By Marissa Massare, Arts & Entertainment Editor
Susquehanna’s small press class created the fictional press “Chrysalis Press” that will publish the chapbooks of two winners: junior Jordyn Taylor and senior Sarena Pollock.
Every year the class creates a fictional press and accepts submissions from students for a chance to get their very own chapbook published by the press.
According to their website, Chrysalis Press’s vision focuses on creating prose, poetry and hybrid works to explore the shared experiences of growth, nostalgia and self-discovery.
“We aim to create a space where readers and writers can share stories in which the self emerges, like a butterfly from a chrysalis, newly transformed,” the website stated.
Junior teaching assistant for the small press class, Jason Ferris, said that students in the class came up with ideas for Chrysalis’ name based on what was important to them.
While browsing through submissions, Ferris noted that “we were looking for something that reflected a type of emotional emergence and transformation,” to connect to the concept of a chrysalis.
Taylor discussed how she decided to submit her collection of poetry to Chrysalis Press.
“This semester, I had work I was truly proud of and wanted to submit it to have my voice heard and work shown,” Taylor said. She came up for the theme for her work this summer.
“I decided to write about my disability which I have written about before, but never truly like this. I think I was inspired by my disability by itself and by others in the creative writing program,” Taylor said.
“My friend [Amy] is always an inspiration for my poetry. I was inspired to do something different, and I loved what came out of it,” she added.
Pollock also submitted to Chrysalis based on the press’s vision.
“I felt Chrysalis Press was a great place to submit to because I felt their listed guidelines of self-discovery, growth and nostalgia really connected with my poems and the narrative arc of my collection,” Pollock explained.
Her chapbook “After the Impact” utilizes hybrid works by incorporating childhood photos that she collaged along with her poetry. Adding the photos “deepened the emotional impact of the chapbook’s narrative,” Pollock said.
Like Taylor, who used inspiration from friends and fellow students in the creative writing program, Pollock also took inspiration from 2018 alumna Jessica Ram’s chapbook “Rebuilding the Temple” because her work “dealt with overcoming a personal trauma,” Pollock said.
Pollock’s chapbook relates to the relationship with her father and how she overcame having an absent father figure throughout her childhood, which is where she drew inspiration from Ram’s work.
Besides choosing and publishing the winning chapbooks, the small press class gives great real-life experience to students.
“The whole point of the small press class is to mimic a small press class that you would see in the real world. How much money do we have? How are we going to advertise and market? What is our mission going to look like? All those considerations reflect real life situations,” Ferris said.
For Taylor and Pollock, they’re both grateful that their chapbooks have found a forever home in Chrysalis Press.
Chrysalis Press will host a launch party for both chapbook winners, Taylor and Pollock, on Dec. 4 in the Lore Degenstein Gallery.
