Central College published “Synaptic,” a collection of exemplary Central student work from across academic disciplines during the 2023-24 academic year. This year’s submissions profile interdisciplinary and multimodal work that students create through their coursework. The 44th edition includes a score for a musical composition, to a prop design from the musical theatre production of “Young Frankenstein,” ceramics and short stories.
“This year’s ‘Synaptic’ issue is a testament to Central students’ creativity — and the many, many ways that creativity can be exercised,” says Katherine Nesbit, assistant professor of English. “Our editorial team selected a wide range of submissions — a story about a guilty golfer, a collaborative installation of bird strike decals on the windows of Roe Center and cups rimmed with teeth! The projects featured within the pages highlight the delights found in student work that is crafted not only with care, but also with playfulness and experimentation.”
Sydney Lowe, Class of 2024 communication studies and English major, served as the lead editor of “Synaptic.”
“Being part of ‘Synaptic’ has allowed me to work on editing and design skills while appreciating students’ intellectual and creative work from various academic disciplines,” Lowe says. “It has taught me a lot about Adobe InDesign software and helped me improve my leadership skills. I enjoy working with faculty at Central and the other ‘Synaptic’ student editors.”
Other editors were Amelia Brown, Class of 2025, Fynn Wadsworth, Class of 2025, and Keilah Brewer, Class of 2026. The editors were tasked with the review and selection of items in the publication. According to the editors’ introduction, ‘Synaptic’ is a digital and print publication celebrating the creative and intellectual work of Central students regardless of major or discipline.
Academic advisors were Nesbit, Mat Kelly, professor of art, and guest editor, Stavros Papakonstantinidis, associate professor of communication studies.
Each year, the John Allen Award recognizes a student-written piece that the selection panel considers having superior rhetorical competence, high levels of readability, originality and insight. Jessie Pospisil, Class of 2025, received this honor for her work “Chaos is Not Wished Away.”
The “The Writing Anthology” now known as “Synaptic,” was founded in 1981 by Walter Cannon, professor emeritus of English, as an annual assemblage of remarkable student work that covers a wide array of academic disciplines. The current issue may be viewed at central.edu/writing-anthology/.