Over the past two years I had the opportunity to get to know and bond with the Élan staff. This closeness has helped us to work together and develop a cohesive magazine. However, I have always felt that there was an unseen divide between the staff and our readers. I think that it is important for our patrons to really know the individuals who work behind the scenes—the editors, public relations teams, and web designers who make the book a possibility. Therefore, below are interviews that highlight a several staff members, so that our readers can get to know the students who work to create Élan for them.

 

Kiera Nelson, Fiction Editor

Who is your favorite author and why?

My favorite poet is Nikki Giovanni because I love her originality in the way she manipulates words to evoke emotions. For fiction I would have to say ZZ Packer because she knows how to integrate the reader into the story.

What do you like to do outside of school and writing?

[Laughs] That’s funny. Well, I like to binge watch TV shows like American Horror Story and Carrie Diaries.

What lessons or skills have you gained from your experience on the Élan Staff?

I have learned how to take responsibility for my actions and manage complex tasks without getting overwhelmed. I have also learned how to think as a group, a staff, rather than just as an individual.

Mariah Abshire, Poetry Editor

Who is your favorite author and why?

Right now I’m reading Pink Elephant, so I’m really into Rachel McKibbens.

What lessons or skills have you gained from your experience on the Élan Staff?

Teamwork. Having to be a small part in a big production and having other people depend on me has really allowed me to develop a sense of responsibility. As a staff member I have to meet other people’s expectations, not just my own.

If you were stranded on an island and could only have three items with you, what would they be?

Well I would need to finish reading Pink Elephant, so I would bring that with me. I would also bring an unlimited supply of Tijuana Flats Chicken Tacos and a journal with a pen.

Emily Cramer, Editor-in-Chief

Who is your favorite author and why?

Taylor Mali and William Carlos Williams. Their poetry is so simple but deep—it seems to be about small ideas but once you delve into them, they’re so complex. Both also have other jobs outside of writing, which gives me hope that it’s possible to always be a writer, no matter what field I go into.

What lessons or skills have you gained from your experience on the Élan Staff?

I’ve learned what it means to be a leader, how to make sure that all work is getting done, while understanding the needs of individuals and maintain our magazine’s mission and standards.

Who are your favorite musical artists?

Mumford and Sons, Jose Gonzales, Sufjan Stevens, The 1975, and Fleet Foxes.

Emily Leitch, Layout and Design Editor

What do you like to do outside of school and writing?

Wow, that’s funny. Writing and school are literally the only things I do. I go on Tumblr… is that an answer?

What lessons or skills have you gained from your experience on the Élan Staff?

I have gained a sense of community through this staff. I feel like we work really well together and we all participate. I have learned how to organize and collaborate. Being a layout editor requires me to work with every member of the staff when it comes time to layout our online and print books. It is very important to learn how to cooperate with each other as a staff and I know this will help me in the future.

If you were stranded on an island and could only have three items with you, what would they be?

Jason Schwartzman. My collection of poetry books. My pet turtle Phillip. That’s all I need.

–Emily Jackson, Creative Non-Fiction Editor

I know what writer’s block is. I’ve been in a creative writing program for seven of my total seventeen years. Sometimes I feel like I’ve written it all; like I have nothing left to say. These days I feel like I’m in a slump and I’ve lost all of my poetic ability. Even sitting here writing this is becoming impossible for me.

I try to distract myself from the looming poetry portfolios because I simply cannot bring myself to sit in front of a computer screen anymore. Here is a glimpse into a typical night in the life of Élan’s layout editor:

Step One: Get out journal, poetry folder, laptop, coffee, and Avett Brothers’ CD.

Step Two: Drink coffee while telling yourself that tonight will be the night when you        finally finish a draft on time.

Step Three: Listen to The Avett Brothers for a little while. Feel inspired. Feel optimistic.

Step Four: Realize that a half an hour has passed and all you have to show for it is an        empty cup of coffee.

Step Five: Stare at a blank word document for approximately five minutes. Come up with nothing.

Step Six: Continue to stare at a computer screen while simultaneously losing all optimism and confidence in your skills as a writer.

Step Seven: Take a break to re-organize underwear drawer because at this point anything is better than poetry.

Step Eight: Stare out the window for a pathetically long amount of time.

Step Nine: Have an existential crisis.

Step Ten: Force yourself to hold back tears as you inadequately type some incoherent words into your glaring white document.

Step Eleven: Erase every single word because it was all atrocious.

Step Twelve: Give up and go to sleep, swearing that you’ll wake up early and finish it     first thing in the morning.

Step Thirteen: Finish the draft of your poem in Environmental Science approximately twenty minutes before it is due. Promise yourself that you’ll do better next time.

I realize that every writer goes through something similar to this every once in a while. This is how I get over it: read poetry. Trust me; it is impossible to be a good poet without reading the poetry of others. Here are some books of poetry that I like to turn to in my moments of literary crisis:

Sharks in the Rivers by Ada Limon

The Other Poems by Paul Legault

Native Guard by Natasha Trethewey

Reading the work of other poets always helps me to quickly regain confidence in my craft.  Even after nights like that I always realize that all of the work is worth it. No one writes a good first draft. It’s just a fact. Every single writer (ever) has had moments of inadequacy. Even the fabulously talented Natasha Trethewey has probably stared at a blank computer screen for hours on end. So if you, reader, can make it through nights like this, I promise you that it will be worth it.

–Emily Leitch, Layout (& Web) Editor

Fiction writing is…hard. For me, the longer the piece, the harder it is to produce words. Perhaps it’s a magical word count; you reach a certain amount of words and suddenly the pages seem too crowded. So crowded, in fact, that your mind refuses to crowd the poor pages any more.

This past November (feeling inspired by the incredible fiction pieces we received in our Winter Submissions) I decided to participate in NANOWRIMO, National Novel Writing Month. Basically, you have a goal of a certain amount of words per day which by the end of November will hopefully have produced a full novel. It’s hard enough to keep your thoughts organized to reach that word count, but on top of school and work, it forces your brain into overtime. The progress I made was below satisfactory, I can assure you, and yet I feel somehow better about my writing as a whole. Shaping the characters, working through the plot, it has been a rough journey, but I’m closer to the words because of it.

I have a few tips, though, for your long-term writing process:

1. Don’t compare yourself to other famous writers. Jane Austen may be able to create a timeless masterpiece, but that doesn’t mean your characters should go around saying, “Oh, there is nothing more I love than to sit and enjoy the splendors of reading, Mr. Smith! I daresay a woman who does not enjoy reading has not fully exercised the true potential of her mind!”
2. If you reach a block, just keep writing. Even if the words are nonsense, sometimes the subconscious powers your writing more than you know, and you just might get some material out of it.
3. Sometimes it’s not about the end result. The point of NANOWRIMO was not to produce the next award winning novel – it’s about the experience.

–Zoe DeWitt, Fiction Editor