A Ghostly Staff Collaboration with an Introduction by Anna Trevathan
Welcome to Imaginary Gardens’ staff graveyard, where we are burying our graduating class this semester. This is sacred digital dirt, where our graduates bid adieu to the contributions, creativity, and chaos they brought to our newsroom. Soon to ascend to a new life after Pellissippi State Community College, our graduates are entering their former era. Though “former” feels like a typo, it’s marking the beginning of their right to freely haunt each inch of the newsroom from their fabulous post-grad lives.
Here lies the (semi) final written words of some ghouls of the newsroom:
Anna Trevathan – Former Managing Editor
gardens continue to grow
When I first joined the journal, we had a total of four people on staff: it was Draven Copeland, Rocket Belden, Kaleb Guzman, and me. We were guided by the incomparable and wonderful Schroeder. I had joined convinced I would be Editor-in-Chief by the time I left. Then, I learned that this was much more than a magazine full of creative writing. Coming into the journal as an academic writer, I had to change my writing style and find my personal voice. The newsroom has turned into my home away from home on campus and, in turn, the people that fill this newsroom have turned into my family.
My time here has been stressful but, in that same breath, I have never been happier to be stressed alongside my favorite people. The Tuesday evenings before the issue comes out, when it’s Schroeder, Draven and I in the newsroom, have turned into my favorite times of the week. Adding the word former to my title feels strange, but it’s a necessary pain to let the gardens continue to grow and flourish.
To my incredible socials team, who never fail to make me laugh when they are on and off of the screen, I want to give all of my flowers to you. You all have taken creativity and captured it in videos, graphics, and everything you do.
To all of Imaginary Gardens, we have grown a garden that will outlive us. Then, to our readers, everything we have built and created has been for you. There is an unexplainable amount of joy that runs through me when I see that you all are interacting with our stories, and I thank you all for that.
David Lavrinovich – Former Editor
Haunting From the Beyond
I had long known about Imaginary Gardens, but hadn’t had the time to take part until this semester. When I finally joined, I was thrown headfirst into the deep end of everything that the journal was working on. I doubted whether Imaginary Gardens was for me, but I am ever grateful that I ignored that voice. Staying with the journal was easily one of the greatest decisions of my academic career. My writing and editing skills have grown tremendously as I continued to take on different projects. I learned so much about communication and media that a lecture class simply could not match. The experiences I had helped me understand what I want to continue studying and the career path I want to pursue.
But what made my time at Imaginary Gardens even more special were the many incredibly talented people I met. I have the utmost respect for everyone who contributed to the journal, and my peers’ work has continuously inspired me. Collaboration was the spice that brought out the best in our work. So many discussions created these magical moments that helped transform ideas into groundbreaking pieces. The journal wouldn’t be the same without these amazing individuals.
I am incredibly grateful to have met everyone I did and to have partaken in the wonderful experience that is Imaginary Gardens. I am especially going to miss the amazing editorial team who have laid the foundation for Imaginary Gardens to blossom. I will cherish these friendships and memories for many years to come. I am sad to leave the journal and Pellissippi State Community College, but I look forward to haunting the team and seeing what new and exciting feats they accomplish in the future!
Carly Bunch – Former Video Intern
A fun time has flown by
I wish I had known about Imaginary Gardens sooner. I had no idea that Pellissippi State had a weekly newsletter and, nonetheless, one ran by students. When I finally heard about them, I was hesitant about the opportunity to join. I’m an introvert at heart and social settings often turn me off. To top this, I’d never really done anything relating to journalism and I didn’t really think there was a place for video in such space.
Much to my surprise, I was proved wrong and Imaginary Gardens ended up being my favorite place that I’ve interned at. The community they’ve created is outstanding and pours love and acceptance in every corner. Along with this, I ended up working on some projects that turned out to be not only my favorites as an intern, but also just in general as a student. Overall, the experience has been phenomenal and I’m a little bummed out it is already over. With this in mind, I look to the future, as I know the skills and experience gained in my time here will follow me no matter where I end up in life.
