Guilford’s student published literary magazine, The Piper, has unintentionally acted as somewhat of a secret society in recent years.
Hidden in a cozy room in the basement of King Hall, the 20-some staff members meet weekly to discuss their optimistic plans for the future.
Although the student publication is the ultimate product of the organization, the Piper staff aims to encourage creative writing and the arts through out the year.
Activities include organizing Hip-Hop summits, poetry slams, and more currently, the second Annual Art Orgy to be held later this semester.
You might have missed the first Annual Art Orgy.
In fact, you might have missed The Piper altogether.
Piper staff members admit that they have spent a few semesters in the dark.
“I don’t think a lot of people know that we are out there, or what we’re about,” said Piper Editor Honey Smith, a senior.
Staff members are adamant that The Piper will not keep its low-profile long.
“We want to be known by students as a place they can come to for a creative outlet,” Smith said.
To provide such a creative outlet, Piper staff is planning creative writing workshops, opening their King B23 doors to everyone on campus for a quiet, safe place to work, and offering individual help for students with creative writing projects.
“It’s a great alternative to the ASC,” said sophomore staff member Seth van Horn, “COW [Community of Writers] is good if you want your commas checked; we want The Piper to be a place that is specifically focused on the creative writing process.”
In addition to these services, The Piper’s traditional role still stands as a medium for students to publish their work.
“If you want to be published outside of college, it’s extremely helpful to have been published during your undergrad years at your own school. The Piper provides that option, and it’s a great first step in the door,” Smith said.
In the past, The Piper has received submissions from a “very narrow range” of Guilford students – primarily English majors, or “hippies with flowers in their hair,” according to a staff member. The Piper hopes for more diversity in future issues.
“The Piper is about Guilford as a whole,” said first-year staff member Benji Katz.
The publication’s refreshed, optimistic attitude was given a major boost when Senate recently approved expanding their budget.
This will provide more flexibility in the length of their next issue, and more money to organize events for the whole campus.
Students can find out details about such events on the Piper’s new web page (www.guilford.edu/piper), designed by junior Cameron Wilkin.
Here, students can submit their own work, view other students’ work, and check out the latest news and events from The Piper.
With their new web page, new energy, and new budget, Piper staff members’ enthusiasm for the future of their organization is obvious and tangible.
“This will be the semester that will get us back to where we want to be,” said Honey Smith.