Hello! For our next #wewrite spotlight, meet MCW alumnus Adam Jaschen. As a student pursuing the writing certificate, Adam had the opportunity to serve as editor-in-chief of Ink Lit Mag as well as earthwords: the undergraduate literary review! We caught up with Adam for a brief Q&A; see his answers below!
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When did you graduate/what was your major and certificates?
Class of 2016, BA in English (Creative Writing) & the Certificate in Writing. Maybe I’ll call my certificate a proto-publishing track, as it specialized in print publication and editing, and helped shape the new publishing track that is starting this Fall.
What are you doing now?
Oh gosh, I have more work on my plate than I’ve ever had before, and what’s crazy is that people keep offering to pay me to do it. I recently joined the UI staff as a full time administrator with the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences at The University of Iowa, aiding students in their academic careers and assisting the Associate Dean with her research on classical poetry.
For the last year I’ve been working with Ice Cube Press LLC Midwestern Independent Book Publisher--out of North Liberty, Iowa--as a project editor on the forthcoming nonfiction memoir 'Schoolhouse' by Iowa Writers' Workshop graduate Marc Niesen. Watch for it this October at the Iowa City Book Festival.
A recent stint in freelancing had me writing lyrical manifestos about Tex-Mex food forTaco Bell, from which my mind (and stomach) is still reeling.
And lastly, the book I’ve been working on for the past year, Small Plate: a new anthology, will be available on Amazon in just 3 short weeks. It represents the culmination of my time with the Frank N. Magid Center for Undergraduate Writing, and served as my senior capstone project.
What did you gain the most from pursuing the Certificate?
Where my English major stayed within the boundaries of academia, the Certificate in Writing always pushed me to explore how the ideas behind writing could be applied in the real world. I gained an immense voracity for thought and action that continually drives me to seek independent approaches to art and professionalism. While I was amazed with the mature and thoughtful conversations I found in my classes, the work of my peers in the community—curating galleries, shooting films, recording podcasts, or reading poetry—was always my biggest inspiration. What I found most refreshing about the Writing Certificate was the level of collaboration between faculty and students. With the capstone project, each student is given a mentor, a personal guide to challenge and enrich their work, which often leads to greater quality and accomplishments than students could ever expect. I never anticipated being the editor-in-chief of earthwords: the undergraduate literary review & Ink Lit Mag, but the encouragement and support of the Magid Writing Center staff allowed me to flourish in those positions, and progress even further. It is common to find bright eyed, eager students in any university program, but having instructors that match their students enthusiasm and drive for the future of writing is something unique to University of Iowa's Magid Center for Undergraduate Writing.
What would you like to tell the world about the Magid Center?
Keep an eye on these folks. Like a puppy, a garden, or a tween, if you miss even a second you may turn around to see them overgrown, overflowing, and leading the new movement of art and professionalism. I feel incredibly lucky to have attended the University when I did, and I encourage anyone with an interest in writing, art, or the free pursuit of either of those things to give the Magid Center and the Writing Certificate a try!
