Fall 2012
glassworks APPRENTICE
special issue featuring young authors and artists
A PUBLICATION OF ROWAN UNIVERSITY’S MASTER OF ARTS IN WRITING GRADUATE PROGRAM
Author Name
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The staff of Glassworks magazine would like to thank:
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Rowan University’s Master of Arts in Writing Graduate Program
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Glassboro High School
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The Glassworks advisory board: Jeffrey Maxson, Jennifer Courtney,
Drew Kopp, Martin Itzkowitz, Lisa Jaun-Clough
Cover art: “Gentle Giant” by Hannah Appleby-Wineberg Cover Design: Karen Halloway __________________________________________________________ Glassworks is available both digitally and in print. See our website for details: www.RowanGlassworks.org _________________________________________________________ Glassworks accepts poetry, fiction, nonfiction, art, photography, short video/film & audio relevant to literature. See submission guidelines for more information: www.RowanGlassworks.org ________________________________________________________ Glassworks is a publication of Rowan University’s Master of Arts in Writing Graduate Program. Correspondences can be sent to: Glassworks c/o Ron Block 205 Hawthorn Hall Rowan University Glassboro, NJ 08028 E-mail: GlassworksMagazine@gmail.com Copyright © 2012 Glassworks
Glassworks maintains First Serial Rights for publication in our journal and Electronic Rights for reproduction of works in Glassworks and/or Glassworks-affiliated materials. All other rights remain with the artist.
glassworks apprentice
Fall 2012 issue four
Master of Arts in Writing Graduate Program Rowan University
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ron Block MANAGING EDITORS Manda Frederick Lindsay Chudzik fiction Editors Cherita Harrell Myra Schiffmann Caroline Marinaro Christine Johnson Poetry Editors Janine Sturgis Lauren Covaci nonfiction editors Phil Cole Antonia DiBona Kristin Tangel Nahid Ahmed new media editors Karen Holloway Jane Blaus Jason Egner Graphic Designer Karen Holloway
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CONTENTS HANNAH APPLEBY-WINEBERG “Gentle Giant,” Photography........................................................... Cover “My Favorite Color,” Poetry..................................................................... 6 “Peacock,” Photography............................................................................. 7 ANDREW BERNARD “A Portrait of Bernard Tools,” Fiction.................................................... 8 “The Journey of a Season,” Poetry........................................................ 10 NICOLE FANFARILLO “Little Light,” Poetry................................................................................. 11 “Ode: Grandparent’s Grave,” Poetry.................................................... 12 LOGAN GREER, IV “Consolation,” Fiction........................................................................... 13 “Interstellar Space: The Final Frontier,” Nonfiction........................ 14 CHRISTOPHER GRILLO “Break, Break, Break,” Poetry............................................................ 18 CALLAN TWEEDIE “Lightning Over Lake Huron,” Photography.................................. 19 “The Lone Tulip,” Photography......................................................... 20 “Inside the Tulip,” Photography......................................................... 21 “From the Secret Garden,” Photography....................................... 22 “Flower of the Sunset,” Photography.............................................. 23 LOOKING GLASS............................................................................................. 24 Contents
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My Favorite Color I loved grey the day we walked the beach and the ocean thundered. Then in between whispers I noticed a deep purple the color of 3 a.m. For my walls I find myself wanting orange, the leaves that spiraled above between below beside the railroad tracks. Or a particular blue, the sky the day we discovered we differed in our political views but at least agreed on the importance of cookie dough, which was, I thought, a good indication that I should fall in love with you. Red, the color of that dress you loved, was among my favorites. Until I remembered your eyes. Is there a word for what they do? They are mirrors, but the person they reflect is worth your love, your life. And I am not. My favorite color is caught between your lashes. And you still think I am beautiful.
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Hannah Appleby-Wineberg
Peacock
“Peacock” was taken at a zoo in New Hampshire, and it’s my favorite because it’s the most similar to the subjects I would be photographing and writing about if I ever did get to work for National Geographic.
Hannah Appleby-Wineberg
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A Portrait of Bernard Tools Ever since I was young, I’ve always been interested in all the stories my family told me. This story in particular
was one of my favorites and is one I still like to hear. It all started with my grandfather. He has always been a well-rounded person and has been involved in many things. One such thing was carpentry and building. Back before even my father was born, my grandfather was working on a huge project. That project was building a house where he and my grandmother would live. It was a long and strenuous task, not to mention it was a twostory house, but he got it done. He had used a special set of tools for that task. He had received the tools from his father who saw his interest in building as a young child. My grandfather tells me that he would have received them anyway as they had been passed down through the family for quite some time. He did wonder why they were so special, but that was more of an afterthought to him as he was more concerned in living life at that point, as every child would. The more time passed, though the more interested he became. Whenever his family ever traveled, he would bring them with him and keep them close by his side. Eventually, he came to ask his father if he would be able to use the tools to build something. He was cautious, as he didn’t know if they were a sacred item to the family that should never be used, but his father laughed joyously and reassured him that he could have them. Delighted with this news, my grandfather began to build things. The funny thing was he was quite good at it and picked up new techniques very easily. In a matter of two weeks, my grandfather had created a flawless rocking chair. He knew there was something special about the tools but he didn’t know what. They didn’t look like any other tools he had ever seen and his father had no idea where they had originated form. The tools were set aside for a certain time when he entered the Korean War. He didn’t see any battle but he did contribute to the American cause in a great amount. When he returned home, he came upon his tools. As soon as he saw them again, his interest in building and his fascination in their origin were reignited again. This renewed interest led to the constructing of a home for his family, which eventually consisted of my grandmother, two sons and a daughter, my father being the middle child. Eventually, he no longer had time for the tools though, as he needed to focus mainly on his career and supporting his family. One day his sister was talking about her new interest in genealogy. My grandfather was intrigued by this notion and his curiosity about his roots overpowered him. He began researching about his family and began to learn new things about his ancestors. Late one Saturday night, he was looking at information about his greatgreat-great-grandfather Joseph. He learned that Joseph had two brothers, one of which was an inventor who had started his own company. His brother’s business was booming but he suddenly died, so Joseph and his second brother decided to take over the business. Fascinated, my grandfather looked at what the business entailed. My grandfather was astounded to learn that it was a tool business. Shocked at learning this news, my grandfather pulled out his tools. As he studied them he discovered it. The engraved crest, which was a shield with two crossing hammers and a small B, for his ancestor’s business, called “Bernard Tools.” He even found that this set was special in particular, as it was the first set of “Bernard Tools” ever created. He couldn’t believe it; he had discovered the unknown origin of his family’s tools. Excited to share this discovery he rushed upstairs to tell the rest of his family. All were captivated by the story but my father was most of all. He took a great interest in the tools and began to look at them often. Once my father had grown older, my grandfather asked to see him. My father didn’t realize what was about to happen, for he was about to receive one of the greatest gifts he had ever been given.
