By VANESSA SKILDUM
Beloit College is home to many creative writers and provides plenty of opportunities for writers to expand their talents. There are classes such as writing workshops and even the Mackey chair, where an author comes in every spring to teach a first module class. The Round Table allows students to explore journalism. Some clubs embrace creativity, like Aardvark Authors and the World Building Collective, but the college lacks a place for students to show off their creative works.
The Beloit Fiction Journal (BFJ) class allows students to edit and choose the stories for the Beloit Fiction Journal; however, students cannot submit work for it. The World Building Collective puts together a book of works inspired by a world they designed over the course of the year, but all of the pieces within it correlate strictly to that world. The English Department hosts writing contests yearly, but the winner’s works are not showcased, just their names.
Enter Pocket Lint. Beloit has had many creative writing magazines showcasing student writing, including Pocket Lint and Avatar. Pocket Lint was the most recent one, but it disappeared during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Seniors Sydney Moses and Grayson Jensen joined together and are in the process of bringing it back. “We’ve got the BFJ, which is important for having that experience as an editor, but it does not give students a chance to showcase their own art, writing, poetry, or other works in a Beloit publication,” says Jensen’25 when discussing why they are bringing back Pocket Lint.
“We have both been in the World Building Collective, and it was fun, but there wasn’t as much freedom as we are trying to offer here,” says Moses’25.
Writers can submit up to 2,000 words of short fiction and five poems. Students can also submit up to three visual art pieces. Submissions can be sent to mailbox 1259 and are due by December 6. Instructions on how to submit works can be found on posters around campus and on Instagram @bc.pocket.lint.
In addition to submissions, they are looking for a handful of students to join the editorial team. “Anyone is welcome,” says Moses’25. “We are hoping to get some underclassmen so this can continue after we graduate.” The editorial positions are first come, first serve.
Editorial board members will be asked to help with reading submissions and minor editing. Members of the editorial team can also submit their own works. For more information, you can reach out to mosessg@beloit.edu or jensencm@beloit.edu.
Featured Image from Pocket Lint via Facebook
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