honor nature's gifts, the joys and beauties of the outdoors will be here forever. Jimmy Carter 1

2 (Photograph of Mohsin Hamid Jillian Edelstein) 2

3 8 p.m. SEE JOYCE KESSEL FOR TICKETS. Mohsin Hamid is the author of four novels, Moth Smoke, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, and Exit West, and a book of essays, Discontent and Its Civilizations. His writing has been featured on bestseller lists, adapted for the cinema, and translated into over thirty-five languages. Born in Lahore, he has spent about half his life there and much of the rest in London, New York, and California. Babel readers are sharing Hamid s novel Exit West. In his own words: "Part of the great political crisis we face in the world today is a failure to imagine plausible desirable futures. We are surrounded by nostalgic visions, violently nostalgic visions. Fiction can imagine differently... We certainly need it now. Because if we can t imagine desirable futures for ourselves that stand a chance of actually coming to pass, our collective depression could well condemn humanity to a period of terrible savagery." New Yorker interview on Exit West "I understand that people are afraid of migrants. If you're in a wealthy country, it's understandable that you might fear the arrival of lots of people from far away. But that fear is like racism: it's understandable, but it needs to be countered, diminished, resisted. People are going to move in vast numbers in the coming decades and centuries. Sea levels will rise, weather patterns will change, and billions will move. We need to figure out how to build a vision for this coming reality that isn't a disaster, that is humane and even inspiring." Lit Hub interview on Exit West 3

4 Literature is meant to be disseminated, shared, and valued by all.". Lisa Lucas National Book Foundation Executive Director 4

From Si Kahn s song They All Sang Bread and Roses The more I study history, The more I seem to find That in every generation There are times just like that time When folks like you and me who thought

5 From Si Kahn s song They All Sang Bread and Roses The more I study history, The more I seem to find That in every generation There are times just like that time When folks like you and me who thought That they were all alone And 'though each generation fears That it will be the last, Our presence here is witness To the power of the past. And just as we have drawn our strength From those who now are gone, Younger hands will take our work And carry on. I study history because I am interested in the future. Peter Rachleff 5

6 FALL SSC TUTORS Brittany Rowan Anatomy and Physiology, Biology, Kinesiology, PTA Denietra Douglas Animation and Art Elizabeth Spahn Math Stacy Faulkner PTA Elijah Boungiorne Psychology Donna Yaeger Writing and Time Management Alissa Kowalski Writing and Time Management Emily Green Writing and Time Management Chris Coughlin Writing and Time Management Jillian Walkowiak Writing and Time Management Molly Shehaan Art and Photography CALL FOR WORK Do you have a story to tell? Send it Joyce Kessel for a future Voyager for consideration: jkessel@villa.edu. Indicate this is a Voyager submission in the Subject line. Pixar's 22 Rules of Story Telling These rules were originally tweeted by Pixar Story Artist Emma Coats. You admire a character for trying more than for their successes. You gotta keep in mind what s interesting to you as an audience, not what s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different. Trying for theme is important, but you won t see what the story is actually about til you re at the end of it. Now rewrite. 6

7 Once upon a time there was. Every day,. One day. Because of that,. Because of that,. Until finally. Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You ll feel like you re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free. What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal? Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front. Finish your story, let go even if it s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time. When you re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up. Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you ve got to recognize it before you can use it. Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you ll never share it with anyone. Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself. Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it s poison to the audience. Why must you tell THIS story? What s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That s the heart of it. If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations. 7

8 What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don t succeed? Stack the odds against. No work is ever wasted. If it s not working, let go and move on it ll come back around to be useful later. You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining. Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating. Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d you rearrange them into what you DO like? You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can t just write cool. What would make YOU act that way? What s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.. 8

Sermon, , Easter, Once Upon a Time. (Pastor Tim carries small toys Nemo, Bruce and Inky from Finding Nemo and places them on his stand.

Sermon, , Easter, Once Upon a Time. (Pastor Tim carries small toys Nemo, Bruce and Inky from Finding Nemo and places them on his stand. (Pastor Tim carries small toys Nemo, Bruce and Inky from Finding Nemo and places them on his stand.) Today is Easter. The traditional Easter dinner in our culture is?... ham. Who is having ham for dinner