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Andrew Bernard
My grandfather told him to close his eyes and stick out his hands and my father obeyed. He felt an object placed in his hands and was told to open his eyes on the count of three. When he opened his eyes he realized that my grandfather was giving him the tools as part of a family tradition. My father’s brother was offered to split the tools between the two of them, but he said my dad deserved them and would appreciate them more. Today my grandfather and my uncle still look for more “Bernard Tools” by using the web and have even found a “Bernard Tools” catalog. As for the original tools, they are in a display case in our home waiting to be passed down to the next generation, which could possibly be me.
Andrew Bernard
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The Journey of a Season A Sonnet The brisk and cool begin to settle in, And leaves erupt in new colors, reborn, As clouds pass by in evening skies, we grin, While birds prepare and sing the oaths they’ve sworn. The leaves fall down, as autumn takes full swing, In golden yellow, crimson red, galore, And piles build up, from these freefloating wings, In all shapes and forms, for all to explore. The trees grow bare, as they wither and wilt With destroyed piles thrown across the ground, As children stare, their faces pale with guilt There’s no doubt, winter soon will us surround. And now for sure this tale your hearts’ restore, As Autumn’s majesty will be once more.
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Andrew Bernard
Little Light I held a candle right by my heart Words were being said I could not listen, mesmerized by the flame I watched the flame dance I watched it glow, full of life The wax making a small pool I had to keep it steady for the wax not to spill When it was time to blow it out I did it without thinking that the Little light will be forever gone
Nicole Fanfarillo
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Ode: Grandparent’s Grave Visited every so often Leaves are your only company anymore The red roses show a reflection on your face Your face so smooth and slick Around the sides rough and ridged You’re a reminder, a gift A present that I dare never open Whenever I’m near I make sure to stop To see your cold stone that brings a connection, A connection to the unknown, to the wish I had known
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Nicole Fanfarillo
Consolation Deeper and deeper into the woods I go. No definite or decided destination. Headed wherever my feet take me. In solitude I walk, but I am not alone. The creatures of the earth surround me. Listening to the chirps of birds, & The crunch of leaves beneath my feet. It’s a chance to get away from it all. A chance to think in peace about whatever I please. A chance to enjoy just being me.
Logan Greer, IV
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Interstellar Space: The Final Frontier When looking up at the night sky, one cannot help but
stand in awe at the vastness of space. The observable universe consists of billions of galaxies, each of which is home to billions of stars. The Milky Way galaxy alone is composed of around four-hundred billion stars, yet mankind has only ever been relatively close to one: the Sun. Very little is known about Earth’s neighboring stars. Throughout history, exploration of new locations has always been a key method of discovery, so what could be a better means of discovery than for man to personally travel to these stars and their surrounding solar systems? Travel between stars is known as interstellar travel, a concept tending to be reserved for science fiction novels and films. However, it is now time for mankind to take the first steps toward making it a reality. There are a variety of rationalizations for the importance of achieving interstellar space travel. Despite an abundance of challenges, several theoretical methods have been proposed and seem promising. A 2001 American Institute of Physics (AIP) conference identified a variety of reasons why it is important for mankind to pursue and eventually achieve interstellar travel. Along with other scientists in attendance, Robert H. Frisbee, a propulsion system engineer from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the lead United States center for robotic exploration of the solar system, advocates interstellar projects for many reasons. As Frisbee states, “Interstellar missions provide an ideal ‘pull’ for technological advancements.” In the past, new forms of technology and science were always needed to achieve the next form of space travel. For instance, before man could send a craft into space, rockets and the science of rocket flight needed to be invented. Next, the need for routine access to space inspired the creation of the reusable space shuttle. In addition, says Frisbee, these developments helped create new technology for use out of space, from lightweight materials to heart pump replacements. Man’s future need will be interstellar travel, so it is only natural that new technology will be developed to meet this challenge and provide additional technological advancements. For example, this new technology will enhance man’s ability to undertake solar system missions, voyages within the local solar system, with relative ease. That is, according to Frisbee, technology that will allow a spacecraft to cross interstellar distances will in turn allow
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Logan Greer, IV
Additionally, Frisbee and the others assert that interstellar missions will serve as a means of acquiring increased scientific knowledge and understanding. These missions will provide new scientific opportunities that will help answer questions about the evolution of the solar system and the universe. An interstellar probe, an unmanned robotic spacecraft, could provide information about our solar system’s heliosphere, the bubble of particles surrounding the solar system, and local interstellar medium, the area of space between our solar system and the next. “Direct sampling of the dust, neutral and ionized matter of the interstellar medium, will provide fundamental information on the chemical evolution of matter in the galaxy,” argues Frisbee. Sending a probe to measure the infrared background radiation of the interstellar medium could yield valuable knowledge concerning the formation of the first stars and galaxies. Also, interstellar travel could provide insight as to the possibility of life existing somewhere other than Earth. Lastly, exploration and expansion have always been an important part of history, such as the colonization