Thy love, O gracious God and Lord,All other loves excelling,Attunes my heart to sweet accord,And passes pow’r of telling;For when Thy wondrous love I see,My heart yields glad submission;I love Thee for Thy love to meIn my poor, lost condition. Yea, Thou hast loved our […]
How fair the Church of Christ shall stand,A beacon light in all the land,When love and faith all hearts inspire,And all unite in one desireTo be a fam’ly and agreeTo live in peace and unity. ‘Tis all in vain that you professThe doctrines of the […]
Now rest beneath night’s shadowThe woodland, field, and meadow,The world in slumber lies;But thou, my heart, awake thee,To pray’r and song betake thee;Let praise to thy Creator rise. O sun, where art thou vanished?Thy golden rays are banishedBy day’s old foe, the night;Farewell, for now […]
Where I’m from is an old little house,Fraying at the seams with waterlogged edges,An enclosed porch with a screen door that falls off, A door that doesn’t lock or unlock, A yard once full of fun things,Now reduced to empty grass. No more rotting swingsets,Broken slides,Reclaimed sandboxes, Dead […]
Rambling oak branches that curiously reach this way and that, like energized neurons trapped in a cerebellum. Distant city lights, which sparkle like the white of an eye against the darkness of a deep, blue sapphire iris. The sound of the train in the early […]
I love my parents, I do—it’s true,But they taught me everything I shouldn’t do.I played Barbies alone, tucked away in my room,While they stared at their phones, lost in the gloom. They expected me to raise my little brother,But why couldn’t that be the job […]
Lord– Countless familial and novel names filled my childhood prayers. Words followed the same pattern, cadence, and tempo as I recited: “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep; If I should die before I wake, I pray […]
What would you be willing to do to get back to your significant other after twenty years of separation? In Epic: The Musical, Odysseus, King of Ithaca, discovers exactly how far he is willing to go to return home to his wife. Epic is based […]
“If Santa isn’t real, what else have you lied to me about? The Easter Bunny? What about the Tooth Fairy?” These were the words that ten-year-old me screamed at my parents in the middle of the meat section of a H-E-B. For clarification, H-E-B is […]
I listened to you sing like a golden canary in the branches of an ancient oak. I watched you dance just like a graceful ballerina who made time stand still. I watched you wither away as the sickness chewed and gnawed stripping away at your […]
I hold my younger self like a thrashing feral animal –In a tight and safe embrace.She’s fighting back hard,Baring her teeth;I’m sure to her,My arms feel like a cage.I’m sure to her,I’m the thing she hides from at night.But her teeth and nails are blunt,And […]
I remember The gull’s cry as he wheels above salty shore, A cloak of mist wrapped round sand and sea, The crunch of sand beneath boots and the clink of mail, driving rain, Long marches under heavy packs and long nights on the cold ground, […]
She wakes to the sun, before it can rise. Bones too tired to stretch, eyes drooping. Hushed kettle hums, dim glowing fire, Teary eyed, dreams still bright just. – For the world, lay at her back. A steady push and unrelenting track, From the mat […]
With steady hands and guarded eyes,She treads beneath the shifting skies.Through storm and sun, through drought and rain,She guards the forest’s breath and vein. For every seed, a promise planted,for every tree, a life she’s mounted.The guardian of the earth’s green flame,A forester, by heart and name.
