Virtual Launch Party! October 15th @7pm
13th floor magazine
Save the Date for the 700 Words Prose Slam!
Have you ever wanted to read your work before an audience? UNO’s Writer’s Workshop and English Department will be holding a prose slam at Apollon Art Space on Thursday, April 6, 2017. Come out at 7:00 to read your work. Or, if you don’t have anything to read, stop by and support the readers for free!
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!
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!
13th Floor Magazine 