Mosaic Journal Submissions Due By March 1

   SMYRNA — Students, faculty and staff have until March 1 (Friday) to submit original literary and visual works for the spring issue of Mosaic.

         The journal includes fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction, as well as visual art and academic essays.

          Mosaic editors are seeking the following:

          + Fiction (up to 1,500 words).

          + Creative non-fiction (up to 1,500 words).

          + Visual Art.

          + Poetry (one to three poems).

          + Academic Essays (up to 3,000 words).

“The journal’s primary goal is to provide a platform to amplify creative voices,” said Associate Professor of English Andrea Green, who serves as co-editor-in-chief. “By featuring distinct methods of storytelling and artistry, Mosaic hopes to highlight the exceptional talents of the Motlow community.”

To learn more or submit an original work of literature or visual art, send an email to Mosaic@mscc.edu. 

Established in 1993, Mosaic: A Literary Journal has been relaunched by the Language Department and Motlow Library. The Fall 2023 issue is available at https://www.canva.com/design/DAFznZt0fqQ/FGd_rTi26mAAZE2pOeTdnA/edit?utm_content=DAFznZt0fqQ&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=sharebutton .

Words from Paige's Pages: 'Pandemic,' 'Ethos' and 'Embed'

 By Paige Hendrickson

Motlow Buzz Contributing Writer

            SMYRNA -- Our vocabulary expert, Smyrna Branch Librarian Paige Hendrickson, knows a thing or two about words. This issue, she provides definitions and usage examples for the words Pandemic, Ethos, and Embed. 

 

pandemic
pan·dem·ic
/panˈdemik/
adjective: 1. (of a disease) prevalent throughout an entire country, continent, or the whole world; epidemic over a large area. 2. general; universal.
noun: a pandemic disease.
 
Synonyms: widespread, prevalent, pervasive, rife, rampant, epidemic, universal, global
 
Example: Many colleges and universities are offering only online classes for Fall 2020 semester due to the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which has affected nearly every country in the world.
 
ethos
e·thos
/ˈēTHäs/
noun: the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations.
 
Synonyms: spirit, character, atmosphere, climate, prevailing tendency, mood, feeling
 
Example: When students transition from high school to college, the ethos shifts and places the responsibility of assignments and studying on the individual student outside the classroom.
 
embed
em·bed
/əmˈbed/
verb (used with object): 1. to fix into a surrounding mass; 2. to surround tightly or firmly; envelop or enclose; 3. to incorporate or contain as an essential part or characteristic.
verb (used without object) to be or become fixed or incorporated, as into a surrounding mass.
 
Synonyms: implant, plant, set, fix, lodge, root, insert, place, sink, submerge, immerse
 
Example: Especially when taking online college classes, students should look for important links that are embedded to guide them to the online course assignments and other resources to help them be more successful in their classes.

Crafting a Campfire Story

By Jeremy Broadwater

Motlow Buzz Contributing Writer

            I can still remember as a young child sitting around the campfire listening to my grandfather and dad telling stories. I can still hear the crackling of the fire wood, the smell of it as it burned. My dad and my grandfather were the storytellers. They would often start every gathering by positioning the firewood and igniting a fire symbolizing the power and light to bring truth.  

We recently celebrated Halloween and generally, if you are like me, you are enjoying nightly gatherings watching horror movies or listening to scary and eerie stories about ghosts, goblins, vampires, and all things that go bump in the night. I have always enjoyed all things of the unknown, whether it is horrifying or some crazy supernatural occurrence that has left my mind boggled.

I remember as a very young child hearing the stories about my family’s history of hauntings and the crazy tales of other beings following them from the old country eons ago. This has always fascinated me to a great degree growing up. I have used horror movies and horror books as sources of influence and fuel to create and tell my own stories. I share them with friends to scare them out of their minds.

           Creating and telling your campfire story takes a lot of skill and imagination. Over time it will become easier and easier to frighten or to wow your listeners. If you can remember your dreams, mainly nightmares, it can help you to spin a great story.

