College Literary Journal gives students, faculty opportunity to publish

Columbia Gorge Community College literary journal, Otolith, is currently accepting submissions from students and faculty. Student Kendra Bettelyoun is the lead editor this year for the publication.

By Ryan Lawrence

Did you know CGCC has a literary print journal-Otolith and is seeking submissions for the 2022 edition? The journal will accept prose, poetry, and visual art from CGCC students, faculty, staff, even pre-college & community education students!

There is a super cool opportunity being offered by the CGCC Creative Writing Club, for students both past and present, to have writing and visual art published. 

The Otolith is CGCC’s own literary print journal. And what makes it so unique is that it not only comprises the work of students, faculty, and staff but it is also edited and published by students as part of the creative writing program. 

I am very excited to be taking Writing 246 Editing & Publishing this Winter term. The experience I will gain alone is invaluable to me. 

As I pursue an English degree, naturally I have dreams of writing books and having them published. So to be a part of this entire collaborative process from start to finish, with my peers is a dream come true. 

And if I am being honest, this was a deciding factor in my choice to switch degree paths this year. For me, this reward well outweighed the risk. 

I also get to work with a great group of writers on this project. 

Student Kendra Bettelyoun is this year’s lead editor, a position she earned through hard work and dedication to the Spring 2020 edition. 

Kendra Bettelyoun

“I learned a lot about the editing process both from a writer's perspective and from the publisher's.” said Kendra. “I think the whole experience taught me how to work well with other creative people and build something unique together.”

And build something unique they did.

But something else happened in the midst of all that. Kendra tells me her classmates and her became a family. This was a happy byproduct of sharing and discussing their writing. 

When you take a creative writing class, especially non-fiction, you open yourself up to a certain level of vulnerability with your classmates. All writing is shared with the class to take home and read, annotate, and prepare for what we call a workshop. In a workshop, each piece of writing is reviewed as a class and the author is given the greatest gift a writer can be given- feedback. 

Kendra has also been a big contributor, behind the scenes, to events such as the blood drive. It was she who brought this issue to ASG and I. 

A big thank you goes to Kendra. 

Christpher Kessell free writes on paper with his signature black pencil in a Hood River College classroom.

Student Christpher Kessell is this year’s assistant editor. Chris is a classmate we consider one of the “Big Kids” because he has completed multiple creative writing courses. I was lucky enough to work with Chris over the Fall term in creative nonfiction writing. He is a Veteran, having served his country in the Marine Corps, and a great writer. I look forward to reading more of his work this term. 

The Fall 2021 Creative Writing Class at Columbia Gorge Community College. (Left to Right) Hannah, Tori, Leo, Ahmira, Chris, Tina, & Kayla

So something I really struggle with is being apprehensive about submitting my work to things like this. A million thoughts race through my head, and I make myself so nervous about the possibilities. Let’s be honest, I worry about what people will think. 

Will they think it is good enough? 

Will they laugh behind my back?

I overthink the situation and many times I miss the deadline for submissions.

It is so silly when I sit and think about it. I know that there is no one laughing behind my back. But when I am in that rut, when I am in that mood, it’s hard to get out of it. 

And I thought others may be experiencing the same type of thing. So I asked last year’s lead editor, Ida Ghramm, what she might say to anyone experiencing this. 

“Just do it,” Ida said, “because getting your stuff out there is the first step. It’s terrifying, I agree with you. But every submission is one step closer to achieving your dream and you’ll never know until you try.”

Ida is now attending Eastern Oregon University. The Creative Writing Team extends a big thank you to Ida also, for paving the way for the rest of us in Editing & Publishing this year. 

She will certainly be a hard act to follow. 

General submission guidelines for Otolith are as follows: Submissions in the form of prose, poetry, and visual art are being accepted now until January 1st, 2022 by current & former students, faculty & staff of CGCC, and pre-college & Community Education students. 

Submissions can be emailed to otolith.journal@gmail.com 

Work is judged anonymously, but credit will be given in the actual journal. 

The Creative Writing Club asks anyone submitting work to include a brief bio (60 words or less) about themselves and their association with CGCC, separately with their submissions. 

A more detailed description of the Guidelines can be found here. 

Copies of the Spring 2020 edition of Otolith can be checked out at either of the Columbia Gorge Community College libraries. 

If you are eligible to submit work and are considering it, please take two things from this article- the first step is the hardest and as Ida said, you’ll never know until you try. 

Thanks again to our supporters and readers like you. Your continued support of our honest local news is much appreciated. 

So come back next week and until then I will see you in the funny papers!