of the Americas hundreds of years ago or America’s westward expansion of the 1800s. As the Earth’s population continues to rapidly grow, the demand for resources will also grow. A lack of space and resources could result in the need to find a new living space and resources somewhere other than Earth. In a New Scientist article, Anne-Marie Corley affirms that interstellar space is the next great unknown for mankind to explore. In the event that the Earth becomes overpopulated or its resources are depleted, Corley states that interstellar travel could lead to the discovery of another planet for humans to colonize and extract valuable resources. In a time when Earth is no longer the optimum place for humans to live, expanding civilization to a new habitable planet could contribute to the survival of mankind. Marc G. Millis, an aerospace engineer from NASA’s Glenn Research Center, explains that there are many technological and scientific challenges surrounding the idea of interstellar space travel. One of the most evident challenges is that the distances involved in interstellar travel are enormous. Earth’s nearest neighboring star, Proxima Centauri, is 4.2 light years away. The measurement of a light year is the distance that light covers in one year, or
six trillion miles. As a result, the speeds that would be required to traverse the huge distances to other stars in a practical time period are also enormous, Millis confirms. To illustrate, NASA’s Voyager spacecraft left the solar system traveling 37,000 miles per hour several years ago. Even at this high speed, it will still take Voyager 80,000 years to reach Proxima Centauri. Clearly, in order to make the trip to another star in a reasonable amount of time, Millis states that it will be necessary to reach speeds close to, or favorably greater than, the speed of light, approximately 300,000 kilometers per second. However, reaching speeds close to the speed of light is very difficult. In order to increase speed and move faster, an increase in energy is needed. The amount of energy needed to increase an object’s speed increases infinitely as the object’s speed approaches the speed of light. Therefore, it would, says Millis, take an infinite amount of energy to move an object at the speed of light. Unfortunately, Millis explains that current technology does not have the capability to achieve speeds relatively close to the speed of light. Current space technology uses rockets, which require large amounts of propellant. The farther and faster a spacecraft needs to travel the more propellant it needs. Traveling interstellar distances via rockets would require more fuel than it is possible to store on a spacecraft of realistic size. Consequently, new forms of propulsion are needed to achieve interstellar travel, but as Millis states, “Even if we had a nonrocket space drive that could convert energy directly into motion without propellant, it would still require a lot of energy.” The energy required to send a spacecraft of a size similar to a shuttle on a fifty year one-way trip to Proxima Centauri would be seventy quintillion joules of energy. To illustrate the enormity of this amount of energy, ten quintillion joules of energy was the approximate output of human civilization for ten that will allow a spacecraft to cross interstellar distances will in turn allow very quick trips to places within the solar system, such as planets and their moons, adds Frisbee. Additionally, Frisbee and the others assert that interstellar missions will serve as a means of acquiring increased scientific knowledge and understanding. These missions will provide new scientific opportunities that will help answer questions about the evolution of the solar system and the universe. An interstellar probe, an unmanned robotic spacecraft, could provide information about our solar system’s heliosphere, the bubble of particles surrounding the solar system, and local interstellar medium, the area
of space between our solar system and the next. Additionally, Frisbee argues, “Direct sampling of the dust, neutral and ionized matter of the interstellar medium, will provide fundamental information on the chemical evolution of matter in the galaxy.” Sending a probe to measure the infrared background radiation of the interstellar medium could yield valuable knowledge concerning the formation of the first stars and galaxies. Also, interstellar travel could provide insight as to the possibility of life existing somewhere other than Earth. Lastly, exploration and expansion have always been an important part of history, such as the colonization of the Americas hundreds of years ago or America’s westward expansion of the 1800s. As the Earth’s population continues to rapidly grow, the demand for resources will also grow. A lack of space and resources could result in the need to find a new living space and resources somewhere other than Earth. In a New Scientist article, Anne-Marie Corley affirms that interstellar space is the next great unknown for mankind to explore. In the event that the Earth becomes overpopulated or its resources are depleted, Corley states that interstellar travel could lead to the discovery of another planet for humans to colonize and extract valuable resources. In a time when Earth is no longer the optimum place for humans to live, expanding civilization to a new habitable planet could contribute to the survival of mankind. Marc G. Millis, an aerospace engineer from NASA’s Glenn Research Center, explains that there are many technological and scientific challenges surrounding the idea of interstellar space travel. One of the most evident challenges is that the distances involved in interstellar travel are enormous. Earth’s nearest neighboring star, Proxima Centauri, is 4.2 light years away. The measurement of a light year, indicates Millis, is the distance that light covers in one year, or six trillion miles. As a result, the speeds that would be required to traverse the huge distances to other stars in a practical time period are also enormous. To illustrate, NASA’s Voyager spacecraft left the solar system traveling 37,000 miles per hour several years ago. Even at this high speed, it will still take Voyager 80,000 years to reach Proxima Centauri. Clearly, in order to make the trip to another star in a reasonable amount of time, Millis states that it will be necessary to reach speeds close to, or favorably greater than, the speed of light, approximately 300,000 kilometers per second. However, reaching speeds close to the speed of light is very difficult. In order to increase speed and move faster, an increase in energy is needed. The amount of energy needed to increase an object’s speed increases infinitely as the object’s speed ap-