Andrew Blackman, a staff writer for The Wall Street Journal, wrote that keeping a “dream” journal can help you create a good story for your campfire gathering. You will be able to recall the dreams on demand after writing them down. If you want to learn more about this, visit Blackman’s at https://writetodone.com/author/andrew/.

Develop a rich vocabulary to vividly describe what the person in a tale is sensing, his/her surroundings, and what missions the hero of your story must accomplish. Vocabulary usage is challenging but essential. I struggle with it. I find it useful to discover new words in the dictionary or a thesaurus. Finding synonyms or antonyms for those words helps me to add depth.

Reading is another way to build your vocabulary. It’s also important to learn from the storytellers of old. Study how they write, including their verbs, modifiers and sentence structures. I found this site to be very helpful: https://wordcounter.net/blog/2014/01/22/1027_25-ways-to-improve-your-writing-vocabulary.html

            Is it stormy or foggy? Create an appropriate atmosphere in your storytelling that mirrors the one you are experiencing in real time. Edger Allan Poe had true-to-life descriptive tales that captured the imagination of thousands, bringing shivers down their spins. You could feel the chill and dampness of the pit in Poe’s chilling tale “Pit and the Pendulum.” You could almost smell the scents of various aromas the characters smelled.

Algernon Blackwood’s tale “Wendigo” makes us feel the night’s bitter, cold air as the campfire’s heat keeps us warm. We hear sticks crack under the feet of something unknown and the sweetened scents of decay from a strange something wondering out in the darkness. We can't see it, but it can see us. We become terrified as we imagine a sleeping Defago experiencing discomfort as when the wendigo lurks just outside of Defago’s and Simson’s tent. Our hearts skip beats as Defago runs outside the tent after hearing the menacing voice of the Wendigo, and it’s there, just beyond the open flaps of the tent.

            What is the nature of your story? Every story needs a moral so that the listeners can learn and take away something valuable. Every story needs a character who takes risks. Only by the grace of God can the character survive till the end. Your story should show the character’s bravery, especially to younger listeners. The hero faces terrors and troubles that would seem be his end, but by some unknown power he never gives up. Like all of us, he might doubt himself. The names of the character need to fit what they symbolize. If you want more information about this, visit https://thewritelife.com/6-creative-ways-to-name-your-fictional-characters/

            Your body movement should also be part of the story. Get into it and act it out as much as you can without being too distracting and goofy. Your facial features should change constantly with the ebb and flow of the story. With body language, you need to figure out the right body postures and the right time to jump scare your audience. It is all in perfect timing. Think of it as a musical piece with everything having its place.

Michael Roth’s research paper titled “The Role of Gestures in Storytelling” explains this very well. His research shows how young children use gestures without any verbal communication present. Body language is a big part of any kind of storytelling. Native Americans use a lot of gestures and dances within their stories.

            When my dad told a story, he would ask us to gather around a fire he built. Neighbors would be invited to join us. He would tell tales about hunting trips that he took with his father and brother. He described the noises and sights in the woods. He also talked about how scared he was as a young boy camping out in the woods and hearing all the night sounds closing in on him. One tale he told was about a screech-owl.

He told his story in casual fashion while sitting in a wooden lawn chair with listeners gathering around him. He would sit upright like a king before his people with his hands on his knees and his head looking forward at us. My dad explained how a screech-owl had scared him witless as a child. Somewhere outside the tent was a monster coming to devour him. My dad signaled with his hands in hypnotizing movements, distorting his face like he was afraid. At the end of his story, he made a silhouette of an owl on the tree above us.  At just the right moment while everybody was staring at the shadow, he would scream and scare us all.  

Like my dad, I have written a campfire story for friends and family called “The Scarecrow Man.” The story is about a working college man named Ted who loves Halloween and enjoys decorating. One of his favorite decorations is a scarecrow he nails to a tree that stands 6 feet, 6 inches tall. The man is awakened by strange noises outside of his bedroom, where the scarecrow stands. When he investigates, he believes he see the scarecrow moving. He quickly comes to the conclusion that he is hallucinating due to exhaustion from lack of sleep. The following evening, however, Ted is faced with a terror beyond imagination. What terror does Ted face? To find out, visit my blog at https://storytellingaroundthecampfire.blogspot.com/. I hope you enjoy it.

