An artist affects a community the way a scented candle affects a room. The wick is lit, burning with a desire to reach the soft, shiny, unaffected wax surface. The introduction of heat starts to burn and soften. The wax begins to shift, molding around the puddle of liquid. The aroma slowly works up and outward, changing the atmosphere of the room. The flame flickers back and forth as an occasional breathe of air disturbs the process. An artist, like a candle, slowly works its way into the community, shaping and molding as its influence works outwards; leaving its presence on everything it touches.
That is the type of community that I would like to be a part of: where the very air is so completely condensed with the fragrance of art that your head begins to feel heavy from over-stimulation. In a good way.
My hope is that Slash Pine Press, with its large community of artists, can be a flame to the Tuscaloosa community. With each additional artist that is added to the community, the flame will get larger and larger, until we consume the city. In a good way.
Sarah Jennings is a senior at the University of Alabama studying English Literature with a minor in Creative Writing. One of her short stories, “Sporadic Lightning”, was published in the inaugural issue of DewPoint, a student-run literary journal at UA. Her nonfiction story, “On Adventure”, is forthcoming in the newest issue of DewPoint. This is her second semester as an intern for Slash Pine Press. She would enjoy long walks on the beach, but her skin is too fair and she burns easily.
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