You remind me of the warm, cozy things in life, The big sweatshirts to sleep in, A cup of coffee with silky creamer, Car seat heaters on a frigid winter day, Sunlight softly kissing leaving mellowness, A warm hug to remind of enduring love. You […]
15,642 things sit in my camera roll. 2,673 videos, 7,365 photos, None of which include you. They go back many years ago to 2016. Two years before meeting you, Three until you died. Years ago there was one picture, A selfie during summer, smiling Watching […]
Every time I look at the sky, rumbling lacrimation starts to coddle my tear ducts. It always used to be like that. Maybe the shade of my eyes is too light. The sun peeks through the window to my soul, or should I say the […]
skating across a snow-laden lake a poem that half-rhymes crystal mist wisps fly and glide behemoth below begins to sigh auroras of snow glitter and glint swirling in the sunlight at the fickle wind’s whims and across the white wasteland, the solidified sea a lake […]
My Dearest Vacuum Cleaner by Faith Wagner My dearest vacuum cleaner,My precious lovely treasure,Please don’t underestimate,The worth you are to me.You’ve seen my battle scars,When blood seeps through my clothes,It flows into the riverAnd know one ever knows.Only you can see them,The sins I have […]
Verbum Dominī Manet in Aeternum by Rose MacPherson The grass will wither and the flowers fade,And each man dies who out of dust was made.Man, by his sin entrapped, will soon decay,And never can he reach eternal day.No man is holy; each deserved his deathBefore […]
Old Houses by Marit Faugstad What memories do long-lived houses hold? Each fallen beam, each dripping, sagging eave Remembers vibrant years long gone, and grieves Upon the rotting boards, the choking vines, the mold. What passing ages did the glass behold? What sounds once filled […]
Autumn Leaves by Greta Faugstad The green leaves of summer must take their final bow,giving up the stage for the vibrant, warm colors of autumn leaves.Spinning and whirling on their delicate toes,the ballerinas of nature tease the frost-bitten ground,which is eager to clothe its barrenness […]
Heavy rain falls against my skin. I can’t feel much else. My cat stares at me through the window curiously. She doesn’t understand. Would she ever understand? It’s been three years since you’ve passed, and I still can’t fathom the fact that you don’t get […]
Could you write me a poem? A short one, please. Of course! Here’s a short poem for you: The sky whispers low, As the soft winds blow, Time drifts like a dream, Through moments unseen. Why do you like to write about dreams so much? […]
Deep darkness encompassed, encroached, and enforced its power upon the landscape and all who dwell there. Engulfing the sidewalk, road, hillsides, and city, the tenebrific night left nothing untouched. It smothered the branching trees and harnessed the endless sky. The condescending darkness weighed down on […]
Crunch… Crunch… Crunch was the only sound I heard as I tramped through the woods. It was a quiet day, but that was okay, it left me time to think. Fall was the best time to go on a hike and this specific hike reminded […]
Always running, always rushing Never enough, never enough Always one thing, always another Always a task, always a reason To be running, to be rushing Always a class, always an assignment Always studying, always working Always wanted, always needed But there’s never enough Never enough […]
mi cuerpo está contaminado como los ríos y los bosques como las guerras y el aire mi cuerpo está contaminado mis brazos están contaminados quiero bañarme hasta todo a que mi piel se enrojezca y tu contaminación no es como la de las serpientes quiero […]
Come Lord Jesus, be our gue- wait, no that’s meal time… Now I lay me down to- is that too childish? Should I be past impersonal memorized prayers? I mean, I feel like everyone just talks now. I should be praying like everyone else… Heyyyy […]
It’s no wonder Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department resonates with a writer like me. For years, faithful Swifties have been acknowledging Taylor Swift as a poet. Lyrics from her two pandemic albums, Folklore and Evermore, captivated not just her usual audience but many sworn-never-to-become-Swifties, […]
I had not stood up for hours. My legs were squished, but I could not have cared less. My head was stuck in a book, and I was splendidly happy. I heard footsteps coming down the hallway, and poked my head out to see who […]
