Students featured on this podcast come from one of three courses offered at Lansing Community College: Creative Writing I, Writer in the Marketplace, and Writing the Novel. In this podcast, students share a presentation of their work developed during the course.
Off the Page: From Ink to Air is where Lansing Community College students share writing they've done for class – fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and scholarly work. Hear the creativity, the craft, and the thinking behind every page.
Lindsay Hyo Lewandowski:
I'm Lindsay Lewandowski. I'm a passionate artist that works in many different means of art, including writing, illustrating and 3D modeling.
I've always been and always will be a creatively driven artist that loves companionship and friends.
As a writer, I've mostly written things based on popular media, which is most commonly known as fanfiction and I also work on some aus, which stands for Alternate Universes. I mostly write fiction and occasionally I'll write about something real that I'm passionate about.
If I'm working on something, though, it's usually something fantasy related. I have a short snippet of something I'm working on that I'm going to read now called Steel and Starlight.
It's not done and I might continue it in the future, but I'll decide later Steel and Starlight My name is Rhea. I'm a female elf of around 200 years of age. I spend my days as a knight at the king's service, training, patrolling and obeying.
Everything I was expected to do was always done. And yet, when night came and I was all alone, I felt hollow.
A dragon lives in the mountains above the kingdom, one of the last of its clan that once ruled the peaks long before the elves built the cities. It haunts our kingdom day and night.
It's a constant reminder that no matter what I did, no matter how sharp my blade was, it was there, looming, waiting. Nothing I had done mattered. Slaying it was the only thing I look forward to, the only thing that feels real.
Maybe if I could, it would finally make me whole. I know it's dangerous and I know I could die. But I can't rest until it's done.
People wonder what the driving force of my determination is, but if I told them the truth, surely they would mock me. I keep to myself and tell them all I want is to be strong enough to defend the people I care about.
But I can tell by the look in their eyes that they know I'm not being completely honest. I have no real family, so perhaps that's the crack in my facade.
But I lost my old sword to a werewolf in the Dark Forest, the kind that even the most skilled hunters avoided. I needed a new one. One day I was running errands through the streets of the Market Quarter beneath the silver bark trees.
I entered the building with a certain swordsmith I knew quite well. Ah, back again for another sharpening. Or perhaps a repair, says the shopkeeper, grinning around his cigar.
Not today, I muttered, my eyes drifting to the weapons on the walls. I can't help but wonder where they all came from and how many he crafted himself. Hmm, the storm man grumbled, his pointed ear twitching.
Something's off with you. Where's that trusty sword you never shut up about? It wasn't salvageable. He leaned over the counter.
Ain't nothing around here that makes steel unsalvageable. What on God's green earth were you fighting? I hesitated. I was in the Dark Forest, fighting a werewolf. What's it to you?
I asked, hoping to intimidate him. Dark Forest? The man glared, causing me to fall back a little. The man burst out laughing. Thought so? I already know how that went. He. He smirked.
But the thing chewed it up like it was made of cheap glass. No wonder there was nothing to save. The man got up and walked past me. What does this mean? I asked. Do you have anything in mind?
His laughter faded as he looked back at me. His expression changed. You're not here to protect anyone, are you? My grip tightens at my side. No, he continued. You're looking to kill.
The words settled heavier than I expected. I couldn't deny it. I knew it was true.
He studied my face for a moment, then he turned away without another word, as if the silence had answered him, walking deeper into the shop. If it's blood, you're after it over his shoulder. You'll need more than a pretty blade.
Melissa Ford Lucken:
This has been Off the Page: From Ink to Air. Thank you for listening. This episode was produced as part of LCC Connect -- the voices, Vibes, and vision of Lansing Community College. Listen to more episodes and explore other shows at LCCconnect.com. Writing's messy, but do it anyway.
