I would like to extend my congratulations to the winners of the 5th annual Ed Versluis memorial contest. We received a ton of submissions, and the competition was fierce, but we at Cognito feel that we have selected the very best fiction and poetry entries.
Our winners are:
Fiction
1st place - D. Chance Garner - Sunday Mornin' Cheerios
2nd place - Jon Oles - Revenant
3rd place - Erick Bengel - Two wrongs
Poetry
1st place - Leslie Painter - Feathers
2nd place - Tyler Cain Lacy - The Rambler, the Gambler
3rd place - Carlyn Blount - big bang beatnik, bang big
I would also like to thank everyone else for submitting their wonderful stories and poems, and please, keep sending them.
Lastly, I want to thank my staff for sticking with me and believing in Cognito. It's been a bumpy ride on occasion, but we've persevered and ended the year with a successful contest.
Good luck to everyone on their finals, enjoy the summer, and we'll see you next year for some more great fiction and poetry.
-Brian Aloisi, Editor.
06.09.08
Welcome back everyone. We have some exciting events and contests taking place this term! Here is a run down of what Cognito is doing:
We are running a "laughable love poems" contest in honor of Valentine's day. The idea is to write the worst, most gag inducing love poem you can. February 11th is the submission deadline. On February 14th we are having a pizza party in the SU, across from raider aid, where we will read all of the poems and socialize.
Also, in March (date to be determined) we will be hosting our annual opening line contest. We ask that you send us your best opening line.
Keep your eyes open for a big update to the site - it's happening, I promise!
-Brian Aloisi, Editor
01.21.08
I would like to thank everyone who participated in this years Jibblies contest. We received a lot of great entries and we will announce the winners within the next few weeks.
We are currently reconstructing the web site, so keep an eye out for the big update!
Also, we've been receiving a lot of open submissions, which is fantastic. Keep writing and sending us your stuff.
-Brian Aloisi, Editor
11.06.07
It's week 2 and time once again for us to announce our annual jibblies contest, which has proven to be so popular in the past. In the spirit of Halloween, send us your most hair raising stories and poetry. The winners in each category will recieve a cash prize, and have their work published on our site. Good luck!
-Brian Aloisi, Editor
10.03.07
With the beginning of the school year only six days aways it's time to get back into the swing of things. Cognito is once again accepting open submissions, so all of you writers out there send us your stuff.
Cognito is always looking for new staff members to join the team. If you're interested please send me an e-mail at Cognito@sou.edu. We'll be stopping by classrooms in the English department the first two weeks of school, so keep an eye out for us.
That's all for now. We'll see you on campus.
-Brian Aloisi, Editor
9.18.07
6.18.07
The end-of-the-year has come. Goodbyes have been said. Graduates have been capped and gowned. But, this academic year marks a bittersweet end for me. After three years at SOU and 7 terms working with Cognito, or SPEWS, I have become distinctly aware of what I am leaving behind. I look forward to starting what life has to hold for me, but I’ll be looking back for awhile, seeing all your faces and hoping you can see my wave.
Before I become too sentimental (maybe it already happened?) let me conclude some of lingering Cognito announcements:
- Heidi Sterling’s “Dory” won the prize for the Short X2 Fiction Contest this spring.
- Narrathon Stories are up for your reading pleasure.
- Also, check out the winners of the Versluis Contest in more detail—it was a year of great submissions.
And, what I’ve been saving for the end of this post—the passing of the torch. Brian Aloisi will be serving as Cognito’s new editor for the 2007-2008 year. He has a vision and an enthusiasm for what Cognito is and can be. I wish him the best of luck and ask that you support him as much as you have me.
So, congratulations to my fellow graduates; a great big thanks to all of our wonderful judges, writers, and readers this year (you’ve helped make Cognito what it is); a special thank you to Jane Picknell for putting up with the the antics of Cognito; and a fond farewell to my staff.
Until next time.
-Shannon Smith, editor
5.5.07
Information for the new Emergent Forms is up on the APB, and a couple new Word Doctors have found their way into the columns section.
-Shannon Smith, editor
5.28.07
The winners of the 4th Annual Ed Versluis Memorial Contest just in:
Poetry
Emily McDade for "Hygroma"
Poetry Honorable Mentions
Ryan Hagen for "Clay Shards"
Andrea Crisp for "Commercially Broken Up"
Trisha Castillo for "movement of gods"
Melanie Hopkins for "I didn't know we were on the air"
Emily McDade for "Zemi"
Fiction
Christopher St. Louis for To Hear the Sound of Waves
Fiction Honorable Mention
Laura A. Easter for La Bella Rosa
Nonfiction
Kim Danielson for Stranded in Paradise
Congratulations to all of you! And many thanks to our judges: Rodney Koeneke, Linh Dinh, Stephanie Young, Steve Reynolds, Diana Versluis, Louis Pierotti, and Mada Morgan. Their time and care with all the entries this year was evident.
