Three Goshen College English majors have written, published, and as of last night’s Pinchpenny Press gathering, released their work to the public. In a dimly lit and casually elegant Newcomer 19, the release party gave student writers a chance to display the literary efforts that they have been working on since the fall.

Pinchpenny Press, a campus enterprise, seeks to introduce student writers to the publication process through organizing a structured yet realistic simulation of how an author’s idea becomes a producible written work. Headed by a faculty board of students, staff, and community members, Pinchpenny Press normally assists with around five publications a scholastic year.  This year, however, the press has worked with only two. One was written by senior Kellyn Yoder and the second written as a joint effort by seniors Annalisa Harder and Sarah Rich.

Rich and Harder wrote a 60-page collaborative work entitled “An Anomaly of Light” that centers around the lives of two woman who find heroism within themselves and their friendships. The idea first began forming while the two spent time discussing their frustrations with literature’s tendency to focus on dominant male hero figures while on Cambodia Study-Service Term last spring.

“It’s about the power of female friendship,” said Harder.

Rich added, “It’s about women who are independent and recognizing that you need to have a connection with people.”

The “light” suggested in the book’s title serves as a reminder within the book that inspiration can come from many sources, not just the traditional.

Fellow senior and English major Kellyn Yoder was also featured at last night’s release party. Her book, titled “There was Evening and There was Morning,” is a collection of six short stories that follow a theme that Yoder described as “a search for the sacredness of self, of friendship, and of home.”

Though the narratives center around a quest for faith, the stories range in style, genre, cultural elements and belief traditions.  Two stories draw from Yoder’s own experiences, combining her own autobiography with her observations of the world around her.

“I get my inspirations for my stories from many different places – songs, research projects, radio shows, other authors, family history, people watching, or just listening to whoever’s talking to me,” said Yoder.

Yoder, Rich, and Harder’s books will be sold at a booth in the Union from now until the end of the year for $4 each.