Logan Greer, IV
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proaches the speed of light. Therefore, Millis states, it would take an infinite amount of energy to move an object at the speed of light . Unfortunately, Millis explains, the current technology does not have the capability to achieve speeds relatively close to the speed of light. Current space technology uses rockets, which require large amounts of propellant. The farther and faster a spacecraft needs to travel the more propellant it needs. Traveling interstellar distances via rockets would require more fuel than it is possible to store on a spacecraft of realistic size. Consequently, new forms of propulsion are needed to achieve interstellar travel, but as Millis states, “Even if we had a nonrocket space drive that could convert energy directly into motion without propellant, it would still require a lot of energy.” The energy required to send a spacecraft of a size similar to a shuttle on a fifty year oneway trip to Proxima Centauri would be seventy quintillion joules of energy. To illustrate the enormity of this amount of energy, ten quintillion joules of energy was the approximate output of human civilization for ten days in 2001, Frisbee argues. Clearly, new methods of generating energy are needed to achieve interstellar travel. With such extreme energy demands, the cost of supplying the energy for interstellar missions will certainly be very high. Most likely, an interstellar mission’s funding will require a combination of the resources and funds of multiple nations with a common goal. In addition to the technological challenges of interstellar travel, there are relativistic factors that need to be considered. In a 2003 Sky and Telescope article, Brian Tung explains that, according to Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, traveling at speeds close to the speed of light will cause time dilation and length contraction. Time dilation means that time slows down for moving objects. The faster an object moves, the more time slows down. Time dilation is not noticeable at everyday speeds, but will be observed at speeds that are substantially fractional of the speed of light. The problem presented by time dilation is that passengers returning to Earth after an interstellar mission will return to a world that has undergone a longer period of change than the amount of time they observed while they were gone. For instance, traveling to the center of our Milky Way galaxy at a speed close to the speed of light would take around ten years for those on board the spacecraft. However, the trip would take around 25,000 years from the perspective of an observer on Earth. On this spacecraft, time will appear to proceed as normal from the passengers’ point of view, but instead they will observe a phenomenon known as length contraction. An observer on Earth will see the spacecraft’s length decrease,
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Logan Greer, IV
while those aboard the ship will see the distance of their trip contract. Tung adds, “On Earth, we would explain the discrepancy in terms of time dilation; aboard the spacecraft, it would be in terms of length contraction.” Besides relativistic issues, manned interstellar missions would have additional challenges that probe missions would not. Manned missions would require long-term life support systems to provide oxygen and increased spacecraft size to store supplies and a crew. Also, argues Robert Zubrin, crews would be confined to a small area for years, and may suffer negative psychological effects. It is apparent that manned missions are likely to occur much farther into the future than unmanned missions. The challenges surrounding interstellar travel are surely formidable, but it is only a matter of time before mankind develops the necessary science and technology. Though the actualization of interstellar travel is going to occur decades or centuries from now, several theoretical methods of interstellar travel have been proposed and seem promising. Robert Zubrin, an aerospace engineer and author, believes interstellar travel is possible by using thermonuclear fusion as a power source. Nuclear fusion occurs when hydrogen nuclei are combined to form helium. This process releases ten million times more energy than the strongest chemical reactions per kilogram of fuel. Zubrin asserts that thermonuclear fusion can be used in two different ways to power a spacecraft. One method uses nuclear bombs, while the other uses a fusion reactor. The first method would work by exploding a nuclear bomb behind the spacecraft. The explosion would produce a superheated gas known as plasma that would be repelled away from the spacecraft by a magnetic field, which would push the spacecraft forward. This process would be repeated at a fast rate creating an engine of immense power. The second method, a fusion reactor propulsion system, is a more promising alternative. The reactor would confine a plasma of ultra-hot charged particles within a vacuum chamber via magnetic fields. Inside the reactor, the particles would collide and react, and then the reactor would leak plasma through a magnetic nozzle and direct the exhaust mixture away from the spacecraft pushing it forward. With proper lightweight engineering, a fusion reactor starship could theoretically reach speeds around one tenth the speed of light, allowing it to travel to neighboring stars in about fifty years. Fifty years is a long time to spend in space, but it is less than a human lifetime which is a characteristic of great importance. A group of parent crew members could begin a mission to colonize a nearby solar system, and their
