Tucked in the bottom corner of the Jean and Arthur Schulz Information Center of the Sonoma State University Library, the Writing Center is home to one of SSU's most dynamic student publications.
InkTank!, a tandem effort of the SSU Writing Center and the SSU Writers' Consortium, is an on-campus literary magazine dedicated to giving SSU students a forum to see their work in print.
"Ink Tank! is dedicated to publishing the work of all Sonoma State students, without exception," explains InkTank! Editor in Chief, Dave Rick.
"Our approach is a celebratory one," said Rick. "We do not turn away submissions based on our assessment of their quality, nor do we filter them through any editorial preferences."
Yet this doesn't lower writing standards for submissions. In fact, there is a bit more to InkTank!'s all-inclusive focus on student writing, and truly sets it apart from other on-campus publications.
"Naturally, InkTank! has certain commonalities with other campus publications such as Zaum, but our relationship is a highly complimentary and cooperative one," said Rick. "Zaum is an editorially directed, critical literary review."
"By its very nature, not all submissions can be accepted," said Rick. "This gives it certain particular academic applications, and we, the Writers' Consortium, think very highly of Zaum's role in the SSU writing community. However, ours is focused more on making people comfortable with their writing and with engaging in encouraging, constructive discussion of their work."
Participating students are offered Writing Center feedback on their submissions.
But when feedback is offered, the emphasis is on tempering writing skills and developing a piece of writing with guided assistance.
Instead of tossing a piece of writing at the will of a faceless editor, InkTank! concentrates on workshopping with students, allowing them to become better writers in the process.
Ultimately, the student writer has the final say in publishing their writing in whatever form they prefer.
In this way, InkTank! serves as an open forum for students to grow as writers as they build confidence in their editing, and narrative skills.
"It is our goal to see as much student work in print as possible, particularly from students who have not been published before and who may still be seeking to find a place in the community of SSU writers," explains Rick.
Though InkTank! will filter writing they consider to be inappropriate or offensive, it provides many SSU writers their first chance to have their work published.
InkTank! is produced as a collaborative effort, together with the SSU Writing Center and the SSU Writers' Consortium and is a funded program of the Instructionally Related Activities fund.
For students interested in reading InkTank!, issues are available in the SSU Writing Center.
Be the first to comment on this article!