Thirteen years ago, Goshen College student Rosanna Nafziger (now Rosanna Henderson) saw much unsung talent among her peers and decided to do something about it. With her creative mind under the guidance of Ann Hostetler, and English professor at GC, “Red Cents” was born. “There was [no publication at Goshen] that represented the collective work of the whole student body,” Henderson said. “Professor Ann Hostetler [and I] agreed that it would be great to have a place for students’ art and literary work to exist side by side.” Hostetler noted that from the beginning there has been a very deliberate...

By Laura Miller • February 15, 2018 • Features

Jonathan Bontrager-Waite is a first-year at Goshen College studying theater and writing. Last November, he submitted a short play for a chance at the John Cauble Award for Outstanding Short Plays, a national playwriting award given by the the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF). The play he submitted is about two high school boys in show choir that take a field trip to an art museum, who eventually get to know each other better through discussions of art. Bontrager-Waite’s play was one of the two short plays selected as regional finalists out of the 45 that were submitted...

By Cecilia Garcia • February 8, 2018 • Features

Just in time for the 50th anniversary of Goshen College’s pioneering program in international education, the Study-Service Term, Pinchpenny Press is publishing an intercultural guidebook, drawing on the experiences of faculty, staff and students who have participated in SST. A release party for the book, “The Goshen College Guide to Studying and Serving Abroad: Essays on Intercultural Learning,” will be held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 12 in the Koinonia Room of the Church-Chapel. The 18 essays address subjects like learning languages, serving as a form of accompaniment, tracking time, framing stories, giving and receiving resources and money, dealing...

By Record • April 13, 2017 • News

In one semester, Occasional Press has produced an entire book. The literary journal, “Freaky Squirrels: No Answers, Just Stories,” containing essays, memoir pieces and photos from various alumni will be released on Dec. 7, and students can pick up their copies in Java Junction. Pieces range from reflections of general life experiences to the various ways that GC has shaped their lives. Over the course of the semester, the six students in the editing and publishing class, led by Ellah Wakatama Allfrey, visiting professor, have worked on putting this literary journal together. The class functions as the editing team for...

By Jordan Waidelich • December 1, 2016 • Features

On Thursday, Oct. 6, Newcomer 19 was buzzing with excitement and anticipation. No, this was not another Hour After, nor was it a Campus Life dance party. The English department was holding the first Writing the World event—an event that featured four internationally-acclaimed and famed writers: Ellah Wakatama Allfrey, Aminatta Forna, John Freeman, and Aleksander Hemon. The night focused on “reading and writing, writers and readers, and literature around the world,” as Allfrey described it. For the fall semester, Goshen College is hosting visiting professor Allfrey, a prominent figure in England’s literary world. Allfrey graduated from Goshen in 1988, and...

By Maggie Weaver • October 13, 2016 • Features

The Broadside committee, which produces monthly-published creative writing pieces, allows anyone in the Goshen College community the opportunity to have a piece of creative writing published, as well as the opportunity to read them. Broadside includes pieces of poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction or prose. Students, faculty and staff members are all invited to sign up to receive Broadside and/or submit pieces to Maddie Gerig, a third-year serving as the Horsewell Fellow for this school year. In a historical context, a broadside was simply a printed announcement on a single side of a paper and then hung up somewhere in public....

By Jordan Waidelich • October 29, 2015 • Features

This Tuesday, March 31, three more Pinchpenny Press chapbooks were released to the public. One of these was the award-winning Red Cents, the college’s literary arts magazine comprised of short stories, poems, and art, edited by seniors Kate Yoder and Hayley Brooks. The other two were works from Kolton Nay, senior English writing major and TESOL minor; and Hayley Brooks, senior English writing major. Tuesday’s release party was a chance for more student work to be recognized. This is Red Cents’ tenth volume, comprised of selections by students from all disciplines across campus. Students were encouraged to submit works throughout...