children could then finish the mission as adults, says Zubrin. Gregory Matloff and others present at the 2003 AIP conference remark that another feasible method of interstellar travel is the beamed-energy photon sail proposed by the late American physicist Robert Forward. As Millis states, “When light strikes an object, it pushes on it ever so slightly. Use lots of light over a very large area, and the forces get noticeable.” Forward proposed that shining a ten-million-gigawatt laser onto a thousand kilometer solar sail would provide enough power to send a thousandton spacecraft with a crew to our nearest star in ten years. However, this amount of energy is ten thousand times greater than the power that is currently used on the Earth. Forward later revised his concept to a more practical size, adds Millis. The largest obstacle for laser sailing would be controlling the light beam. Some of the other obstacles, such as constructing large lasers in space, are not beyond our current level of technology. The factor that is most likely to delay solar sailing projects is the high costs involved, argues Gregory Matloff. Another interesting concept is the Alcubierre “warp drive” proposed by Miguel Alcubierre, a Mexican theoretical physicist. Millis explains that the idea behind Alcubierre’s “warp drive” is that even though objects cannot move faster than the speed of light within space-time, it may be possible to make space-time itself move faster. Space-time is the mathematical model that combines space and time into a single continuum. The warp drive would create a moving section of space-time by contracting space-time in front of the spacecraft and expanding it at the rear of the spacecraft. Unfortunately, there are several issues surrounding the warp drive. Negative energy, which may not even exist, is needed to create the space-time warp. Also, a means of controlling the effect would prove to be especially difficult since the warp effect is a separate effect from the spacecraft. However, Millis states that “these theories are too new to have either been discounted or proven viable.” A warp drive would be the optimum means of interstellar travel, but it is also the most difficult and complex. Evidently, the pursuit of interstellar travel is a worthwhile task in that it offers opportunities to develop new technology and acquire new knowledge about our universe. Additionally, there may come a point in time when the colonization of another planet is crucial to the survival of mankind, and the ability to successfully undertake interstellar travel would be imperative. However, there is a
multitude of physical and technological challenges that need to be surmounted in order to achieve interstellar travel. Despite these daunting obstacles, some visionaries have already theorized several methods of crossing interstellar distances. It is obvious that interstellar travel is at least decades if not centuries away, but it is important that mankind begins working toward its actualization today. One can be sure that man will eventually succeed in leaving our solar system, for accomplishing what was once thought to be impossible is something man does best.
Bibliography Anne-Marie Corley, “Where in the Cosmos Will We Explore?” New Scientist. Robert H. Frisbee, et al. “Interstellar Travel—Challenging Propulsion and Power Technologies for the Next 50 Years.” Gregory L. Matloff, et al., “Space Based Energy Beaming Requirements for Interstellar Laser Sailing.” Marc G. Millis, “Warp Drive, When?” Brian Tung, “Relativistic Travel: To the Stars in a Lifetime.” Sky & Telescope. Robert Zubrin,“Fusion Power and Interstellar Travel,” Odyssey.
Logan Greer, IV
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Break, Break, Break K
. looked at his wife. There she was, pretty in her blue dress and painted nails, standing in the doorway. Her watery eyes were glistening in the moonlight, like she was about to shed a tear, but—no, it was just another trick of the night. He took her hand, smooth and white and very cold, and they walked down the street. They arrived at the tall brick building just a few minutes later. The man who let them in was the owner of the place and the host of so many of parties in the past. He was usually in a jolly mood, always smiling and laughing until his face was red, but that night he looked somber. Wordlessly, he put a hand on K.’s shoulder and gently guided him to the group of men in the corner, huddled in a small circle. All of them wore jackets and ties, and their hair neatly combed; when K. joined them he immediately vanished into a sea of lookalikes. His wife couldn’t tell for sure which of them her husband was. She stared at the back of their heads for a moment, then at her feet, and finally stepped back and wandered off, alone. The host closed the door and returned to the circle of men. He didn’t speak at first; he seemed to be struggling with a head full of thoughts, all crashing into each other, breaking apart. Eventually he lifted his head and said, “It’s dreadful. Really, really dreadful.” A pause, and then he continued, “P.—has killed himself. He’s—he’s gone and thrown himself off of a roof, or out of a window, or something like that . . . some high place . . . He’s dead. I just got the news.” And then there was just silence, a collective moment of confusion before the men began to speak again. They all mumbled what they felt was the right thing to say: hollow little words like ‘sorry’ that lost all meaning the first time they were ever spoken. The men felt bad, of course, but what could they really say? It’s times like these when people have the right to shuffle and look at their shoes, to say empty things or not say anything at all. If the feeling isn’t there, pretending is unnecessary; you need only maneuver around it. K. stood up and asked the host where his wife was. He puffed on his cigar and shrugged. She was nowhere in the apartment, so K. walked down the stairs and out of the side door, into the dark, wet alley beside the building. He saw her standing ahead of him; she could not see him. Her shoulders were going up and down, up and down, in some oddly familiar motion . . . he couldn’t quite put his finger on it . . . Someone honked their car horn down the street and she looked towards it, reflexively; there were tears streaming down her face. K. leaned his shoulder against the brick wall. It was slightly moist but he didn’t care. She cried for another five minutes, holding her head in her hands, her shoulders still heaving. Then she started to quiet down, and gradually she became calm; her movements were no longer shaky, but fluid and easy. It was like the music that K. listened to: loud, and then quiet, loud, quiet. The former was for listening, and experiencing; the latter was the best time to talk and relax—now was his chance. K. stepped out of the shadows, put a hand on her shoulder—she jumped—and forced out an, “Ah, there you are!” Her face was red and her eyes so conspicuously puffy, but K. pretended not to notice. They started to walk again, hands clasped together, so close that their shoulders brushed up against one another—but K. couldn’t shake the feeling that they were separated somehow, that an invisible wall had descended from the sky and landed just between them. Yes, something had died that night, but not something human. Whatever it was, whatever it had been, it was long gone now, gone and buried in the ground. K. gripped his wife’s hand harder but only felt cold and lifeless flesh. Once the caged bird has flown, it can never be recaptured.
