Introducing our newest intern...

Hello. My name is Kimberly Thimmig and I am in my final semester at Lakeland College, majoring in religion with minors in writing and history.  I live near Mount Calvary, Wisconsin, with my husband, Gary, where I enjoy working on my perennial gardens, establishing a native prairie on our property, and reading while enjoying a cup of tea.  I have loved writing all my life, and it has spanned my divergent interests--things such as farming, religion, cemeteries, maps, and pondering my love of canning fruits and vegetables.  I have been transcribing my grandmother’s diaries, which begin in 1946; this has fueled an interest in post-war American society and my families’ histories.  

Introducing our new intern...

Hello! My name is Caitlin Bailey and I will be interning with Stoneboat starting this fall. I’ve lived all over Wisconsin and in parts of Minnesota and Kentucky. I began journaling in middle school and have been in love with writing ever since. My intended major had been instrumental music—as I have a soft spot for many art forms—but I decided to hone my writing skills during my freshman year. Now here I am, three years into my writing major at Lakeland College and in love all over again. Not much has changed since middle school. I still journal, devour fiction and graphic novels, and continuously seek to become a better writer. I expect that Stoneboat will provide wonderful and knowledgeable experiences in the months to come.

Is Writer's Block All Bad?

I always used to use the excuse of writer’s block whenever I couldn’t think of something to write that day or if I got stuck writing a piece of prose. (I'm a poet.) But then I thought about what writer’s block really is. It’s just an excuse to not write or avoid writing. A lot of people use random excuses to not write: I have to do laundry. I need to pick my kids up. I have homework to do. I have to eat. In my opinion, true writers write, and those who truly love writing will always find a way to get around writer’s block—they don’t let is defeat them.

Calling to the Muses

"Where do you get the inspiration for your [insert chosen media here]?” is an inquiry often heard in the “question and answer” portion of any typical artistic event. I heard it tonight at a poetry reading on Lakeland College’s campus, where Stephanie Lenox, a poet from Oregon, read from her debut collection, Congress of Strange People, as well as some of her newer, not-yet-published work.

Review of Eric Greinke's For the Living Dead: New & Selected Poems

Zombies vs. Robots

by Mary Kate DeJardin

If I had to wrap up Eric Greinke’s collection of poems, For the Living Dead: New & Selected Poems, in three words, I would say: simple, yet complex.  Greinke uses simple language to show the complex relationship between the natural and the supernatural over four decades of his writing career. He does this throughout the book by writing about everything from zombies and clowns to storms and seasons.

Review: The Biology of Luck by Jacob M. Appel

They Don’t Call it Novel for Nothing
by Katie Amundsen

The Biology of Luck isn’t just the name of Jacob M. Appel's novel, it’s the name of protagonist Larry Bloom’s novel as well, the one he has written from the perspective of the eccentric Starshine Hart, his would-be lover. The tale of Larry, a New York City tour guide, is told alongside Starshine’s (or rather, Larry’s fictional depiction of Starshine’s life) in alternating chapters of this innovative novel. The entire story takes place in a single day, documenting the lives of both Larry and Starshine as they brave the day’s events leading up to their scheduled dinner date.

We ♥ Interns (Part II)

Hello, my name is Mary Kate DeJardin, and I will be interning with Stoneboat this spring. I grew up in the small town of Luxemburg, Wisconsin, and I have been reading and writing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry for the last nine years, although poetry has always been my favorite to write and read. As a child, I filled many books with poems or story ideas that would pop into my head at any place or time. If I didn’t have my notebook with me, a random napkin would happily take its place. As years passed, my passion for writing never ceased. In fact, it grew, which led me to Lakeland College, where I am currently a senior and in the final semester of my writing major. I am very excited to work with Stoneboat and those who share my passion for writing. I look forward to gaining valuable knowledge and bettering myself as a writer. 

We ♥ Interns

Hello, everyone! My name is Katie Amundsen, and I will be interning with Stoneboat for the next several months. I grew up in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, where my interest in all things literary started early in my life. As a kid, I often had my nose buried in a book, and as soon as I could pick up a pen, I knew that I wanted to write in some capacity—I have about twenty childhood journals at home filled with stories, scribblings, and drawings to prove it. As I grew older this passion didn’t change much, leading me to major in both Writing and English at Lakeland College, where I am currently in my third year. I'm incredibly excited to be working alongside the editors of Stoneboat to gain knowledge and experience in a field that interests me while also celebrating the types of artists who have always influenced me to keep creating. 
 

Guest Post by Christine Deitte, our Stoneboat Intern

Christine Deitte is a senior art major at Lakeland College with a graphic design emphasis. She is serving as Stoneboat's intern during the Spring 2013 semester, and she previously held an internship with Lakeland College's Career Development office. Christine chose to intern with Stoneboat to strengthen her writing skills, and she felt that it was a particularly good fit when she learned that the journal publishes creative nonfiction, which is an interest of hers. We've loved having Christine on board as a member of the Stoneboat team and are grateful for all the work she has done in the last few months.