The Black & Magenta
Vol. 119, Issue 26 April 20, 2015
Kathryn Kellar, Editor-in-Chief
NC Local church loads up on love
starting a new ministry project to serve New Concord. This project will be titled, “Loads of Love.” The Presbyterian Church sent out surveys asking what assistance the public needed. According to College Drive Presby-
terian Church Reverend Anne Weirich, 35 to 45 percent of the surveys came back claiming that laundry was what people needed help with the most. “We’re glad to provide the food but what more could we do,” said Weirich. She along with 10 other people then had their first meeting about how they could help with laundry. After discussing possibilities of creating a partnership, a member from the meeting contacted E & K Car Wash and Laundromat for this ministry opportunity. The church then made a deal with the owners of E & K Car Wash and Laundromat, Ed and Kelly Jones. During the allotted discount times, the laundry machines will be set up at a discount price, which is a dollar cheaper than the actual price. The event will be in the western end of the building and volunteers of the church will be at the laundromat to direct people to the correct machines. “It’s a way for us to share our spirit and share our hospitality of Christ through doing laundry,” said Weirich.
She said that the Presbyterian Church will have fundraisers to raise money to get this project started, but the “Loads of Love” project isn’t just about doing laundry. “As we grow in love we will also grow in our understanding of one another,” said Weirich. “Hopefully it will build some new bridges. It will lead us to even more exciting things than doing laundry together.” Weirich said that before the project starts, College Drive Presbyterian Church will have people sign up for “Loads of Love” and then the discount times will start between early and midMay. “I’m just thrilled that we have been able to figure out another way to be helpful just by asking and I hope that creates a pathway to helping to eliminate all forms of poverty and need,” said Weirich. The Presbyterian Church will sign people up for the discount laundry time, which will be the first four Wednesdays of every month from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
She got an invitation in August to give a 15 minute speech in a panel called, “A Tribute to Jay Meek.” Varley was honored to speak at the conference, but was also nervous. “Because as much as I care, and as much as I love being a part of the creative writing community,” said Varley. “This is a conference with an enormous number of people, and that makes me nervous. And the scope of the conference is so large.” This panel was held in honor of Jay Meek, who was a well-known American poet and died in 2007. He instructed Varley in the pursuit of her Ph.D. dissertation in poetry. “It was very hard for me to figure out what I’m going to say, because I feel very emotional about it, and I miss him,” said Varley. “Different than in the classroom when you’re giving a
lesson, this is a way of honoring a person that means a lot to me.” Varley shared that Meek played a significant role in the history of poetry and that his poems are worth reading even if he is gone now. “He was often observing the world, and thinking about how you can feel like a stranger when you are in the world, but you can also feel like a stranger when you are at home,” said Varley. “Sometimes you can feel that you belong in a place you’ve never been before, you can feel at home in a strange place. And I love that two-sided idea.” Apart from the panel, Varley also attended other presentations that she was interested in. “My philosophy is always about learning,” said Varley. “The more I learn, the better writer I’m going to be,
and a better teacher I’m going to be. This is a chance for me to keep thinking poetry as an art form, and how I’m going to make poems, [and] teach poems effectively.” Varley said the conference promotes creative writing at an ambitious level. “It helps writer stay in contact with each other, and keeps the art form alive, keeps it moving forward, keeps us hearing the best stories and poems that are being written and told all over the country,” said Varley. The conference also serves as a window to connect writers all over the country to each other. In addition to attending the conference, Varley also read poetry in a coffee shop with her younger brother, and gave a book signing for her three books in AWP’s Book Fair, which was running at the same time to the conference.
Karysa Kent/Black & Magenta E & K Car Wash and Laundromat will be teaming up with College Drive Presbyterian Church for “Loads of Love” in New Concord. Karysa Kent Orbit Media Reporter The College Drive Presbyterian Church has been serving the community with the Food Pantry for over 10 years. They are in the planning stages of
Professor gives presentation at AWP Conference Jie Yu Orbit Media Reporter During the 2015 conference of the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) in Minneapolis, on April 11, Chair of the English Department Jane Varley gave a presentation. The AWP Conference is the largest literary conference and is held in multiple conferences in North America yearly. This year, more than 12,000 people attended the conference including 2,000 presenters. The event hosted 550 different scheduled events over the four-day event from April 8 to 11, such as readings, panels and craft lectures. As a member of AWP, Varley has been to the conference 23 times. This is the fifth time she gave a presentation. In May 2014 Varley was asked to be on the proposal for this presentation.
T H E B L A C K & M A G E N TA
Phi Kappa Phi
First United Methodist Church
Muskie Softball
Top percent of classes inducted into national academic honorary.
Local church’s homeless shelter continues to make a difference.
Muskies’ winning streak propels them up the OAC standings.
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