FUSE Conferences and Bookless Libraries

Present FUSE members are happy FUSE members.

Last Wednesday, September 25th, was FUSE fourth meeting of the year!  In the blink of an eye a month goes by!

In case you missed out, there's plenty going on to hear about.  We chit chatted about our role in the homecoming parade designing a float to represent our club in the march with the theme of SU Serve!  It's pretty exciting, and plenty of members are going to be helping either with designing and creating the float, or simply showing up to support each other and show some school spirit!

In other news, there is a much-anticipated SU National Conference coming up!  This conference was started right here by the Susquehanna FUSE branch, and we are really excited to keep the tradition going strong.  There are going to be administrators and FUSE members from tons of different colleges coming together to share ideas, give presentations, read papers, and just have a great time.  It is a fantastic opportunity to enjoy being a part of the undergraduate world of editing and publishing, as well as an awesome chance to get some experience with presenting to throw on that all-important resume!

Aside from that, a fellow member brought up a really interesting topic during the end-of-club-mingling that goes on, and I thought I should bring it up because it really is interesting and very relevant to anyone concerned with the future of the book world.  On September 14th, the nation's first completely digital, "bookless" library opened its doors in San Antonio, Texas.  A bookless library.  This is a big deal for a variety of reasons.  For one, it is an unfortunate sign that our nation is moving away from the lovely hardcovers and paperbacks that we have all cherished for so long.  However, the idea is not all bad, in fact there is plenty good about this event.  The fact is that this library is going to be a huge resource for their community.  Local residents can come in and browse a significant collection of digital books, easily search through them to find exactly what they want, and read them either on one of the library's large touch-screen tables, or download a copy onto their own e-reader to take home with them.  This means less lost books for libraries, and a far simpler experience for people who were once forced to navigate through shelf after shelf of books they did not want to read.

I am definitely a fan of real, paper books, but with the recent trend of states closing libraries it is certainly nice to see that there is a viable option for transitioning the idea of libraries into the digital age.

Give this article a read to learn more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/bookless-all-digital-library-opens-in-texas/

I Write Like...

Greetings readers and writers, here's something cool.

There is frequent talk of who inspires you as a writer.  We've all contemplated it, and we've all discussed it.  Sometimes it just seems redundant.   For just a few minutes, forget your inspirations and put aside your favorite authors.  Stop getting hung up on who you write like, but start looking at who writes like you?

With this simple URL, you can discover who writes like you.  Maybe you'll realize that your favorite author has influenced you more than you thought.  Perhaps you'll find an a new love for a new author.  You like your writing, therefore you might like writing similar to yours.  The possibilities are endless!
Simply follow this link, http://iwl.me/ and you will travel to 'I Write Like.'  Once there, all you have to do is paste a few paragraphs of your writing, click 'Analyze' and poof!  The website finds an author who writes like you.

It is seriously fun!  You can can analyze different pieces of writing, and potentially find several different authors who write like you!

First Meeting 9/4

            The first meeting for Fuse Susquehanna went extremely well.  Many veterans as well as new faces filled the room with excitement and enthusiasm for the new semester. 

            Many important aspects of Fuse Susquehanna were discussed.  We hope to further our repertoire of author interviews as well as broaden our reviews.  With so many members ready to participate, we will have no problem doing this.  

            Our budget for the semester is currently five thousand dollars, but we will be brainstorming fundraising ideas.  We would like to see as many members as possible attend conferences at other schools.   

SU FUSE Ice Cream Social

Question: What could delicious Blue Bunny Bordeaux Cherry Chocolate PREMIUM ice cream possibly have to do with a super cool forum for undergraduate student editors like SU FUSE?

Answer: It was my favorite flavor at their super cool Ice Cream Social!

Wednesday, August 28^th, 2013, FUSE, as well as other fantastic clubs at SU like SU Slam, Shakespeare Club, Lit Club, Poetry Club, and Screenwriting Club got together with both returning and new students to get their mingle on with some delicious frozen goodness. This event was interesting and awesome to be at for a plethora of reasons, but here are my big two:

1. It was a great way for these clubs to touch base with both preexisting members and anyone else who might be interested, and
2. The Writer's House where it was located was literally overflowing with people of like interests and a love for the art of words.
   
   

Just look at all those beautiful, word-loving faces.

It was an awesome time, despite the legendary downpour I had to trek through to make it.  After I showed up I was graciously lead to the table of ice cream and told to help myself.  Then, cone in hand, I got some face time with both several writing majors I have known for years, and several who I had never seen before. Plus I got to hear about at least two clubs I didn't know existed on campus before I got there!  Everyone had fun, enjoyed their ice cream, and I'm sure these clubs will all be getting plenty of attendance at their future meetings because of it.

And seriously, Bordeaux Cherry Chocolate PREMIUM ice cream. So good.