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Christopher Grillo
Lightning Over Lake Huron
I was in a gazebo in Port Huron, Michigan. We rented a cottage up there and it was right on the beach. I was twelve years old and it took many tries to get the timing right and snap the picture.
Callan Tweedie
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The Lone Tulip
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Callan Tweedie
Inside the Tulip
I came home one day and saw this tulip and I just had to take pictures. There was just one and I don’t remember what season it was but there were no other flowers blooming. The macro setting (which allows you to zoom in really close on objects) is my favorite feature. I could even take a picture of this keyboard! Callan Tweedie
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From the Secret Garden
My house is 110 years old and there are stone plaques on the wall on the side of my house, through an archway and this one has the fleur-de-lis on it. My mom likes to call this part of the house “The Secret Garden.� 22
Callan Tweedie
Flower of the Sunset
I just remember seeing it and was drawn to it because of the bright colors, which reminded me of a sunset.
Callan Tweedie
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The Looking Glass - contributors’ insight into their craft Hannah Appleby-Wineberg When writing a story, usually I see a specific scene. For poetry, I see the whole poem or at least the whole idea before I start. To get past creative blocks, I’ll either go do something else or listen to music. My favorite place to create is in my room by myself, sometimes with music. The music is different depending on the story or poem I am writing. When it comes to photography, I usually just see something, and think, “Wow that would be a really good picture.” If the subject isn’t moving, I will come back later and take a picture of it. If it does move, I will try to recreate it. But I almost always have my camera on me. I’ve always been interested in photography because I’ve admired the people who have an eye for it. I thought it must make the world look really cool, everywhere you look there is something unique. I thought it would be awesome to see the whole world that way. In the future, I plan to go to college to be an English major. I want to try lots of different types of writing. I want to be journalist and do both writing and photography. Eventually, I would love to work for National Geographic. Living in England inspired and taught me. I’ve traveled around my whole life. I attended school in England and toured surrounding countries on the weekends. It’s given me experiences for my work and taught me a lot about different types of people, cultures, and personalities. I’ve learned that not everybody thinks the way I do. If I had the choice, I really don’t know where I’d prefer to live, England is more picturesque, but all my friends are here, so there are pros and cons. A lot of my work comes from school prompts and most of my free time is taken up by homework, but when I have a really good idea I have to write it down. Because I often write for school, I normally write a first draft and that’s the final project. “My Favorite Color” was inspired by my own experience as well as a character I imagined. As I wrote it, I knew exactly what each of the colors looked like, and what they meant to the character. Andrew Bernard As a writer, I don’t have a specific genre, but I do enjoy the freedom in writing, and I like to write about what’s going on in the world. In my writing, I try to create stories or poems that allow the readers to escape from their lives and appreciate my view of certain topics, in the hopes that they’ll see things in a way that they were unable to before they read the piece. When I write, I like to revise while I’m writing. Since I am a perfectionist, I change what I don’t like while drafting a piece. When I’m writing a sentence it has to be perfect before I can move on. This sometimes affects the amount of time that I devote to a piece I’m writing, because I like to finish what I am working on in one sitting. I not only struggle with the fact that I am a perfectionist, but I also dislike the editing process. Once I’ve completed a piece, I don’t like to change it as I find that I’ve become attached to what I’ve written and do not like to edit it once I feel it is complete. Usually topics are given to me in a class, but in the case of my piece “The Journey of a Season,” we were instructed to write a sonnet about any topic of our choice. I chose to write about autumn because I love fall, and I wanted to capture the characteristics of the season that other people may not notice. I wrote this piece hoping to convey how I picture autumn, as well as highlight what I believe is great about this season. Sonnets are restricted to iambic pentameter, so some tricks I used to communicate my idea were playing around with words in different spots to figure out which syllables should be stressed and unstressed. 24
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Andrew Bernard, cont. In the piece “A Portrait of Bernard Tools,” I was assigned to write about a myth for class, and I incorporated pieces of my ancestry into the piece. The tools I reference in the story are actual items in my family history. But I thought elaborating on their origin would make for a good mythical story. For the most part, I write to share my personal beliefs with my audience. I try to incorporate my passions and my spin on certain topics. Writing is not just a tool to develop reading and composition skills, it is an important art form that I feel deserves more appreciation. Nicole Fanarillo I remember reading The Giving Tree when I was very young—I couldn’t even tell you what age. The kindness of the tree, just wanting everyone to be happy no matter what the boy asked for, stood out. Even when she [the tree] was just a stump, she gave the boy a place to sit. This book influenced me more as a person than anything else because I wanted to help others. In terms of my own writing and artwork, my art teacher (Christine Abrams), influences me more than professional art. I would never say I want to be like Vincent VanGogh or Leonardo, you know? Abrams will give an assignment, and I’ll make it my own. For instance, a drawing I did called “Butterflies” was based on an assignment in which my teacher brought in a bike and told us to draw its parts. But I didn’t want to draw a bike. When my grandfather passed I started noticing butterflies more. I was more perceptive of butterflies and decided to use them for my project. Instead of taking part of the bike and drawing it, I took parts of the butterfly. The butterflies reminded me of my pop, so I took more of an emotional attachment to