by LaDonna Friesen
I was reading through the spring edition of Missouri Humanities magazine, and was surprised and delighted at the name of a recent English graduate, Joy Myers. Her article “Music of the Mountains” is about the cultural identity of Ozark Mountain Music. She describes its heritage in Scottish and Irish music, quotes an instrumentalist about “old time fiddling,” and reminds us “The soul of Ozark music is in the people who make it.” This finely-written article wonderfully integrates Joy’s studies in writing and music at Evangel. Her bio for the article acknowledges other magazine publications, such as in Creation Illustrated and Palisades Review. Since Joy so humbly carries on her writing life, I was not fully aware of all the publications where her work now lives!
As a student, Joy prepared for a career through three writing internships with Safe and Sober nonprofit, First and Calvery Presbyterian Scholars, and the Springfield Art Museum. She also self-published A Year of Grief, a collection of poems that journey through the stages of loss.
Joy is now using her editing and writing skills full-time as editor and writer of social media for Assemblies of God World Missions.
Every time one of my students publishes, I feel the dream with these writers, and I am so proud of how they offer such meaning through words. Last semester, senior English major Lauren Flynn published articles in 417 Magazine. For her internship, she interviewed locals like Charlotte McCoy at the History Museum on the Square about incorporating NaviLens to make the museum’s learning experiences more inclusive. She wrote about the C.A.R.E. Animal Rescue Center and a family’s porch turned paradise.
Student’s publications can range from Ozark music to pragmatic for nonprofits, like Bekah Snell’s pamphlet on the sustainability of raising chickens for Convoy of Hope’s Center for Agriculture and Food Security. What matters is they are writing with a strong sense of purpose.
| Writing Internship Sites so far for Evangel English majors, and we hope to add more! | 417 Magazine |
| Assemblies of God National Office | |
| Assemblies of God World Missions | |
| Convoy of Hope nonprofit | |
| First and Calvery Scholars in Fine Arts | |
| Life Publishers | |
| Safe and Sober nonprofit | |
| Springfield Art Museum |
Students who write creatively are also encouraged to submit their work to Epiphany, Evangel’s fine arts magazine, which has been part of Evangel for over 30 years. The name comes from the Greek epiphaneia, “appearance” or “revelation”—in its sacred meaning the revelation of Christ in the world.
The magazine is student-driven with editors for short fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and visual art. The Co-Editors-in-Chief for the spring edition, Samuel Atherton and Laurel Flynn, worked with a design and editing team to create a fine publication, representing visual art and creative writing from students in any academic discipline. It even includes a poem by President Rakes!
Here are a few pages from the magazine.
Students interested in novel writing took a class with alumnus Isaiah Campbell, who published three novels with Simon and Schuster. His recent experience with literary agents, editors, marketing, and the process of writing a novel was inspiring for students who want to publish novels themselves, and I believe they will!
I am heartened by students writing and publishing at Evangel, and I do a happy dance when I receive an email from alumni who have published a work. We are still making meaningful stories as professionals and creative writers.
LaDonna Friesen
Associate Professor of English