February 25, 2019
SVSU-produced literary-arts journal spotlights creative spirits of Bay, Saginaw county residents
The creative spirits behind a Saginaw Valley State University-produced magazine featuring poetry and art from Saginaw and Bay county residents will host a publication party for the public this week.
Still Life, produced by the SVSU’s Writing Center and the SVSU Center for Community Writing, will unveil the second issue during an event scheduled Thursday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. at Counter Culture Arts Collective, 620 Gratiot in Saginaw.
The literary-arts journal features submissions from residents across Bay and Saginaw counties. The publication was created by SVSU’s Writing Center in part to celebrate the writing-focused office’s outreach efforts extended to the neighboring communities in recent years. SVSU’s Writing Center opened the Saginaw Community Writing Center in 2015 and the Bay Community Writing Center in 2017.
“I think there are so many people who have stories to tell, whether they're real or fictionalized,” said Christopher Giroux, an SVSU associate professor of English and the publication's faculty editor. “They are things that are important to them, and Still Life provides that venue for them to share that in a very public setting that they may not have otherwise.”
Along with community submissions, Still Life includes photography selected from submissions by SVSU art students.
The latest issue contains 35 pieces of poetry and prose, two of which were the winning submissions at community-wide contests organized by the SVSU Center for Community Writing. The issue contained the winners of the March 2018 “Write Like Roethke” poetry contest and the summer 2018 “Get to Work” flash fiction contest. Still Life editors also provided cash prizes for the best submissions in several categories.
The release party at Counter Culture will include an open mic poetry jam — open to all — with cash prizes for the winners. The event is free and open to the public.
Copies of Still Life will be available at the publication party as well as the community writing center locations at Butman-Fish Branch Library, 1716 Hancock in Saginaw, as well as Alice and Jack Wirt Public Library, 500 Center in Bay City.
The inaugural issue of Still Life was released in January 2018 and grant-funded by SVSU’s Center for Academic Innovation. Still Life is now funded by Saginaw neurologist and author Debasish Mridha.
The editors of Still Life accept submissions year-round. Information can be found at svsu.edu/writingcenter/contestspublications/.