this than with other projects. I spent a half hour on a single square, making sure I approved of the shading. This shows that I do take notice of details often. My “Little Light” piece was inspired by candles we were given at my pop’s funeral. I was mesmerized by the light. I was paying more attention to it than what was going on. I started creating pieces like this in my junior year during a class called Words, Music, and Poetry. This was during a time when I was—I don’t want to say depressed—just low. I took the class because I thought this would help me. It helped a lot. Now I can sit down and just write. That’s how I get my feelings out, by just writing and drawing, rather than talking. In the class, I liked how when we got an assignment you could take it in twenty different directions. If I got stuck I usually wrote whatever comes to my head and then I’ll add more later. I find a quiet place. When we got an assignment in class, I would not be able to sit down and do it with everyone talking. I would be too distracted. My room usually works best for writing. I do a lot of my writing there. I listen to music more when I draw because I feel like I need my brain more for writing than art. I listen to Taylor Swift and I also like Demi Lovato when I’m doing art stuff. In the car I listen to more of what’s in. If I do a Pandora station, it’s always Rascal Flatts. I used to be obsessed with the Jonas Brothers. Nick was my favorite. He did the most and was the cutest, too. I was asked a few years back, “If I could have dinner with anyone, who would it be,” and I said the Jonas Brothers. Now, I’d have dinner with my grandparents whom I have never met, though. We’d have chicken parm at the Olive Garden. I tried to be a vegetarian once and the only thing that made me stop trying to be a vegetarian was chicken parm. I won’t ever touch veal, though, because of the way they treat the animals. Besides writing and chicken parm, I also love playing soccer. I’ve been playing since I was ten. I just recently joined a team that does college showcases. This is the second year in a row we’re in the semi-finals for my high school team, Glassboro. Hopefully, tomorrow we’ll break the curse of being stuck in the semi-finals. We’re playing Pennsville. They’re in second and we’re in third. Since I turned 18, I’m also interested in volunteering at the animal shelter in Clayton. I’m looking forward to working with the dogs the most. Tigers show up a lot in my art because they’re my favorite animal. I can remember sitting in front of the TV, watching Animal Planet. One show, when I was ten, said tigers could Looking Glass
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Nicole Fanarillo, cont. be extinct in about ten years and it broke my heart. Lions are supposed to be the kings of the jungle, but I like tigers better. I used to want to work with them, like the people on Animal Planet, but my mom said, “No way!” Now, I’m thinking about being a vet. If I ever were a professional writer, I would probably use the pen name Lucia. It would be hard to get used to, though—saying my name is Lucia instead of Nicole. I got a chance to do a Confirmation name and I picked Lucia because I like being Italian. I like that I have a Nonna instead of a grandmother. Logan Greer, IV As someone who is interested in hard science, writing is a skill I value, even if it’s not something I turn to automatically. Usually, for me, the impetus to write is external, like when I’m assigned a paper at school. But when I’m faced with the challenge of writing I always want to do my best. For me, the first step is in-depth research because I want to be certain about my facts. When I write, I outline first for clarity and logic. I write at my desk, with earplugs in. I don’t even listen to music. This helps me concentrate, no matter what is going on around me in terms of noise. In terms of editing, first, I look it over, and then I have my mom, who is perfectionistic about grammar and spelling, check it. Then I have my dad, who is an engineer, review for scientific content accuracy. If I get writer’s block, I usually take a break and go eat. I’m a sucker for sweets. As a kid, I passed my time with Star Wars, playing with action figures and light sabers with my friends. Ever since I was two, I wanted to be the first man on Mars, and I always looked at the stars in the sky. Freshman year playing soccer, I was tackled and injured my meniscus. At that point, I realized I couldn’t be an astronaut. I knew that even though I couldn’t go up in the rocket, I could design the rocket. That’s when I decided to become an aerospace engineer. When I think about other writing options, I might try science fiction. If I have the background to know what’s actually feasible, I can include the details that make the story convincing. My dad got me into Michael Crichton at an early age, and I like the fact that the story may be fiction, but the science is at least plausible. Christopher Grillo The first book I fell in love with was Moby Dick by Herman Melville. I read it in sixth grade and that’s when I realized I wanted to be a writer. The language is what I like most about it—the way he describes things. I like the story too—the way it’s this guy going after a whale. That’s not something you hear about a lot. My favorite writer is Thomas Pynchon. I like his language—the way that he writes his narration. His plots are always really interesting; they’re always really bizarre and outrageous. It’s really fun. His books are complex and make you think. I like to write fiction—as far as genres like science fiction and whatnot go, I’m not sure of those specifics. Usually, the characters I write about have good qualities and bad qualities. I try to make people realistic. Nobody decides to be evil; they do what they think they can justify as right. My protagonists aren’t always great people. I feel like all people in life are flawed—the good and the bad. Before I start writing, I try to clearly develop my characters and plotlines. When I first started writing, I didn’t do that. I’d improvise what happened and it was really obvious. Usually, I try to think of a rough outline and the plot and major characters before I start writing. A lot of times I’ll write a plot and a synopsis and flesh the characters out. Once I have a good idea of those things, I’ll start working on my first draft. I write multiple drafts. Usually, I’ll write the first draft in one session and then I’ll go back and try to give myself some time to think about what I did and how to improve it. A lot of times I edit it one paragraph at a time as I’m writing it. I 26