Las fotografias…………………………………………The Photographs Se cuelgan……………………………………………….Hang En las paredes,………………………………………..On the walls, Espectadores……………………………………………Silent Silentes……………………………………………………..Spectators Del teatro…………………………………………………Of the theatre De la vida………………………………………………….Of life. Ellas recuerden………………………………………..They remember El pasado,…………………………………………………The past, Aún cuando……………………………………………..Even when Las personas…………………………………………….The people En las fotografías…………………………………….In the photographs Los han olvidado…………………………………….Have forgotten. Ellas son……………………………………………………They are Las […]
“When you are young they assume you know nothing.” – Taylor Swift I know that 20 isn’t old. I know that most people perceive me as a teenager. I know that I probably won’t be viewed as a real adult until I’m closer to 30. […]
There I was, standing in a plush, grassy field on a scorching afternoon in the summer. Perspiration blanketed every square inch of my body and slowly trickled down my forehead, bringing the sunblock I had spread over my face into my eyes. I squeezed my […]
I had this notion when I was little that adults were boring and uninteresting. They never seemed to have any fun. In fact, they always seemed to take fun away. Bedtime is at 9:00. No splurging in the candy aisle. Shoes must be worn outdoors. […]
Sitting on the carpet, falling asleep on a cream painted windowsill. I was a velvety little girl, with sour candy veins It was naptime, but my eyes were winking, young Crept to the glass and looked at the children Searching for blue eggs, round heads […]
How wonderful a state of consciousness is. An aspect of every living being – the proof of our humanity. Throughout history, it has been a pillar upon which we can strive. Work can only be properly done with proceeding slumber. There could be no change […]
Why is it that artists since the dawn of recorded civilization have constructed their works upon the archetype of the dreamer and the dream? Let us define “dream” not only as an ideal which rules our passions and pleasures—a synonym for “aspiration”—but as an epitome […]
(To Angelique, my Chrysanthemum) When was the last time you used an antiquated term or phrase in casual conversation? Like “quaff” or “woo”—can woo be quaffed or quenched or is it only pitched? And where did the phrase “pitching woo” come from anyway? Just what […]
3AM and the rain was beating a soprano drum beat down on the roof outside my window. The thunder chimed in with the bass, and the lightning with that glitzy, snapping flute, and chaos never sounded so much like rich jazz. So it was the […]
The reason that I wrote this story was originally for one of my classes. It was supposed to be a futuristic retelling of an Edgar Allan Poe story, which I was able to choose; however, it became much more than a quick retelling of one […]
This was a piece I created at the beginning of the year, probably towards the first week of school. It was a shorter process than I’m used to simply because I was so intent on finishing it that I really just worked on it whenever […]
SCRATCH SCRATCH SCRATCH. My friend draws all over her paper and turns towards me. I glance up from my masterpiece of artwork and look at hers. How Cute! A little baby kitty and its mommy kitty! “I love it, Olivia,” I exclaim. “I will show […]
I. Unrootedness We moderns exist in a vacuous vault, floating about without roots in the tenuous, unanchored space of corporate life, entertainment culture, and the Internet. The Western world has succeeded in creating societies that are very efficient and very happy, but cut off from […]
Sigma Tau Delta is an English Honor Society that has members all across the country. Bethany’s chapter, Alpha Rho Tau, which has a somewhat more fortunate acronym than Sigma Tau, is made up of English majors and minors. I have been a member since the […]
One of the manifold joys of a life infused with a love for literature is the rich felicity offered by revisiting a work. One’s first time with a book or a poem is never an experience in the fullest sense of the term. Rather, it […]
Over spring break, I was assigned homework by my uncle. He instructed me to watch Ranking of Kings, a fantasy anime. I obediently followed suit and was immediately hooked due to the disabled representation, three-dimensional characters, art style, and animation that the show had to […]
Your skin peels away as you rush through the icy thicket of the Canadian wilderness; sharp-unnatural howls and screeches of savage animals echo through the somber forest indicating your scheduled demise. Their hunt has begun. The adrenaline courses through your veins but it can only […]
Famed American radio host Larry King once remarked, “sports is the most important of the unimportant things.” Former Pope John Paul II similarly was quoted as saying, “Out of all the unimportant things, football (soccer) is the most important.” Any avid sports fan could substitute […]