Winning entries will be posted in the relatively near future.
-Shannon Smith, editor
5.10.07
For those of you with an enthusiastic curiosity about the status of the 4th Annual Ed Versluis Contest: the submissions are safe in the hands of the judges and the winners will be announced as soon as their final decisions are made (probably between now and early June). Thank you for your continued patience.
-Shannon Smith, editor
5.5.07
Information for the new Emergent Forms is up on the APB, and a couple new Word Doctors have found their way into the columns section.
-Shannon Smith, editor
5.1.07
Welcome to springtime (but not for Hitler). The air is causing allergies, and the seniors are restless. Since most of us are seniors, we figured meh and haven't updated the site in a while. Whoops.
Cognito has been celebrating National Poetry Month this April with a DIY table in the Student Union every Monday from 11am-2pm - with a collaborative poem in the works and more.
We've also opened up our Short X2 Fiction contest again, so write that flash fiction and send it to us by May 19th. Really, you can't go wrong with a 500 word count and no theme (fabulous and semi-fabulous prizes TBA).
And if Spring Fever is priming your procrastination instincts, you can visit our 1st Annual Narrathon taking place May 4-6th. Trust us; this isn't an event to miss: procrastination (from school) and productivity rolled into one. How's that for a universe imploding paradox? Go register...now!
-Kevin Dickinson and Shannon Smith, editors.
3.5.07
The Short X2 Fiction Contest has started anew. It's the laziest contest we run all year, so it should be perfect for writers with warm weather giddiness.
-Kevin Dickinson and Shannon Smith, editors.
3.5.07
Cognito has seen a busy couple of weeks. Here's a recap for any who missed it:
• Valentine's Day happened . . . again. Apparently our petition to have the holiday destroyed by Israeli militants fell on deaf ears. However, the Valentine's Day Massacre (presented by Craig Wright) offered an alternative to flowers, candlelight, and sex.
• The book swap happened in the Stevenson Union, and it was a success. We'll probably have a week dedicated to book swapping next term. If you missed this term's book swap, or the book you swapped for sucked, come and see us in the spring.
• There was a completely useless walkout at SOU. A note to whoever planned that thing: if you're going to schedule a "class" walkout, don't start at lunch time.
• The Ed Versluis Contest is half over, and we've gotten a healthy dose of stories and poems, but like a jonesing meth addict, we want more. You have until March 23 to send us your writing. And we're not going to let you forget it.
• The judges for the Ed Versluis contest have been chosen. We'd tell you who they are, but that's a secret. W can say that, despite our best attempts, Adam West will not be joining us this year.
Well, we’re off to prepare for one of the best damn holidays ever: Saint Patrick’s Day, conveniently accompanying finals stress this term.
-Kevin Dickinson and Shannon Smith, editors.
2.1.07(ish)
How are those resolutions working out for you? Have you been writing like you said you would, or does that umpteenth load of laundry really need a scrubbing? Well, there's still time. The 4th Annual Ed Versluis Memorial Contest is open, and you have until the end of the term to send us your best work. If you don't have anything you deem worthy, start writing and wear a dirty pair of hip-huggers (no one will notice). And don't forget--we always have our open submissions policy.
Also, we received so much support during our fall term Book Swap (co-hosted with the West Wind Review) that we're gearing up for another week all about books and swapping. The event will again be in the Student Union between Feb. 12-16. Start looking through your bookshelves, and get ready for, uh, swapping. It should WILL be fun.
-Kevin Dickinson and Shannon Smith, editors.
1.30.07
Hey, we have the new email address now! It's cognito@sou.edu. Catchy!
1.29.07
New fiction: "Pick Up" by Simon Scott.
1.23.07
Cognito had always tried to be an outlet for a student's excitement for reading and writing. One area in which we have been particularly lacking is creating a sense of community outside of our own school.
We know that writers are fiercely territorial creatures, but that doesn't mean we can't expand our horizons, especially when it's as easy as plopping yourself down in front of a computer and occasionally clicking a link or two.
With this in mind, Cognito will spend the next few weeks completely revamping our links site. This change will include other e-zines, new online writing sources, and blogs (the less evil cousins of myspace.com).
We will also be adding a new section to our APB board on the right entitled "E-zine of the Moment." Here we will feature a random e-zine for a random amount of time. You never know, it may just be the e-zine you've been looking for.
