Keeping 13th Floor Close to Home

Over the course of the past few months there’s been a lot of discussion on how the magazine will operate in the future.

What does this mean exactly?

Well, although we have been overjoyed with the interaction and participation from the community, 13th Floor will no longer be accepting outside submissions. As UNO’s official literary magazine, it has been decided that future publications will focus on the works of current students and alumni.

This also means that submission and staff application processes will alter due to the discontinuation of the summer edition. Updates on how to apply for the future team will be available on our website soon.

We hope that you’ll continue to support our publication, as it is the love and care we receive that makes this all worth it.

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New Year, New Edition!

That’s right, folks, it’s finally here! Our 2017 Spring Edition is ripe and ready for your reading pleasure!

Head over to our issues page to get your hands on a print copy or to download the Ebook and start your year off right.

All proceeds go toward printing future issues as we are a non-profit student run and self funded organization, and as always we love and appreciate your continued support.

Omaha Artist Series: Kristopher Rosa

Art is a powerful thing. It is a way to tell stories without words and interpretation is always welcome. It takes time to create, much like change.

Kristopher Rosa invites this type of thinking into his work. From a very young age Rosa developed an interest in animals while trying to develop his artistic style, “When I was about five  years old living in California, my cousin Cole and I would always draw sharks and sea creatures. He got me into art. In 2009, I decided to go to college for art and graphic design, I took figure drawing and painting classes for two semesters. That kind of got me in the groove.”

Rosa has transformed both of these passions into a platform to create a message of preservation.

“In recent years I’ve been hearing about animal abuse. Animals near extinction, global warming, everything that is effecting the bees, frogs, everything! My personal belief is that animals aren’t just animals. They are creatures of the same earth.”

Using both images of strength, majesty, and mindfulness Rosa hopes to become involved with organizations that can donate and raise awareness for broader audiences.

To see more of Kristopher Rosa’s work  you can find him on Instagram and his website.

Don’t forget to check out our Rosa favorites in our gallery!

 

NaNoWriMo or Nah?

Believe us when we say we’re kicking ourselves for not talking about Inktober (please tag us in your favorite Inktober posts on Instagram or Twitter: @13thfloormag, we’d love to see them!) October proved too hectic, but we’re not going to miss out on NaNoWriMo!

For those who aren’t acquainted with the snazzy acronym, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month where writers from every corner of the creative space attempt to write a 50,000 word novel between the first and last day of November. Some people stop shaving— we do this  (or both, I don’t know. You do you).

Obviously there are pros and cons to the project:

Pros-

Deadlines are the slap we all need. NaNoWriMo is a wonderful professor in the art of discipline and time management.

Practice makes polished works. Nothing will ever be “perfect” but like any other craft, the more you tend to it and hone your skills, the better you will become.

Let’s face it. Not everything you hurl onto the page in this time frame is going to be a gem, but there might be little geodes trapped within that you can work with when you have more time.

A sense of accomplishment is never a bad thing. If you finish the thing, no matter what you end up with, you achieved something. In an industry that can be a little soul crushing at times, taking pleasure in the little victories is always needed.

Cons-

It’s a lot of pressure. There’s no denying that, and really who needs that anxiety.

It focuses on the what and not the why. NaNoWriMo pushes you to write. Anything. But because of the deadline you don’t get the pleasure of playing around with the work, getting to know it, and cherishing it’s muses.

 

At the end of the day, one has to keep in mind that it’s just a project, an exercise, a game, if you will. New writer’s should keep in mind that if you struggle with this, if you don’t complete it— it’s ok. Much like finding your style it takes time and trial and error.

So— are you taking the plunge or sitting on the sidelines this year? Let us know in the comments down below and tag us on Facebook and Tumblr with your endeavors!

Attention to Craft: Neistat, Nerdwriter, and Visual Storytelling

If you’ve ever spent some time on Youtube, the name Casey Neistat has probably flown around your visual vicinity. Neistat’s entered the digital spotlight in the past few years due to his short films, cinematic daily vlogging, and a small cameo in the summer thriller, Nerve.

A vlogger that might have missed your side-scroller suggestions, however, is Evan Puschak, also known as Nerdwriter. Puschak speaks to a multitude of topics including politics and philosophy but it’s his dissection of film that holds a special place in my heart.

It was during a late night binge of such videos that the two intertwined. In a vlog uploaded on August 3rd, 2016, Nerdwriter broke down Neistat’s stylistic choices, composition, and  editing style, quoting Neistat to say: “my goal of these vlogs isn’t and has never been to share the intimacies of my life, it’s always just been to create a good or entertaining piece of content every day”.

