With the fall 2023 semester behind us and the spring 2024 semester before us, students gathered at Drinklings coffee shop on Wednesday evening to enjoy a free coffee and hear their fellow students’ contributions to the completed fall 2023, 62nd edition of The Asbury Review titled “Undergrowth.”
Shortly after 7 p.m., the small coffee shop quickly began to feel even smaller as dozens of students, both those who had contributed their works and those listening to their fellow students, took up every corner of Drinklings, mingling with other students and faculty and excitedly flipping through their fresh copies of The Review. Once everyone had become situated, contributors took turns to read aloud their final publications.
People found spaces on the floor and in doorways to hear the presentations and inspirations behind each contributor’s work. As each contributor found his or her way past the students huddled on the floor, and sat to read the piece aloud, fellow students called out the pages of the poem, short story, prose, artwork, or photograph, sharing in the excitement of the contributor.
Emelia Conley, a first-time contributor for The Review, stated the importance of the Launch Party for those who have worked hard to have their creative expressions published. “Hearing them read their poetry or prose and hearing it in their voice is so different from reading it off the page; it helps us to understand the pieces better.”
Emily Ellis, Editor-in-Chief and contributor for The Review, expressed a similar sentiment stating, “In The Review, you can see who wrote what, but at the Launch Party, you get to feel the character behind them and what they wrote or created and see how they express themselves with their writing with what they’re wearing and how they say everything. It is a great way for all of us to get together and be able to celebrate the artists and writers that are involved.”
Sabina Boyer, another first-time contributor for The Review, stated, “I wasn’t sure that I wanted to come originally when I was invited but being here, I think that it was one of the most special nights since I came to Asbury in the fall. It’s incredibly encouraging not only to share your work but to get to be there for other people’s work, and it makes it feel like there is an incredible community where your voice matters and your voice is heard.”
“Undergrowth”, the 62nd edition of The Review, is an accumulation of several months of students’ hard work and planning. As Conley shared, “An experience happens in my life, and I’m like I need to write about this, but getting it to be a finished experience that is written can take a lot of work; getting it to be a finished work can be anywhere from a week to a month.”
Getting to this finished product is not the result of a writer huddled alone in a room, it’s a process that includes the support and help of others. As Dr. Erin Penner, the Faculty-Advisor for The Review, explained, “We often think of writing as going away and you scribble and you’re miserable, but no, it’s supposed to be fun, you’re supposed to work with other people, it breaks down dumb stereotypes of what writing is like and what publishing is about.”
“Undergrowth” compiled students’ past experiences, a cleaning job on campus, revelations about change and growth, death, dreams, grief, and study abroad experiences in countries such as Japan and Paraguay. A unique collection of stories and expressions of creativity that present the realities of Asbury college students written during a specific time of their lives, ingrained in writing for contributors to look back on and others to get inspiration from.
Reflecting on the fall 2023 edition and hopes for the spring 2024 edition of The Review, Ellis stated, “This semester my goal was to get more people involved in The Review, and up the number of contributors that we had, this semester we had 39 total contributors which is super cool. I would like to have more next semester; I just love seeing more people getting involved and being included.”Anyone with an interest in expressing their creative work can forward their submissions to Asburyreview@asbury.edu and view the submission guidelines on The Asbury Review Instagram page. Submissions for the spring 2024 edition are open until February 10.