Some Non-SIR Related News

Yesterday was the launch party for this year's issue of the Aerie, USI's student literary and art magazine. Jenni, Nicole, and I, as well as the rest of the members of the Student Writers Union (SWU) and the Aerie editors worked really hard on this event and were so pleased with the turnout. Basically we booked a room in the Liberal Arts Center, ordered food and a cake, and asked all of the writers and artists to attend to read their works or see them displayed on a continuous PowerPoint. Quite a few contributors were in attendance and I would say we had about thirty students show up. It was a very professional and well-done event, if I do say so myself.

Also, yesterday was the last day for turning in contest entries for SWU's first annual Write Away Hunger Poetry and Short Short Fiction Contest. Instead of entry fees for the contest we had writers pay us in pop-top canned goods and foods easily cooked by children. These foods will go to the local food back for their Backpacks for Kids program. The program puts food in a backpack and distributes the bags to area children who are at risk for having no food at home to eat over the weekend. We had a really great response to the contest and are confident that next year we will have even more entries.

I would also like to announce that I have ten papers due in the next few weeks. I can't even really comprehend it. Oh, Lord...