Author commentary: This piece originated from a brief reflection that I wrote after a memorable moment I experienced while on vacation in northern Minnesota last summer. Having recently read and discussed Annie Dillard’s Holy the Firm in Modern American Authors, I thought it might be […]
Many of us are familiar with Pinocchio, the story of a troublemaking wooden puppet who wants to be a real boy. There have been numerous adaptations of Carlo Collodi’s 1883 children’s novel, each offering their own twist on the original story. As winter quickly closed […]
Just recently, as in a few days ago, I was catching up with an old friend of mine, Hannah Dosch. For those who are reading this article and have no idea who this person is and wondering why you should care as to who she […]
“Vaguely Historical. Loosely Literary. Stupidly Smart.” This is the tagline for Shipwrecked Comedy, a YouTube-based production company that has been creating sharp, funny, free-to-watch video content for literature lovers everywhere since 2013. Founded by siblings and writing duo Sean and Sinéad Persaud, they, along with […]
I first heard of Meg Day in my Creative Writing class at Bethany. I was instantly hooked not just by her style, but when I heard she was a deaf poet. I am learning American Sign Language this semester at Bethany, and we’ve discussed Deaf […]
12 Americans, 5 Portuguese, 4 Swedes, 3 Italians, 3 Jamaicans, 2 Norwegians, 2 Dutch, a Brazilian, a Spaniard, a Mexican, a Greek, a German, a Brit, and a Canadian all walk out the door. No, this is not the start to a long-winded joke, but […]
Bee and Puppycat is a fantastic animated show. It follows a lovable, quirky cast of characters as they attempt to navigate adulthood as 25+ years old. It’s paced slowly and is relaxing. There are many scenes where the characters are just walking, or are thinking […]
Ideas can be easy enough to conceptualize, but they can be frustratingly isolated from the routines of life as it is actually experienced. We learn in the classroom, in church, through conversations with friends, yet life demands concrete results, and often we are left struggling […]
Have you ever been asked what you like to do in your free time? Did you ever respond with reading and get snarky remarks such as “Oh I never read. I don’t remember the last time I read a book, maybe it was in high […]
Sigma Tau Delta’s Convention was an extraordinary experience! I had the pleasure of traveling to another state to listen to other students’ enlightening facts and opinions on well-known and not-so-well-known literature. Over the course of three educationally enlightening days, those students covered topics on their […]
Memorial Library recently hosted a book club session featuring The Book Thief. After attending and having an interesting conversation about the unique omniscient narrator in this story, I was reminded of a paper I wrote for College Writing I. In this piece, I was supposed […]
About the piece: I wrote this piece for my Reading As Writers Across Media class with Professor Angie Johnson. We had to imitate works from three different poets: Michael Torres, Sandra Cisneros, and Brian Doyle. This particular piece is based off of “A Very Short […]
Mr. Richard Blanco is a former engineer turned poet and has found great success. He received both his undergraduate degree as well as his MFA in creative writing from Florida International University and has gone on to publish five successful collections of poetry including Looking […]
This is the time of year for reflection. The sun-soaked, breeze-cooled April evenings are punctured with carilloning birds and the scent of burgeoning lilacs. These expectant days, teetering on the verge of tulips and triumph, always seemed ideal for meditation on renewal and redemption. The […]
About the piece: I wrote this piece for my Advanced Writing class as a sophomore in college. I really loved the Warriors Cats books as a child, and still love them today, so I chose them as my topic. It was a really challenging piece […]
About the Piece: “Walls” was originally a poem called “A Hill in Vernon,” but I wanted to try and see if I could write it as prose, while still keeping the flow and lyricism. This piece is about my childhood home in Vernon Hills, a […]
Rating 4.75/5 If you’re looking for (and I’m sure you are) an American adventure novel that will keep your wheels turning months after reading it, look no further. Amor Towles becomes a third-time author with this brand new novel The Lincoln Highway. His first two […]
Enjoy this stunning performance of Brahms’s Requiem on YouTube. Rest. Isn’t that something we could all use more of? As college students, how often do we fall into the trap of being harried and stressed to the last degree; forgetting to engage joyfully in our […]
