The Book of Esther Redesign with Commentary

JennethBook Covers, Books, Design, WritingLeave a Comment

For class we were tasked with redesigning a short book of the Bible. One of our options was Esther, and even though I wasn’t particularly a fan of that story, I knew there was a lot of interesting history there. I decided to not only redesign the book like the class required, but I also wanted to make it a historical and biblical commentary. My dad and I worked together to sift through the historical references–Dad came up with a timeline based off of James Ussher’s Annals of History while I read Josephus.

Below is the cover jacket design and some of the spreads in the book. I’ve also included the introduction to read below the designs, in case you want to know more about what went into the in-depth project.

If you’d like to purchase the book, you can find it here.

I got an A- on this project.

Esther Cover ID Template 2 copy

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“O Beautiful for Spacious Skies” Vector

JennethArtwork, DesignLeave a Comment

For one of my graphic design classes, I had to create a vector, nature-based painting. I wanted it to be distinctly American as well as have a slight double meaning when looked at closer. The scene is based off the song “America the Beautiful” and attempts to illustrate each landscape description mentioned in the song.

Upon closer look, one can see the American flag hidden within the scene: the fruited plains/amber waves of grain are in rows like stripes, and the snow on the mountains have a slight resemblance of stars.

I got an A- on this project.

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The Mandala Blog: Assateague Island

JennethPhotography, WritingLeave a Comment

After graduation, my friends and I took a quick camping trip to Assateague Island. Afterward, I had the chance to guest write about the experience for the Mandala Blog. If you’re interested, take a look:

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One of the first things I did when I graduated college was hit the beach. And not just any beach: Empty stretches of sand and a rising sun over the ocean’s horizon, where you’re isolated alone on an island seemingly in the middle of nowhere—and are those wild horses?

Assateague Island, a 48,000 acre vacation oasis, is shared between Virginia and Maryland, and is relatively untouched by human civilization. The secluded nature and wild island horses feels like a scene straight from your collection of Walter Farley Black Stallion books you had as a kid.

To Read More, Click Here To Visit the Mandala Blog.

Let Your Fire Die

JennethWritingLeave a Comment

As a post-college graduation indulgence, and as a way to prove to nature that we were competent adults worthy to take on the world, I and two of my friends from high school ventured through the countries of Maryland to Assateague Island National Seashore.

Only Veronica had been camping before, but while she supplied the tent, cooking utensils, lantern, and fire starters, even she admitted to Rebecca and I that she’d never camped at Assateague before and that she was more familiar with camping in the woods than by the ocean.

But not to fear; we were college graduates. We were adults.

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The Editing Process for PCC’s Fountains Publication

JennethBooks, Writing1 Comment

PrintEvery year, the Copy Editing II class works hard to produce PCC’s annual literary publication, Fountains. This year, I had the fantastic opportunity to be one of two Senior Editors, and it wasn’t until this year did I realize the awesome process of creating such an incredible product.

This year’s 30th edition bears the theme of “diving deeper” into the experiences of life. With stories of all kinds, Fountains really reflects the culture of our school from year to year, and it was a wonderful project to work on.

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Published in East Region Emerging Writers

JennethBooks, WritingLeave a Comment

I had the privilege to publish two more stories in the America’s Emerging Writers series this year, a new publisher now nominating its best stories for Pushcart nominations.

America_s_Emerging_Horror_Writers_East_Region_largeI’ve never written a horror/campfire story until the first semester of my freshman year, but staying several nights in a large Portofino resort on the end of a Pensacola island got my creative juices flowing. Four years later, the story is finally available for others to read in the East Region’s horror anthology, and anyone familiar with the island resort will notice the story’s resort bearing remarkable resemblance.

The other story, published in the East Region’s literary publication, is a story I wrote as a college sophomore, and a version of it can be read here. Since penning it, the manuscript has evolved and developed, so be sure to check out the updated version in the paperback edition.

Book Design for “Beautifully Broken”

JennethBook Covers, DesignLeave a Comment

I recently did the cover and interior design for Celeste R. Warner’s book, Beautifully Broken. It was one of those crazy hectic, last minute emergency projects, so there were several sleepless nights and plenty of euphoria afterward when it was delivered to a very happy client. This project was a ton of fun, and you can purchase Celeste’s book here for only $5.57!

Here’s the cover I was able to design.

Celeste's Portfolio Cover Spine Adj

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Book and Design for “Timelines”

JennethArtwork, Book Covers, Books, Design, Narratives, News Articles, WritingLeave a Comment

As a professional writing major at my college, seniors have to compile their best work from over the last four years into a bound, designed book. It’s been a project I’ve been waiting for with bated breath ever since I learned about it.

Older students told me as a sophomore to save every paper I ever wrote, keep teachers’ notes, and to be thinking about a theme that can tie everything together. Back then, I couldn’t imagine picking out a theme that could encompass all my writing: after all, I liked to write about different things, and some of my stories were vastly different from others.

But as my senior year came upon me, I found the perfect theme. My stories revolve around either hope or memory. Many of them look to the future with either a warning to society about our faults, or an expected adventure just out of reach. And when not writing a social commentary on America’s morals, I’m pulling nostalgia from the cracks of my mind.

I thought “memory” and “hope” were much too generic for my theme, but finally it hit me: I also write about time. Time looking forward to the future or back to the past. “Hope” and “Memory” go hand in hand with time.

The final book was named Timelines, and you can purchase a copy here for $6.97!

Over Christmas break, I got the jump on designing my cover. This is what I came up with:

Timelines Cover Blurb Cover

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