Writing Center Helps Students Become Better Writers

By Abby Mire
Motlow Buzz Contributing Writer

                SMYRNA -- The Writing Center here at Motlow Smyrna  is a great place to come and get help in becoming a better writer.

                Dedicated tutors help students better understand the writing process and better themselves as writers. We don’t just take papers; we take stories and resumes! We also take the occasional love letter. So for those of you who want help in figuring out a story, or if you want to surprise special someone, come on down to our location in Smyrna in the Student Success Center in the Mary Lou Apple Building!

 English student Mariah Haley stands by to tutor fellow students in the Writing Center 

(Photo by Charles Whiting)

                All of our tutors want to help you and hope that you come and visit us. We do take walk-ins, but we prefer appointments (as we sometimes get very busy). We also understand that sometimes people get busy, so there is no penalty for canceling.

                We have online tutoring! If you are busy and you can’t meet face to face; we have options available. Our e-tutoring is a great resource to use if you can’t meet with our face-to-face or live online options. Live online is another amazing option for those who have the ability to go online with a webcam but are too busy for face-to-face.

                We also have a waitlist! If you have forgotten about an assignment, and you need an appointment now but we don’t have any available, you can join our waitlist. Our waitlist allows students to be notified in case of a cancellation or a no-show, so they can grab that appointment themselves. We love having people with different papers, stories and other works. One thing that makes our job great is when people come in and are ready to work hard! So please come and join us at the Motlow Writing Center.

                To set up an appointment, visit www.mscc.edu/writingcenter.

(Editor’s note: Abby Mire serves as a writing tutor for the Writing Center.)

Writing Center Opens To Students

By Anthony Czelusniak

Motlow Buzz Reporter

                SMYRNA, Tenn. – The Writing Center opened in the Student Success Center off the STAH lobby in early September, allowing students to get help with any writing project.

                The Writing Center, which encourages appointments, is open from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Mondays, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-6 p.m. Tuesdays, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesdays, 9-11 a.m. and 1-4 p.m. Thursdays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays.

“This is the first time we have offered weekend hours, giving busy students a chance to get help,” said Assistant Professor of English Jenna Caviezel, who oversees the Writing Center on all four Motlow campuses.

Assistant Professor of English Jenna Caviezel encourages students to visit The Writing Center.

                If an on-campus meeting is not possible, students can now call on the Writing Center’s tutors for live online tutoring. The sessions take place using a microphone and a webcam and can be done from home. A non-live online option called etutoring, where the student sends in the assignment online and receives a commented version back, is also available.

Inside the Writing Center, students can meet with a tutor who has been handpicked by Caviezel from a list of applicants. The center’s tutors are typically sophomores who have already taken the courses their fellow students might be struggling with. Students may bring in any type of assignment to tutors for feedback. Whether it is a paper for a class, a PowerPoint presentation, or a short story by an aspiring author, all works are accepted in the Writing Center.

“We’re here to help with any project at any stage of the writing process,” Caviezel added.

  Each session lasts 50 minutes, and students are advised to bring all the drafts they have worked on, as well as the rubric or assignment prompt if applicable. After each session, students are sent a link to an anonymous survey about their experiences at the Writing Center. These surveys are used to improve the Writing Center, most notably helping tutors adjust to the ever-changing availability of students.

Caviezel says she and her staff are very pleased with the response they are getting from Motlow students. “We had over 1,000 appointments last year, and 98 percent of students who completed the survey stated they would recommend the Writing Center.”

For instructions on how to make an appointment and to receive more detailed information about the Writing Center, visit http://www.mscc.edu/writingcenter/ or email your questions to writingcenter@mscc.edu. 