-Kevin Dickinson and Shannon Smith, editors..
P.S. A new Word Doctor has also surfaced.
1.15.07
Welcome to the e-zine formerly known as SPEWS (currently known as Cognito).
Why the new name? We figured it was time for something different around here, and we could think of no better way to kick off the mutations than with a completely random name change (a name change so good, any pop artist wearing mascara and purple tights would die for it).
We hope the new name will give the staff, the students, and the readers a fresh start and a renewed interest by which some really innovative and fun ideas come about.
This term we will be hosting only one contest, but that happens to be the 4th Annual Ed Versluis Memorial Contest. It is the largest contest we host during the year, with a cash prize of one hundred dollars in three categories: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Head over to our submissions page to check out the rules, requirements, and deadline.
We also have two new Word Doctors for the grammatically intrigued.
-Kevin Dickinson and Shannon Smith, editors.
P.S. Our e-mail shall remain spews@sou.edu for now. We are still cutting through the red tape and waiting for our new address.
12.05.06
Well, we've made it to finals week, and now it's panic time for everyone. At least it's almost done.
The book swap was a success! It included many people, good conversation, and a table brimming with books. Special thanks to The Talent House, The Book Exchange, and the English and Writing Department for all of their support. If you missed it, keep checking our site for any future venues.
The SPEWS staff has made their way through the Jibblies and Opening Line Contest submissions. Thanks to everyone who took the time to submit their work. The winners of the contests are as follows:
Jibblies, fiction: Jacob Dougherty with "The Hunger."
Jibblies, poetry: Very Curci with "Hangnail."
Opening Line: Kyndra Laughery with "Someone in my family must have spit on a gypsy."
The winning pieces will be posted shortly (beware: the jibblies are not for the faint of heart).
Our writing challenge has wound down, and the final tallies for the staff are posted. Take a look and see how everyone did. The main point, of course, was to get people writing, and we made a valiant effort. If you have been participating on your own time and have written some things you are proud of, don't forget about our Open Submission policy.
Good luck to all and happy holidays. We'll see you next term with some major surprises.
-Kevin Dickinson and Shannon Smith, editors
P.S. Also, don't forget that we're accepting submissions for the Ed Versluis Memorial Contest till the end of winter term.
11.13.06
This week (13th-16th) between 10 AM and 2 PM, SPEWS and the West Wind Review are holding a Book Swap in the Stevenson Union.
To participate, all you have to do is come on down with a book you no longer read and want to get rid of anyway, and simply pick another book off the table to swap it with.
All leftover books will be divided up between various charitable organizations and sent out. With an old book you can support charity, your local school publications, and your personal library. We hope to see you there.
-Kevin Dickinson and Shannon Smith, editors
P.S. If you would like to donate books, please e-mail us.
Also:
The Odd Women: a review by Katelyn E. Holland.
Little Miss Sunshine: a review by Belle Mahoney.
NaNoWriMo counter page updated.
11.5.06
Breaking News: The SPEWS NaNoWriMo counter page is up!
See who's closing in on 50K!
Join us in the challenge! See below.
11.1.06
Week six, here we are....
So, everyone survived midterms, right? We hope so, because we have a writing-filled month planned for you. November is National Novel Writing Month (a.k.a. NaNoWriMo). NaNoWriMo challenges writers to write a novel in one month.
SPEWS loves the idea! Especially because we hope it will get us writing in new ways. With this in mind, we've modified our challenge to include all creative writing and analytical works (this includes capstones and research papers, but please use discretion; we don't want you counting notetaking toward your total!). We've also devised different tiers to allow writers to participate in the challenge without necessarily succumbing to delusions of grandeur (not that we don't encourage that).
Sparkly Gold Star Tier: 50,000 words. A tier for the most sadistic of writers, those that want the writing to hurt oh-so-good.
Not-quite-pure Silver Star Tier: 25,000 words. A tier for the moderate competitors, those that want to devote themselves to writing but plan on spending time away from their word processor to indulge themselves in video games instead.
Slightly Off-color Bronze Star Tier: 10,000 words. A tier for those so busy that thinking about writing at all seems like an accomplishment.
Wherever you fall in these levels, we welcome you to join us. Our entire staff will be taking the challenge and we will post our current word counts every Monday this month. We'll include the word count they are aiming for.
If you'd like to join, send us:
Your name
Tier you're aiming for
Picture of yourself for the website
(or any picture you want to use as an avatar)
As always, send your info to spews@sou.edu.
Check back with us soon for updates and start writing!
-Kevin Dickinson and Shannon Smith, editors.
P.S. New Word Doc up!
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