Please note: This article was published Nov. 1, 2016.
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Can you believe that Halloween is already over? I was wearing shorts yesterday…in Virginia. (!) This year has gone by so quickly, but I’m super excited for the leaves to keep changing and for autumn to be in full swing.
Firstly, I wanted to give a little update on what’s been going on in my life this past month—and so much has happened that it’s hard to know where to begin.
Attending the College Media Association’s convention in Atlanta with two of my fellow reporters at my school’s newspaper was an amazing way to start off the month—we got to meet hundreds of other journalism students from all across the United States, some who went to huge schools and some who went to smaller schools like ours. We heard from speakers from media outlets like CNN, The Weather Channel, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, who discussed writing, blogging, reporting, social media, and everything in between. It was an opportunity we couldn’t have been more grateful for.
Once I got home, Ryan and I got to relish in the fact that it’s (technically) fall by enjoying a free trip to King’s Dominion this month—thanks so much to Maggie in social media for our free tickets and Fright Lane passes! We got to skip 2+ hour lines—which made us feel sort of guilty—and we saw all the haunted houses and most of the Skeleton Key sheds. It was a great way to celebrate Halloween.
We also carved some pumpkins (although his turned out much better than mine…), played paintball with a bunch of his coworkers, and celebrated our two-year anniversary!
Now, without any further ado, let’s get on to my favorites from October!
FAVORITE SONG:
I Took A Pill In Ibiza / Youth (Mashup). I don’t even like the songs “I Took A Pill in Ibiza” or “Youth,” but I literally cannot stop singing this acoustic mashup. I’m constantly humming along to it on the way to class, and it gets stuck in my head just about every time I hear it. I can’t help it!
FAVORITE BOOK:
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. What can I say?—My professors pick out awesome books for us to read. I like to call this book a contemporary classic, because while Plath is (of course) a vital piece of the literary canon, it is written with simple, modern language that would be a breeze even for a young adult reader. The deeper meanings, however, make Plath’s only novel (ahem—roman à clef) a critically-acclaimed masterpiece. I don’t want to give it away, because I think it’s important that you really experience what Esther is going through for yourself, but to provide some context: Plath didn’t want this published at first because it resembled too closely her own life. Take with that what you will.
FAVORITE BLOG POST
What is Creative Nonfiction? on Elsie Road. At the convention in Atlanta, there were a couple sessions about creative nonfiction as a career, both in terms of full-length books and even as features in newspapers and magazines, and they really caught my eye. If you have any interest in learning more about this type of writing, be sure to check out this blog post!
What were your favorite products and reads this month? Let me know in the comments!
Shelly Rawlings 