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This
issue marks a time of progress in creative writing at Franklin and Marshall
College. We are awaiting a Writers House that is in creation —
the first of its kind — where writers can share their work and
where students will have the opportunity to engage in discussion and
exchange ideas; we have seen the installment of a fiction writing tenure
track position; and last semester, writers like Major Jackson, Susan
Steinberg, and Miranda Fields visited campus to sit in on classes, give
readings, and take part in the second annual Emerging Writers Festival.
Times are changing, and for Franklin and Marshall College and the creative
writers here, the change is good.
This issue of Prolog is the second bi-annual color, glossy, and perfect-bound
copy. For us, that means the quality of the prose, poetry, and artwork
in Prolog will be complemented by the quality of presentation —
for the second time — thanks to the generous contribution of President
Fry, Dean Taber, and Dean Trachte.
But more importantly, it means our initial efforts weren’t for
nothing. Last issue was not a flash in the pan, this issue wants to
say.
The most important word nowadays is “momentum.” I think
I speak for most of our editors when I say that we want for Prolog to
be even more thriving and relevant when we come back to the College
as alumni years from now. This issue proves that the of late success
of Prolog can continue, will continue if treated with interest, compassion,
and excitement.
In the meantime, this issue is a celebration of a lot of what has gone
right. We have been lucky enough to read over two hundred literary submissions
of quality and substance, from original and urgent voices, and then
decide upon twenty, a select few. The Art Selections process consisted
of viewing over one hundred pieces of impressive merit to decide upon
sixteen. We are consistently and considerably awed by the number of
our fellow students who choose to express the intangible and grow through
creative engagement, with discipline and spirit.
This issue, as you have probably noticed, is dedicated to James Hoch,
Visiting Professor. James, the poet in residence who will be leaving
at the end of the academic year, has had a guiding hand in much, if
not most, of our work. Famously generous and passionate both in and
outside of class, James has added color and vibrancy to Franklin and
Marshall College, and he has helped build the creative writing community
from the ground up. He sweated for us. He gave more than we could have
ever expected. And he will be missed.
Sean Welski
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A Note From Our Editor