Spring Pinchpenny publications explore interaction between creative writing and art

GOSHEN, Ind. – Goshen College’s Pinchpenny Press has released two publications that combine the artwork and creative writing of nearly 30 students.

English major and psychology minor Claire Swora, a 2007 graduate from Shoreview, Minn., was involved in both, one being her own collection of poetry, “Lonely Sleeping Weather.” The other project is an annual creative arts journal, now in its third year, titled “Red Cents.”

The poems in “Lonely Sleeping Weather” are accompanied by the artwork of other Goshen College students. In her introduction, Swora explains that instead of “ekphrasis,” or poetry inspired by artwork, “I’ve turned it around, and asked a few friends to create pieces of art out of something they gathered from my poetry.”

Professor of English Ann Hostetler, who oversees Pinchpenny Press, said, “Claire Swora’s book, ‘Lonely Sleeping Weather,’ is a fine example of what Pinchpenny Press can offer to students in the creative arts at Goshen College.” Hostetler said, “Claire's book is both a capstone collection of her own writing and a collaboration that shows her talent for editing and arranging creative work into a harmonious whole.”

The book is a collection of some of Swora’s original poetry written over the past five or six years of her life. The poems, she said, were inspired by “my everyday life, or maybe times of sadness or nostalgia.” Nearly all of the 120 books from the original printing are spoken for and Swora intends to print at least 50 more. A reprinting of a Pinchpenny book hasn’t taken place since 2001, according to records in the English Department.

The other publication released this spring demonstrated the opportunity Pinchpenny gives its students for creative variety. Hostetler said, “‘Red Cents’ offers students the opportunity to solicit, select, arrange, edit and design a publication of their own.” This year’s “Red Cents” includes the work of 26 students.

Swora served as the editor, taking charge of executive decisions, planning and editing submissions. Her editorial team included three other 2007 graduates. An interdisciplinary major and international studies minor from Yorktown, Ind., Erini Shields, worked as the arts editor, collecting and selecting art submissions. The writing editor, who managed the collecting of written pieces, was Alex Roth, an English major and secondary education minor from Palmer Lake, Colo. Dealing with the business side of things was the production assistant, Sarah Roth, an English and history double major from Goshen.

Hostetler said, “This year’s editors produced a beautifully designed and thoughtful magazine that included work from a wide selection of talented students from many majors at Goshen College — from English, Spanish and communication to art, history and biology.”

Swora learned about the unique nature of “Red Cents” after a discussion with the director of the Creative Writing Department at Notre Dame University, Cornelius Eady, who visited campus in the spring. “When he found out about all of the opportunities that GC students have for publications, he was really excited and impressed,” Swora said. “It hadn't occurred to me before that this was something unique to GC.”

“Red Cents” aimed to stay true to the vision of its founders. As the editors wrote in the introduction, “This vision is based on the idea that art enriches literature, literature enriches art, and we as audience and artists are enriched through the experience of their interaction.”

Pinchpenny Press was begun in 1969 by Nick C. Lindsay and is sponsored by the English Department of Goshen College. It produces chapbooks, usually around 20 to 70 pages in length, for members of the Goshen College community who have their works accepted by the Pinchpenny Editorial Board. Submissions are to be made in the fall semester and books can be purchased through the English Department by e-mailing english@goshen.edu.

– Kelli Yoder

Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.

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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu.