For those who don’t know but might have seen the flyers posted around campus, Figs and Thistles is Presbyterian College’s own student-run literary-arts journal. That means we are run by students for students. We accept any kind of creative work as long as it is given in a publishable format, such as a picture of an artwork or as a written document, throughout the entire fall semester and the beginning of spring semester.

So what kinds of submissions do we accept? We accept all kinds, including: fiction (chapters of a novel, a short story, or even flash fiction pieces are perfect), nonfiction, a poem or sequence of poems, plays, combinations of prose and artwork, paintings, photography, collages, drawings, sculptures, and multimedia pieces. Anything that can be published in a printed journal to be distributed at the end of the school year is acceptable for submission. And anyone can submit to Figs and Thistles!

But what exactly does Figs and Thistles do? As an organization, we often gather together in the spring to discuss what kinds of submissions to accept for publication. During the fall, we put on a bake sale to raise funds for t-shirts and to raise awareness of the journal on campus. This year, though, we’re doing more!

On Monday Sept. 26, Figs and Thistles is hosting Arty Party—a casual and fun break from all the stress of school with painting. Arty Party will take place in the lobby of Spradley Hall from 6 pm to 11 pm. We will have a limited supply of canvases, paint and brushes for those who do not have these items on hand. Those who do have these items are welcome to bring them, and all can enjoy the doughnuts and coffee that will be provided. Everyone is welcome to stop by and paint at any time throughout the event.

As our first event of the school year, we hope for Arty Party to begin a trend of student involvement in the arts at PC outside of a formal setting.

And in our process to do more on campus, Figs and Thistles is opening up small, themed submission contests where the winning submission will not only get publication in this year’s journal, but also a free Figs and Thistles t-shirt. So be on the lookout for our themes in our email and on Instagram, and tag us with #figsandthistles.

For more information on how to get involved with Figs and Thistles, contact editor Allison Cooke at [email protected]. For information regarding the submission process, check out our page at Figs & Thistles web page.