I’ve always hated shots. I mean, honestly, who doesn’t? The raw trepidation of the whole process is absolutely terrifying. It all starts with going into the doctor’s office, with the small gleam of hope that maybe, just maybe, I won’t have to get one this […]
Recently I began watching the hit HBO show Euphoria. The show centers around a teenage girl, Rue (Zendaya), who is addicted to opioids and is surrounded by horrible things like sexual assault, pornography, and toxic masculinity. I can’t say that I was excited to watch […]
Ruth Kennedy is a Junior English major and theater minor. This essay, written for her Advanced Writing class this January 2022, features a reflection on a memory from her first year in college. The image cover of this article was taken by her on that […]
Author commentary: I am a passionate devotee of poetry, but sometimes I feel as if words refuse my sainted efforts to wrest them into lines and meter. For this reason, the concept of a prose poem appealed to me as I attempted to express my […]
It goes without saying that A Christmas Carol is a beloved holiday classic. It’s set on repeat year after year in the form of movies, stage performances, and the like. However, I’ve come to realize that there are obscurities about the novel and author that […]
A year ago, I was going through an identity crisis. I was only a semester and a half away from graduation, and the pressure to have a plan for what comes next was getting to me. More than this simple question, I had to consider […]
On Monday, October 4th I was working in the Writing Center covering a shift for Maida Jaspersen while she attended the annual Red Eye Film Festival for which she collaborated on the creation of a film. Since I was working for her and was therefore […]
Rating: 4.5/5 If you need a book that will make you feel emotional, this is the book for you. Girl in Pieces deals with difficult topics such as depression, self-harm, addiction, and human trafficking. Although the topics are somewhat upsetting and might cause the reader […]
Author’s Commentary: In Spring 2021, I took Reading as Writers Across Media. One exercise we did was imitation writing, where we looked at books we had read throughout the semester and tried to imitate an author’s work. I was drawn to the unique segmented format […]
Inkwell contributors Jenna Wahl and Libby Kassuelke recently had the opportunity to interview the women at work behind the scenes of the fast-approaching Bethany production, The Snow Queen. Emily Kimball and Maren Boucher take a walk through the set and behind the scenes as they […]
“‘Hateful day when I received life!’ I exclaimed in agony. ‘Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust? God, in pity, made man beautiful and alluring, after his own image; but my form is a […]
Between bites of very-late-night tepid ramen, in an attempt to escape my never-ending internal to-do list, I’ve been reading a lot of Mary Oliver’s poetry. Her work is a comfort object akin to warm milk, and I prefer my belly to be full of it. […]
After Inkwell’s Release Party in September, Hannah Dosch was able to catch up with former Managing Editor, Sydney Kappel. 1) How has English shaped your view of the world? I think that English, if anything, is a good exercise in empathy. I think reading works […]
Thursday, September 16th, was truly a night to remember for Sigma Tau Delta. This national honor society is dedicated to students who are passionate about the English language, literature, and writing. We were itching to move beyond our four walls and find our first linguistical […]
Within the span of two weeks (or so), a talented group of Bethany students collaborate to create an original show: Theatre Physics. The short preparation time and experimental nature of the skits set the performance apart from most shows that Bethany’s theatre department puts on. […]
Sandra Oh, Nana Mensah, and Holland Taylor in The Chair. Eliza Morse/Netflix The Chair, Netflix’s new original TV drama-comedy, has been a topic of debate since its recent August release. The show centers around Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim (played by Sandra Oh) the newly established chair of the […]
When was the last time a craft book was on the New York Times Bestseller list? Not sure, apart from George Saunders’ A Swim in a Pond in the Rain (2021). The book takes several classic Russian short stories and considers them from a writer’s […]
This past spring, with sat down with Ezekiel Grabau to talk about his story “Linoleum Tiles,” featured in our spring 2020 issue. 1) Where did you get the inspiration for “Linoleum Tiles?” My inspiration for “Linoleum Tiles” came as always from my personal experience. I […]
This past spring, we sat down with Kaci Schneidawind to talk about her work featured in the spring 2020 issue of Inkwell. 1. Both of your published pieces in Inkwell are creative nonfiction essays. What draws you to writing in this genre? I had never […]
Writer Commentary: In the spring semester of my sophomore year at Bethany, I was in a class called Reading As Writers Across Media, and in this class, we spent time reading various books, one of which was Mary Oliver’s American Primitive and that is where […]
This piece was written about a game Gabe attended in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Naturally we feel rather nostalgic reading it today. *** MINNEAPOLIS–Ra-Ding! Ra-ding! My friend and I scan our tickets to enter Target Field’s right field plaza, security watching closely, greeters […]
In our “Readers Wonder” series, Bethany students sit down with our Inkwell contributors to talk about the writing process and the pieces that appear in our issues. In this installment, Hannah and Tylan talk to Maren Thompson about her piece: “To a Constellation” which was published in […]
In our “Readers Wonder” series, Bethany students sit down with our Inkwell contributors to talk about the writing process and the pieces that appear in our issues. In this installment, Doris talks to Karee Henrich about her piece: “Remember,” which was published in our Spring 2019 issue. Remember After […]
In our “Readers Wonder” series, Bethany students sit down with our Inkwell contributors to talk about the writing process and the pieces that appear in our issues. In this installment, Karena talks to Amber Murry about her piece: “When a Mother Sings” which was published in our Spring 2019 issue. (Scroll to the bottom of this page to read Murry’s poem.) Hello, […]
In our “Readers Wonder” series, Bethany students sit down with our Inkwell contributors to talk about the writing process and the pieces that appear in our issues. In this installment, Brooke and Paige talk to Ezekiel Grabau about his piece: “Ars Poetica with Whiskey or […]
In our #amreading series, we ask people to tell us about something they’ve read lately and what it got them thinking about. In this installment, Abby Reed and Elli Gifferson share. Elli: William Wordsworth’s 1802 poem “My Heart Leaps Up” (https://poets.org/poem/my-heart-leaps) is a Romantic masterpiece […]
I asked Bethany Lutheran College Alum and current Seminarian Patrick Ernst recently to write about how his English degree has benefited his career and his life. –Ellie Mumme On his background: I come from a non-academic family, and the more I studied English language and literature, […]
“You know this isn’t ready.” The words stare back at me from the page, taunting me. This, what was supposed to be my biggest accomplishment, was lying before me, ripped apart line by line. All throughout the margins, written in red, phrases jumped out at […]
I am not a fool who will attempt to explain any of the twists and turns and waltzes of my engagement, which I clearly do not truly understand myself because my relationship, like all other relationships in every person’s lifetime, is unique […]
On the road leading back to my grandma’s house, the July sun beating down on our brows, my cousin and I make our way back from the library, this budding girl with the long, bony limbs and me with a year of college under my […]
This is a question I ask myself sometimes; What is my yield? If you are interested in writing, it is a helpful question. What do I have to say and what do I have to offer? I ask this often when I write, but it […]
Like many other young adults, I still hold on to a great many ideals when I think about the way the world should work, especially when it comes to my chosen field of English and literature. As a student, I am constantly becoming more and […]
On November 7-8, the Minnesota State University’s Good Thunder Reading Series hosted St. Paul-born poet Danez Smith. Smith’s most recent book Don’t Call us Dead earned the United Kingdom’s Forward Poetry Prize for Best Collection and also contended in the United States as a finalist […]
Year: Senior Major: Studio Art Sophia Weisensel has always loved art. What started out small with princess doodles eventually turned into a full-fledged passion. She was influenced by her high school teacher who sparked excitement in her and pushed her to grow. At that time, […]
On December 3rd from 7-9 pm, come to the Viking Village in Old Main to play pool, air hockey, and other games, eat food, and support a wonderful scholarship at Bethany. Live music will feature Daniel and John Halvorson. There will be a raffle with […]