And that’s exactly what he does. Neistat takes his previous knowledge of traditional filmmaking into a realm that is predominately contrived of amateur work. Puschak states Neistat wants his vlogs to “feel natural, but not be natural”, departing from the format commonly associated with daily vlogs.  Neistat’s success in these endeavors comes from attention to detail, whether it be waiting a half hour to get that sunset lighting, using three different cameras to capture angles of movement, or selecting various types of cameras, from handhelds to drones, incorporate their own “personality” into different shots.

As I continued to watch the video, not only did my appreciation for Neistat grow, but I found myself more and more impressed by the citation quality present in Puschak’s format. Blame it on the undergrad in me, but the skilled entanglement of Neistat’s footage with his own narrative is something my peers and I would kill for. A journalistic quality that’s somewhat rare in recent reporting and reviewing.

Both vloggers are examples of how creative nonfiction can be used successfully. By using the world around them they are able to speak to their own perspectives and personalities.Nerdwriter’s videos place an amazing amount of attention on the details— sifting through footage for the perfect shot to prove points eloquently, analyzing small frames, and editing them all into a cohesive narrative. Neistat is a master of pacing, using quick cuts, time-lapses, and zooms effectively to bring his audiences into his world of living in New York City.

Although the two diverge on the type of content they produce, they both play on the traditional and creative variables present in nonfiction storytelling in a way that can both be entertaining and informative. It’s a balance that can be tricky, especially when tied to a genre that stresses its high standards on how truth is represented. For anyone looking to dip their toes into the waters, however, I highly recommend taking a note from these two on how to get it right.

To see the full video see here.

Want more? Check out both Casey Neistat and Nerdwriter‘s full channels.

Omaha Artist Series: Christopher Couse

Quirky, thoughtful, and always reminding Omaha to stay “good-weird”, Pennsylvanian transplant, Christopher Couse is always on the artistic move.

You can find some of his current work at the Bemis Benefit Art Auction, but he’s also been a part of the Tiny Mural Project, and just finished up an exhibition at Petshop gallery featuring iconic chairs in the pop culture realm.

Much of Couse’s work acts as commentary, often playing off advertisements and weaving together elements of collage, illustration, and photography along with comedic angst to tell a narrative.

“A lot of my style comes from drawing inspiration from collagists, early pop-art works, street art, and growing up with a lot of great cartoons in the 90’s. But I also get really energized and inspired by looking at lot of contemporary peers, local and international.”

To see more of Couse’s projects, and keep track of his current and upcoming exhibitions and events you can find him on his website, Instagram, and  Facebook.

To see some of 13th Floor’s favorite Couse works, see here!

Omaha Artist Series: Erin Pille

Gifted with talent in both pen and pun, Pille is making a way for herself in the Omaha design field. Born and raised in Nebraska, she began playing around in the lettering field during her time at Metro Community College and says she “really found her niche”.

Since graduating she has worked a “spattering of jobs” but currently resides at Fruitful Design in the Benson area.

“My job is hand lettering, which just involves creating new and interesting ways of arranging letters to communicate in a beautiful and (hopefully) effective way. Sometimes the end result is a logo, other times it’s just a stand alone piece. As for mediums, the possibilities are really endless, but I most often use a paper and pen and then take it into the computer to finish and tweak.”

What started out as a side project turned into something much larger as Pille created a punny spud by the name of Potato Sadly in the spring of 2015. Since then, the little guy has made his way around town in both galleries and coffee shops, as well as his very own instagram!

If you’d like to see more of Erin and her work she can be found on Instagram, and in our  gallery!

Discovering Omaha Early, Afternoon, and Tonight

Early Afternoon Tonight is an Omaha based talk show styled podcast interviewing people from various creative scenes throughout the city. As founder Karl puts it, the goal of the podcast is to help “Omaha learn more about Omaha”.

Episodes air every Sunday, and 13th Floor’s very own Kellie Hayden will join Karl along with musician Topher Booth to to talk about their projects and personal lives.

Early Afternoon Tonight is available on iTunes, soundcloud, and their website.

The show is very new, with only one episode under it’s belt, but host Karl and his partner Eric show their Midwestern hospitality through a good sense of humor and charm that makes for a comfortable listen. We can’t wait to see what’s in the future for the show!

For more social media connection to Early Afternoon Tonight, you can find them on  Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram

It’s Almost Heeeeeeeere

That’s right, the deadline for the Spring edition is right around the corner!

Submitting things can be scary, whether it’s the first or four hundredth time you do it. The staff of 13th Floor would like to remind everyone that whether or not your works ends up in the edition, you will hear from us. We won’t leave you alone in the dark for all the spooks and negative thoughts to get’cha, promise.

Send your treats to 13thfloormagazine@gmail.com by October 31st!

Whether it be photography, art, poetry, non-fiction, fiction, scripts, or ravings of a madman, we’ll gobble them all!

Guidelines for submissions and frequently asked questions can be found on our site.

Don’t fear the deadline, writers!