Mangrove, Spring 2012

Cover for the 4th issue of Mangrove!

Strange Fiction —

What is story? What makes a story a story? Is it plot, action, conflict, character, narrator, climax, structure, protagonist, antagonist? Ask yourselves what you look for when you read—what you think is absolutely, positively, undoubtedly, irrefutably essential to a story. Got it yet?

The Work of Being a Writer

What is work?  They say writing is a “labor of love,” but it is still very much a labor.  Tell people you’re a writer and you’ll get mixed reactions but many—those who work with their hands, executives, lawyers, pretty much anyone with what they consider to be a “real” job—will cast doubt on the validity of your profession; that is, if you’re even fortunate enough to make a living from writing.  Mangrove caters to undergraduates, many of whom are on the cusp of graduation, so this should be a pertinent issue to our contributors and readers, who must be wondering, “How do I continue to write once I leave college?”

Writer Leopard.. A little meme goes a long way

 

As a writer, do you feel as though no one can empathize with your daily literary struggles? Do you need an outlet to vent about the creative process? No worries-the Writer Leopard can help lighten your mood and fuel those writing juices.

Lather, Rinse, & Repeat

Please just bear with me on this one– why is it that when I am in the shower, I am the most profound thinker of the generation and now that I am asked to articulate just about whatever I want, I come to a blank?

The Miami Lit Scene?

If you’re anything like me, finding a literary community in Miami has been a bit of a dicey enterprise once you’ve finished scouring Barnes & Noble and Books & Books. It can be a bit daunting, since the pervasive images that are associated with Miami tend to focus more on the clubbing and tanning sides of things. But for as big of a party scene that Miami has, it can also have an artsy and literary vibe to appeal to the hipster in all of us. If you’re looking to get your lit on, start by looking right around the corner.

Reflections on a passing visionary ..

I’ve spent the only two decades of my life being one of the users that Steve had in mind when he first envisioned Apple. The products developed by Apple allowed me to vicariously be Steve’s friend. I’m writing this from my iPhone right now; I can’t escape his influence (not that I would want to anyhow). My existence was unbeknownst to him, but the impact he made was not; he knew damn well that he was helping shape the world. Being noted as the most successful company by notable sources, Apple was a part of all our lives.

Good storytelling, saving America

The light at the end of the tunnel is near.

It seems that when we sit down to talk about the detriment of society over the ages, “the media” comes up in conversation more than quite often. We talk about how mass broadcast entertainment tailors to the lowest denominator, burning brain cells around the country with every new reality TV series. And even though times are not necessarily coming to an end for all Jersey Shore-esque programs, the era of passive media consumption surely is.

When Boeing decides to subsidize swine, will Southwest paint its purple over pink?

And what’s your destination if you board a Boar to get there? Does the pot-bellied aircraft soften turbulence?

Doing Work, or how we began our weekend

Hey All-

We’re very excited about the opening of our reading period (September 15-December 15) for the 2011-2012 Print Edition of Mangrove, and we’re currently gearing up to send out some fliers, posters, and letters to Undergraduate programs around the country to help spread the word, start some buzz and what have you. Our AWESOME design staff is plugging away at getting something gorgeous put together, and the rest of us are hopped up on anticipation to start reading some excellent submissions.

In this week’s blog post, I’d like to propose a quick exercise to help get the ball rolling with your writing …