Photo credit: Bethany Lutheran College It is another weekly installment of a Bible study in the observation room of Honsey Hall, titled the South Lantern for its lighting style. During the day, one can gaze out of its two-story tall windows upon a soccer field […]
Almost a month has passed since Bethany Lutheran College put on yet another successful Theatre Physics show. However, this year’s performance was particularly special in that it marked the 25th anniversary of Theatre Physics. Since 1994, the BLC Theatre Department has been entertaining audience members […]
When I first entered the cozy classroom of my Literature Studies course as a freshman in college, I thought I had already mastered the art of reading. I had read about Shakespeare’s love birds and men costumed as women, Dickens’s snowy streets and his bloodied […]
While most people have to find a work-life balance in their lives, Becky DeGarmeaux is free of that problem. In the Ottesen Museum, a small building located by the Bethany Lutheran College Seminary, Becky DeGarmeaux is in her element, surrounded by rich church and synodical […]
When I was a little boy, my babysitter claimed that even when I was three, four years old I loved to just draw and would sit at the kitchen table and draw all the time. I didn’t think I did it more than other kids, but she said […]
The Joy of Stealing Why the hatred of poetry, when its reading and making is like playing a black piano, stealing sugar from the castle, wearing the mask of God. An ancient oriental myth teaches loss of poetry is loss of paradise. Its reading and […]
Proksch’s Pretzels: An Oral History by Hannah Bockoven Professor Nicholas Proksch’s office is underneath the Chapel. He teaches Religion courses at Bethany Lutheran College and often walks to get to campus to get work done, even on Sunday afternoons, and preaches for Chapel. On a […]
Falling Off Angie Johnson Grandpa’s in bed. One leg lies soft across the sheets and three of his toes hang ash-black from his foot like lumps of coal and he dares me to touch one. I am eleven. Grandmother slaps away my outstretched hand and […]
Staff member Zayne Engel sat down with alumn Lydia Lonnquist days before Graduation to find out more about her process and plans as an actress Who inspires you to be an actress? Honestly, no one. I have actors and actresses that I enjoy seeing, […]
No fairytale princess is as memorable as beautiful Snow White. Gail Carson Levine, however, does not portray blood-red lips and pale white skin as beautiful as the tales would let you believe. No, in her novel Fairest, Levine casts her Snow White figure, Maid Aza, […]
All I knew about Nick Kaminsky before I met him was that he was a history professor and author, so I imagined him as an older man with grey hair, glasses, wider build and a low voice, a very stale personality and quite possibly a […]
A black limousine crawled up to the emptying research building. The chauffer unfolded himself from the front seat, adjusted his cap forward on his head, and took his place at the car’s back door to await his passengers. A well-dressed young couple with a map […]
A Love by Alyssa Shields -after Brian Doyle’s “A Sin” Fell in love yesterday, in chapel, at ten. I sang with a boy, whose voice grabbed me by the ears, he surprised me so greatly that I stopped and thought, and when he stopped to […]
___________________________________________________ Olivia Lippert is a junior at Bethany Lutheran College. She is a Theatre and Communication double major (with a Spanish minor) who greatly enjoys taking photos and journaling about life. Her other hobbies include acting, cooking, crafting, traveling, doing fun hairdos, and playing piano. […]
Unlike many students involved in plays and musicals, I began Oklahoma! as a complete theater novice. While others were brimming with excitement to audition for their desired parts, I was content to test out the waters of musical theater. Due to my friends’ enthusiasm for […]
Madelaine Cordes designed this poster in her Digital Painting class. She is a Graphic Design major and a Junior at Bethany Lutheran College. She has a penchant for fun words (i.e. exacerbate), old things (especially clothing), and books. She loves to read (shocker, she knows, what […]
When I was asked by The Well to reflect on my experiences as a published author, the timing of the request was quite interesting. The immediately preceding e-mail letter in my in-box was an editor’s acceptance letter and contract for a two-part article that I […]