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Christopher Grillo, cont. write because I feel like it’s the best way to express myself. A lot of the time I’ll try to say something spontaneously, I feel like I didn’t say it the best I could. When I write, I feel like I really say what I want to say. I do not keep a diary or a journal. I did at one point in the past, but I’ve given up on it. My day-to-day life is pretty boring—there’s not really much to write about. The important things that I write about daily—the closest thing to a journal—are some concepts or ideas that I want to remember. I don’t usually write because I’m in a certain mood. I do it because I have these bursts of creativity that don’t really relate to any kind of emotion. I’m never really happy or really sad—that’s not what drives me to write. I usually have my best ideas at night when I’m relaxing. Sometimes I try to sit down and think to myself, but a lot of times my best ideas come to me when I’m not trying to think of anything at all. When the ideas are forced, it doesn’t usually come out as well as when they organically come to me. There’s a place where I hope to be in ten years and then there’s a place where I think I’ll be in ten years. I’d like to support myself writing fiction, but it’s really hard to break into that field. So if all goes well, maybe I’d be working as a journalist or have some other job that involves writing. Callan Tweedie I’ve been making art in one way or another, on and off, for my whole life. I’m inspired when I see things online – pictures from artists on Instagram and such—and I always think: “I want to be able to do that!” Whenever I go to the art museum with my parents I come back and get inspired to paint and catch up on my artwork but I never really have the time. My favorite subject matter to draw or photograph is nature. I enjoy doing pencil drawings. I have a sketchbook that I like to sketch in. I like to draw cartoons like Winnie the Pooh or Mickey Mouse. I don’t paint; I much prefer sketching. I would take art in school but I have too many other classes I need to take. I like to draw but I have no imagination so I can’t draw things from my own mind or memory: I have to look at somebody else’s drawing or photo and draw that. I don’t draw as much as I wish but I’m impatient so I get bored quickly of what I’m drawing. As for taking photos: there’s a lot of woods around my house so if my topic is nature it’s easy to find subjects. The camera I have isn’t great but I’m hoping to get a nicer camera in the future so I can take pictures more often. My favorite part of drawing and taking photographs is seeing people’s reactions to it: their feedback, praise, opinions, and thoughts on it. I like the feeling of finishing something and having it done As for hobbies, I like to read but I haven’t had the time to read in a while. I like fiction novels. My favorites books include Harry Potter, The Mortal Instruments, Hunger Games, Divergent, Twilight, Percy Jackson, and Hush Hush. I like them because they’re relatable because they’re about teenagers and they all go through struggles. I love playing tennis. I started playing freshman year because I needed a sport to do in the Fall. I ended up reaching second singles and this year I’m first singles on the team. I try to play a lot of tournaments, I take private lessons, and I got selected for Group One All Stars this year. There were only eight people selected and they’re mostly from big tennis schools so I was really proud when I got selected. I’m hoping to play in college. I’ve been playing flute for seven years. I always wanted to follow my sister, who played clarinet, but as soon as I heard the sound of a flute I wanted to play flute. Also, my sister taught me how to make sounds on the clarinet and so I taught myself clarinet. I’ve played baritone and alto clarinet, too. Now I’m in the marching band and concert band. I’m not sure what I want to do in the future. I don’t want to go to Rowan University because it’s too close to home but I don’t want to go too far. For example, I looked at University of Michigan, which is where my dad went, and I liked it but it’s very expensive. I want to stay on this side of the country. I don’t know what I want Looking Glass
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Callan Tweedie, cont. to study but I know that I want to play sports. I wish I had started a lot of things when I was younger. For example, I wish I started tennis when I was younger because I’d be much better now. When I was little I wanted to be a veterinarian because I wanted to save animals. Then, I stopped wanting to do that when I found out sometimes you had to put animals down. Then, I realized it’s for their own good so I wanted to become a vet again. But now I’m not sure. I thought about pursuing sports but I don’t think I’ll be good enough. I’ve always wanted to be in the Olympics.
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About This Issue The tradition of glassworking and the history of Rowan University are deeply intertwined. South Jersey was a natural location for glass production—the sandy soil provided the perfect medium, while plentiful oak trees fueled the fires. Glassboro, home of Rowan University, was founded as “Glass Works in the Woods” in 1779. Thus, Glassworks magazine is founded on the aesthetic narrative and metaphor of this fascinating industry—the primacy of artistry, a deep pride in individual craftsmanship, and the willingness to explore and test conventional boundaries. So when we decided to create this special community-outreach issue, we extended the metaphor once again and decided to take on “apprentices” for our magazine. Young authors were coupled with our editors and introduced to the workmanship of editing and publishing. Apprentices approached the magazine from both an author’s and editor’s perspective. Authors were guided through cover letters, bios, author contracts, manuscript revision, and submissions. The work they submitted is the work you see in this issue. They, then, had the opportunity to see our editors review and edit their work. They also tried their hand at negotiating our submission manager software, reading through submissions, and casting their own votes. In this way, these apprentices became published authors and magazine editors all at once. It is our hope that these young authors will go on to continue publishing their work, as well as consider the editing and publishing industry as they go on to choose their own craft.
About This Issue
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CONTRIBUTORS: HANNAH APPLEBY-WINEBERG ANDREW BERNARD NICOLE FANFARILLO LOGAN GREER, IV CHRISTOPHER GRILLO CALLAN TWEEDIE
HANNAH APPLEBY-WINEBERG Cover Art
“Gentle Giant” was taken at a vaulting practice, which is a sport I do that combines gymnastics and horseback riding. The youngest member of our team is on our largest horse, Janyck, who is definitely a gentle giant. 30
Author Name