By Armarlie Grier • April 2, 2015 • Arts

On Tuesday, Goshen College’s Pinchpenny Press released three student chapbooks at a party held in the Koinonia Room of the Church-Chapel. To a full room, six students read excerpts from the books, and then sold and signed copies for the public. Pinchpenny Press publishes chapbooks for students, faculty and friends of Goshen College. The program began in 1969 and has since produced 188 books. Dominique Chew, a senior English major, wrote a book entitled “The Meaning of Grace,” which features poetry and prose centering around themes of race and her experiences on Study-Service Term in Senegal this past summer. “I...

By Drea Mast • March 19, 2015 • Arts

Not many people can say that they have written a children’s book, but Goshen College’s own Mason Mellinger can. This book, entitled “Shelby,” has been in the works for publication for several years. Mellinger, a junior Communications major with a focus in film studies, moved from Crystal Lake Illinois, to Middlebury, Indiana eight months ago. For a creative writing course in his junior year of high school, Mellinger was required to write a short story that was accessible to both children and adults – an entire family. “I love writing stories,” said Mellinger. “I always made stories of far off...

By Sara Albaba • March 12, 2015 • Arts

Award-winning novelist Reyna Grande spoke about her books, life and immigration at several events on campus this Tuesday and Wednesday. Grande has a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and a master’s of fine arts degree. In addition to being a novelist, she also teaches creative writing at UCLA Extension. Grande travels the country giving lectures at colleges on her novels and memoirs, as well as on the issues of immigration and the struggles she went through to obtain the level of education she has now. Originally from Mexico, Grande entered the country illegally to be with her father in the...

By Briana Schrock • November 6, 2014 • News

“I became curious about the rosy child and blushing girl I used to be. I wanted to see and hear her again, from a loving and unblushing distance, with new eyes and ears.” These are some of the first lines from Shirley Showalter’s newly published memoir, Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World. Showalter, who served as Goshen College’s 14th president, will return to campus this weekend to share her book with a familiar community. “It’s always kind of a mystery how a new audience will respond to my book,” said Showalter. “The question is, how are all of...

By Kate Stoltzfus • October 6, 2013 • Features

Shirley Showalter, former president of Goshen College, is preparing to publish her memoir, “Blush: A Mennonite Girl Meets a Glittering World.” The book is scheduled for release in September. The writing of the memoir unofficially began about 10 years ago. She found encouragement after winning two first place awards and an honorable mention from a writing contest sponsored by a local newspaper in Kalamazoo, Mich. “That led me to think, ‘You know, I could do a whole book,’” Showalter said. She began working on the memoir project in earnest in 2011 when she received the contract from Herald Press, the...

By Annabeth Tucker • April 18, 2013 • Features

Not many people can say they published a book by the time they graduate from college, but four Goshen College seniors will soon be able to. Rikki Entrekin, Abby Hertzler, Mary Roth and Nathan Vader, all senior English writing majors, each have a book coming out through Pinchpenny Press. The press, which publishes chapbooks written by students, faculty or others with connections to the college, is overseen by an editorial board made up of English department professors and students. Once the board approves a book proposal, the board members work with the author on editing and polishing the manuscript. The...

By Lauren Stoltzfus • March 13, 2013 • Features

While the Irene-Ryan acting competition often carries the most hype at the annual American College Theater Festival (ACTF), behind the scenes a wide array of other events are taking place. This year, Nate Vader, a senior, is helping draw attention to one of those events by earning the title of “runner-up” in the Institute for Theater Journalism and Advocacy (ITJA) competition. Vader had always been interested in attending ACTF, so when theater department chair Doug Liechty Caskey informed him about ITJA, he decided that was the excuse he had been waiting for. As an English writing major and theater minor,...

By Vanessa Jones • January 17, 2013 • Arts

Last Saturday the Hoosier State Press Association (HSPA) and the Indiana Collegiate Press Association (ICPA) announced the winners of their 2012 state journalism contests. Bojana Jankova, a Goshen College junior, found herself among them. Jankova placed second in the Feature stories category for her piece, “Undocumented immigrant tells her story on stage,” which was printed in a 2012 spring edition of The Record. Jankova didn't even realize she had been entered into the contest. “I had no idea that I was entered into the competition until Prof. Duane Stoltzfus sent me an e-mail informing me that I was one of the finalists in...

By Jair Hernandez • December 6, 2012 • News