Have you created something special and want to share it with the world? Do you want to be a published artist or writer? Here are six great literary magazines for undergraduates to send in submissions, other than the campus Inkwell Magazine, of course. Submitting is […]
Because of the rushed game based on the hit movie, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the popular game company, Atari, developer of Pong, nearly closed its doors for good due to financial loss during the North American Videogame Crash of 1983. Never again to rise to […]
Zayne Engel recently interviewed student Laura Sonnek to find out about her studies at Bethany, as well as her plans for the future as an artist. What got you interested in painting? I always loved drawing growing up as a kid, and my favorite restaurants […]
Against Expectation When I think of a poet, I tend to think of a “hipster.” I think of someone who wears the latest trends of clothing for fashion’s sake. I think of someone who wears a snapback hat with shades and drives an older, beaten-up […]
“What if an entire generation were to reject their central story line?” asks Eula Biss in The Balloonists, a book that is part poetry, part creative essay. Biss draws heavily from her own life in creating this assembly of anecdotes of both her life and […]
Recently, Staff member Zayne Engel sat down with Emily Kjeer, Inkwell’s Programs Editor, to talk about how she got started as a writer and what publishing her own work has been like. Below is their interview. Who/what inspired you to start writing? Actually, it was […]
Lloyd the Deplorable Scene 1 Henrik, a young man in his twenties, walks into the lobby of his apartment building to find AGATHA, who is roughly the same age and is sporting a wedding ring, waiting. AGATHA. Good morning, have you seen your grandmother today? […]
Ariadne When you found me I was burdened and laden With secrets and responsibilities: There was a maze and labyrinth And a monster on my mind. You, a thinker, You dared to surmount this maze, This labyrinth that no man Dared attempt before With any […]
THE 21-DAY WRITING CHALLENGE IS UNDERWAY Participate in Inkwell’s Annual Writing Challenge! The challenge begins Sunday, November 5th. Write 400 Words daily for 21 Days Complete 15 days to be entered in a drawing Complete 21 days to win a free combo meal from Arby’s Drawing […]
Candace Black entered, relishing the opportunity to encourage others to write. She faced a room of eager students at Bethany Lutheran College on a Tuesday night. Wearing a sea blue shirt and dangling necklace, Candace discussed how her life experience has molded her most recent […]
Year: Senior Major: Studio Art Minor: Art History Meet Kirsten Elyea, a young lady who has been vastly interested in drawing ever since she was little. Drawing has always been something that has come naturally to her, and the love of creating her own pieces […]
The soft whisper of shoes on concrete. A whistle of wind, the sounds of my breathing, faster than it should have been. It was dark, but my eyes were adjusted, and I could see like a cat. I could see lights ahead, and hear the […]
Morning is nearing! The sun peeking out over the corn fields light not yet blinding but a picturesque tangerine grapefruit juice spilling onto the dawn. The brisk breeze caressing, its touch brings goosebumps shivers of delight. Its freshness clears the spoiled air yesterday left […]
Joseph Kinstler is best known for his striking imagery and ability to convey an idea quickly. He is an Illustrator/Graphic Artist and Concept Designer currently living in the Midwest. If you want to keep an eye on any of his work, he posts regularly on Instagram […]
It seems like one of the most-often-given critiques of writing is that the reader “just wasn’t there.” It can be hard to give a clear setting. Sometimes, the image is there in your head and just won’t translate into words on a page. Here are […]
Made using Corel Painter. Karee Henrich is a sophomore Graphic Design Major with a minor in Studio Art- emphasizing in Ceramics. For her digital work, Karee often uses Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop as well as Corel Painter. With a love for Jesus, nature, and terrible […]
Made using Photoshop. Cora Mumme is a Studio Art Major with an emphasis in both Graphic Design and Media Studies. She primarily works with Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects, Final Cut and Corel Painter. She spent her spring break in Italy with the art department touring Venice, […]
“Right this way, Mister Braune. Lord Lucifer will see you now.” I looked up from the outdated copy of People magazine I had been perusing to meet the smouldering sockets of the scaley receptionist sitting behind the large, lacquered desk. His weird tongue kept flitting […]
