Interview with Author Angela Prendergast

Overthought Thoughts of a 21-Year OldMillersville University alumna Angela Prendergast recently published her book of poetry, Overthought Thoughts of a 21-Year-Old. 

  • What year did you graduate from Millersville? What was your major? Were you involved in any clubs?

I graduated from Millersville University in May 2017. My major was English Secondary Education. I was involved in many clubs during my time at Millersville. Those clubs included: The University Activities Board, Millersville Women’s Choir (Public Relations Officer), Intermural Sports and National Society of Leadership/Success.

  • What have you been doing since graduation?

Since graduating in May, I have had two teaching experiences. I was lucky enough to be hired right after graduation as a long-term substitute at Souderton Area High School. In January, I recently started a new job at Wissahickon High School where I am teaching ninth grade English until the end of the year.

My most proud accomplishment since graduation was publishing my poetry collection “Overthought Thoughts of a 21-Year-Old.” After working on writing and formatting my book the past year, I finally published it in August, 2017. The past seven months have been focused around promoting my book. Millersville has been incredibly supportive of my new book. My English professors, especially Dr. Corkery and Dr. Archibald, have been extremely kind and helpful in allowing me to speak to a creative writing class at Millersville about how English majors can get their work published.

  • How long have you been writing poetry? Is there a specific medium you like to write in?
Angela Prendergast
Angela Prendergast

I have been writing poetry for about two years. I was inspired by Rupi Kaur and her prose poetry collection Milk and Honey. I like to write my poems in prose. I think the natural and organic flow of my poems is what makes them relatable. I have never been a fan of structure when it comes to poetry. For me, my poems have always been about being natural and flowing as a stream of consciousness.

  • One thing I noticed in Overthought Thoughts was your use of font. Can you speak more to this?

Great question! I chose to have my poems written in different font types because it makes each poem unique. To me, each poem has their own personality. I wanted the font to portray the poems as individuals and convey the emotions I was feeling during the time of writing.

  • When was the moment you knew you wanted to put together a collection of poems? Or have you always wanted to?

The moment I knew was during my senior year at Millersville. I was not in the best place in my life. I was sad, depressed and nervous for my future. I was writing poems in my journal and, as I reflected on them, I realized a lot of my friends were feeling the same way. I knew I had to publish my thoughts because it could help others. I knew so many people feeling the same way and it felt selfish to keep these thoughts to myself when people I loved could benefit from knowing that they are not alone.

  • What were the logistics of becoming published? How did you know self-publishing was the right path for your collection?

My senior year, I was doing lots of research and was in contact with publishing companies from all around the country. The reoccurring theme that I noticed was that by signing to a publishing company, I would be giving away my control and rights to my writing. It didn’t feel authentic to do this. My poems are my most personal thoughts and I wanted to have complete control of them. I did not want to sign them away to anyone else. Also, the companies I was talking to were asking lots of money from me. Therefore, self-publishing seemed like the best way to keep control of my poems. I am so happy that I chose to use Createspace to publish my poems. They work directly with Amazon to distribute to individuals and to bigger companies.

angela2

  • What are the differences between self-publishing and working with a publisher?

The major difference is the control of your writing. Working with a publisher means you will not have as much control over your poems. Self-publishing allows me to have control over what my cover looks like and how I format my book. The only downfall to self-publishing is that I have to market my book independently. I do not have a company that will promote my book for me. This makes getting my book out there to others more difficult. I have to put in a lot more effort to just be heard of. However, I truly believe that this was the right choice for my first book.

  • What are your plans for the future? More writing?

I definitely plan to write more in the future! I am already working on more poems for my next book. I plan to have multiple poetry collections. The next book will be called “Overthought Thoughts of a 23-Year-Old.” Keep an eye out!

Angela’s collection can be found on Amazon.

Made in Millersville Journal

 

Made in Millersville One of most significant aspects of Made in Millersville is the Made in Millersville Journal, a publication that seeks to promote and publish scholarly work.  Making its debut in the spring of 2016, the journal continues to look for applicants from a variety of fields. Anyone who presented at the Made in Millersville Conference is welcome to submit work for publication.

There are five students behind this year’s publication: Allie Attinger, a dual major in Secondary English Education and Inclusive Education; Daniel Dicker, a double major in English and Communications; Sara Lipski, an English major; Shaakirah Tate, an English major; and Mikayla Steele, an Art Education major. These students work with Dr. Kerrie Farkas and Tatiana Pashkova-Balkenhol to make Made in Millersville a professional showcase for the students who are engaged in independent creative or scholarly projects or who have completed projects as part of class assignments.

The journal is an online interactive database featuring current and previous years of student and faculty projects. Visit the website and follow mim_journal on Instagram, madeinmujournal on Snapchat, mimjournal on Twitter, and Made in Millersville Journal on Facebook.

If you have any questions, visit the journal’s contact page or email.

Dr. Timothy Shea and Fantastic Mr. Fox

Fantastic Mr FoxAs many of you know, Dr. Timothy Shea, Associate Professor of English at Millersville, has been teaching secondary humanities at an international school in Kenya for a two-year leave of absence. Here is his story of directing his first middle school play. (Photos courtesy of Dr. Shea)

Though it has been over a decade since I last directed a show, I always hoped I would be able to do it again. I was able to experience this reality in February when I directed the middle school production of the Roald Dahl classic, The Fantastic Mr. Fox at Rosslyn Academy in Nairobi, Kenya. Directing any theatrical production can be a challenge in the best of conditions but doing so in a developing country has its own unique challenges like finding the right paint for the set or the appropriate makeup that works with all skin tones or even how to amplify sound in the middle of a torrential tropical storm. Thankfully, I have directed plays in other countries before (Indonesia and Papua New Guinea), so I was prepared for the unexpected. I was also lucky that my school has a rich tradition of theatrical performances with high standards and a talented community who is willing to do whatever they can to pull off a good show.

Fantastic Mr FoxI must admit, I had forgotten just how much energy middle schoolers have and directing a cast of 30 energetic young teens felt at times like herding cats, but, what I discovered in the midst of the chaos and mayhem was that not only were these kids having fun, but they were also growing in ways that they nor I thought possible. They learned to embrace their fears and to try new things – new voices, new body poses because, after all, most of them were furry creatures! One of my goals as director is to get the entire community involved so that we could feel that it was OUR show and not MY show. I was blessed with parents and teachers who volunteered with makeup, costumes, set, lights, sound, and drama coaching. The end result was a memorable show that included a nasty farmer falling off the stage and a rat who acted a bit too drunk at times! Local critics (aka high school actors) lauded our show as “the best middle school school they had ever seen” and little kids stood in line after the show to get our young actors’ autographs.

I am glad I took the plunge and took on this show even though it has taken me 2 weeks to get back my lost sleep!

-Dr. Timothy Shea