Piece of Peace

By Monica Leslie
Motlow Buzz Reporter

 

“The greatest force is derived from the power of thought. The finer the element, the more powerful it is. The silent power of thought influences people even at a distance, because mind is one as well as many. The universe is a cobweb; minds are spiders.” - Swami Vivekananda, Hindu Indian Monk

If used right, your mind can be a deadly weapon, in which your deadly weapon is put into full force when you LISTEN to it. As easy and simple as the phrase may seem, the process of actually utilizing our mind to its full capability may sometimes be extremely difficult. From making a decision between right or wrong, to even writers block, “The M Experience” is based off  the idea that our mind and creativity is our biggest tool. Now you might ask, why read this blog? What shall I obtain from “The M Experience”? The answer is simple. This blog has one simple message: It is possible to use creativity in all aspects of your life; freeing your mind, entertainment and creating revenue.

Personally, I use writing as my escape. To me, there is no bigger stress reliever than picking up a pen or opening up a Word document and typing for hours….

In my reality, writing changed my whole perspective on life. If you are anything like me and you value alone time then this concept is easy for you. For example if even the thought of being in a room full of people sounds dreadful or exhasuting. If any of this sounds even close to how your mind or heart works, then my answer to you is WRITE.

Personally, anxiety has always something I have struggled with. At some point, I realized I could use my weakness and make it my strength. Instead of letting my emotions overtake my mind, I decided to write my thoughts. All it took was one day of free writing to realize this is what God put me on this earth to do. Stress is the easiest emotion. When life gets hectic our bodies are immune to naturally becoming stressed. When I became stressed, I sat down and just began to write something.

To me, my creativity had no bounds. I would spend hours writing poems, songs, stories or even devotionals. Some of my most detailed and thought out work was done on my worst days. When you channel negative energy or a anxious heart towards a positive measure, you will be astounded at what your mind will come up with.

What about those people who don’t enjoy writing? Well, you’re in luck. Creativity comes in many forms. As adults we tend to be very on the go, whether we are busy between working, attending college, raising a family, or whatever our situation may be, we sometimes forget who we really are. It’s normal to get so wrapped up with planning the future that we forget to live in the present.

When was the last time you actually sat down and either wrote how you were feeling or what was stressing you in a notebook?  Or for the non-writers, using art or music to express yourselves. Using your creativity and mind capacity to simply express how you feel about a situation that is stressing you or something you cannot discuss with anyone is the healthiest drug there is.

 My advice to anyone who is reading The M Experience is to dedicate time for YOU. Sit down and express yourself. Start with maybe finding a song that you really enjoy and listen to it while you open up your journal, and take 20 minutes to write down everything you wanted to say today but bit your tongue. Or maybe write down a goal you would like to accomplish and how you plan on accomplishing it. I promise you that 20 minutes will give you a world of benefit.

As a woman whose fundamental foundation is revolved around creativity and individualism, I am an active believer that our minds have the power to accomplish ANYTHING. Do not get me wrong, I understand that life’s hard, and with life comes many trials and tribulations. Do not fear though. With the help of this blog and a little brain power, you will see that overcoming and achievement are not impossible, but guaranteed. In a world that revolves around money, we often find ourselves in a bind between choosing a job or career that we HAVE to be in and not something we enjoy.

“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bounds. Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.” – Patanjali

          This quote expressed by the noble scholar of the Hindu philosophy, Patanjali, explains that when you enjoy and are passionate about what you do, you will see things in yourself that you otherwise never would have.  Your mind has no limits when it comes to things you are passionate about. For me my 100 percent passion is writing and music. Find what makes you feel passionate. I challenge you to follow these four steps on how to find your passion :

1.      Write down five things that you enjoyed as a child or what may interest you now. Eliminate money out of the equation.

2.      Allow yourself an hour a day for each of these things for a week and pick one or two of these things that stood out.

3.      After the week is over, explore your options and see what kind of careers are avaliable that are related or based on what you chose.  (I understand that this may be easier said then done, but it is NOT IMPOSSIBLE…)

4.      Continue practicing this activity as much as you can and expand your mind.

If you’re interested in finding out more infomation on how to find a career you love, I advise you to read this great article by Christine Zimmermann, one of the authors of the blog “The White Board.” http://blog.startupinstitute.com/2015-10-30-how-to-find-a-career-you-love/

        Throughout this blog, I will continue to guide you into the person you WANT to be, not forced to be. Money comes and goes, but your mind is indefinte.