Many students end up with a stack of creative writing pieces throughout their college career and may be wondering what to do with it. Elizabethtown College English-Professional Writing major Chandler McGuire ’24 is hard at work this summer to find a solution, creating a pamphlet full of resources for students who wish to publish their work.
Through her project, McGuire is learning more about the process of submitting work to a literary journal. With faculty mentor, Elizabethtown College Lecturer in English Erica Dolson lending her expertise and experience, the pair of Blue Jays are meeting virtually throughout the summer to not only work on the publishing resources that they plan to share with students and faculty this fall, but also fine-tune McGuire’s original creative work for potential publication.
Their work is part of the Elizabethtown College Summer Creative Arts and Research Program (SCARP).
Title of Research
Publication Prologue: Discovering Opportunities for Undergraduate Publishing
Student Researchers
Chandler McGuire ’24 (English-Professional Writing major)
Faculty Mentor
Erica M. Dolson, Lecturer in English and Director of the English Creative Writing Program
What are you researching?
Ms. Dolson and I are compiling a pamphlet for undergraduate students wishing to publish their creative writing. It will have the resources, such as a list of places to submit to, to make the process less daunting for students.
Why did you choose this topic?
Any student who has taken a creative writing class for the Creative Expression (CE) core ends up with a stack of work that usually ends up gathering dust. This pamphlet is going to help them get their work out there and be seen by more people. It might even encourage them to write more.
What is the most interesting aspect of this research?
The most interesting part is the amount of detail that goes into submitting your work to a literary journal. You have to be concerned about what rights they want, payment (if there are any), etcetera.
How has your faculty mentor helped you?
Ms. Dolson has been an incredible resource for this project because she has published her work. She comes up with questions to research that never crossed my mind. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to research with her.
Hear from the faculty mentor – Erica Dolson
“It’s always rewarding to talk with students about their writing, and I have enjoyed the opportunity to work closely with Chandler, who studies professional writing and creative writing, on this project that combines both of those disciplines,” Dolson said. “I’ve wanted to create a publishing resource like this for our students, and I’m grateful that the SCARP program has provided the time and support to make this project a learning experience for both Chandler and I.”