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An anonymous donation towards the development of creative writing at Trinity Western University is providing an opportunity to advance the reputation of the school’s literary journal, [spaces].
The endowment will fund the English department’s new Literary Award in Creative Writing, which will be awarded each year to one student who will take on the role of editor-in-chief of [spaces].

Dr. Holly Faith Nelson, acting chair of the English department, explains that the scholarship will cover the cost for the student to take a directed study linked to their role as editor-in-chief. The goal is to encourage the development of creative writing at TWU and to expand the marketing of [spaces], with hopes to “garner a national and international reputation,” says Nelson.

The department chair will supervise the directed study – ENGL 400: Editorial Internship – which will give the student three semester hours of credit over two semesters. Prof. Lynn Szabo, who will resume the role of department chair when she returns in the fall from a sabbatical, says that the course will cover a wide range of editorial tasks, including leading an editorial team, soliciting, choosing and editing submissions, finding advertisers and marketing.

The editor-in-chief will also work to take [spaces] into the wider literary community. “With the help of the editorial board, the winner of the scholarship will contact suggested writers from the larger circle of Canadian and American writers who would be willing to publish their work in [spaces] and to elevate the profile of this literary magazine,” says Szabo.

Nelson adds that the development of [spaces] offers the TWU community an opportunity to transform culture. “The creative voices can really change how people see the world and reality,” she comments.

The English department is currently looking for students who are passionate and committed to creative writing to apply for the award. Students who have taken university-level creative writing courses (at TWU these include ENGL 207, 208 and 310) can apply by submitting a letter of application, a resume and samples of their creative writing to the English department faculty assistant. Application deadline is March 31, 2009.

This year’s [spaces] editorial board is in the final stages of publishing Volume 3, having sent the journal to the printer last week. Stay tuned for its launch in the coming weeks.

Cassie Barradas, the current editor-in-chief, received over 80 submissions for this year’s journal and was impressed with the overall quality of the work. “Students at Trinity are capable of writing non-cliché poetry,” she says.

Barradas, who is an education major with a concentration in English, says the experience as editor-in-chief taught her about her own strengths and weaknesses as well as how to work better with a group of people, particularly within a leadership role. Her advice for next year’s editor-in-chief: “Set out a game plan early and stick to it.”