Thoughts of a Foundation Student - September Reset

I’m having a restful break from studying. And I am happy to announce I am much better than I was last month.

I was tempted to withdraw from my studies completely, just because I have too many competing demands at the moment. But this month I received feedback from my poetry assignment; it was overwhelmingly positive. No notes for improvement. I was so moved to read the feedback. The feedback also arrived the week before one of my poems appeared in Bookmarked.

Again, the response to my poem was very moving. I was one of the five writers selected for the current edition of Bookmarked, and at the time I submitted I had been on the foundation creative writing course for a month. One of the editors asked if they could read my poem at the launch event. I was too ill to attend, and probably wouldn’t get past my nerves anyway. 

In the middle of the month I went on a behind-the-scenes tour of the British Library Yorkshire. It was a fantastic experience and made me feel excited about librarianship again. I met people from all the departments, and got particularly enthusiastic about preservation because the technician used lots of fancy equipment. He spoke about repairing books (the bookbinder in me was cheering!) and used a giant guillotine (the zinester in me was cheering more!). 

I was surprised by the amount of machinery on site. Of course, I knew there would be lots but seeing it in person was awesome. I went into the Additional Storage Building and it felt like a scene from a sci-fi adventure.

Another magazine I will be in is the next issue of edge zine. I interviewed Will Woods after meeting him in the Student Voice Festival. I am slightly biased but I recommend giving the issue a read because I learnt a lot about serious play.

My plan for the rest of the month is to make a zine about my college experience for an upcoming project. Three years ago I made a mini-zine in University for the Creative Arts named ocanina of time, about my time at Open College of the Arts. This time I’m writing a full 5000 word version of the zine. I’ll have it ready for Open College of the Arts’ 50th anniversary celebration.

I am also beginning a small Blogtober exercise next month. Bryan Eccleshall posted in the student forum a couple of weeks ago about a 365 project in 2027. I’m challenging myself to blog everyday so I’m doing a trial period in October (just to see what I’m letting myself in for!). If it sounds like a project you’d also like to get involved with, read on.

Ending this post on a serious note, I’d like to thank everyone for their kind comments about Thoughts of a Foundation Student. This year has been very difficult for me, but the support I’ve had from everyone at Open College of the Arts has made it easier to face the day. If your mental health is impacting your studies, please reach out to Learner Support. If you are experiencing a crisis, see the NHS urgent help guidance.