Gordian Knot

I beginning to see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. Is it an illusion? I hope not! Tomorrow will be the last day of classes before spring break begins.

One of the projects at which we've been working madly to wrap up before we all go on break is selecting and proofreading for the Gordian Knot, the arts and literary journal published by the college. Why the Gordian Knot? Our school intranet includes the following background:

According to the Greek legend, Zeus declared that the first person to ride up to his temple in a wagon would become king. A Phrygian man named Gordius innocently rode up and fulfilled the prophecy to become king. The first thing he did was dedicate his wagon to Zeus and tie an intricate knot that attached the yoke of the wagon to a nearby pole. An oracle then prophesied that the person who could undo the knot could conquer all of Asia. Many attempted to undo the knot, but failed. The knot location became the pride center of all of Gordium, until Alexander the Great came to the city and, without a moment’s thought, sliced it in two with his sword. Later, Alexander would come to recall this encounter with the Gordian knot as his most decisive victory. More universally speaking, the Gordian knot has come to symbolize a problem that cannot be easily solved.

Students are invited to submit creative writing, photos, and art pieces for publication in the journal, which is printed each spring. This spring's journal will feature a special "Other Voices" column for faculty submissions as well.

The Gordian Knot Staff at the Printing Press

The Gordian Knot staff is comprised of several students and a faculty sponsor. We just finished reviewing and selecting the submissions last week. Yesterday, Caleb and I proofread the 57 creative writing selections for typos and major grammatical or punctuation errors. The task has made me question whether I'm cut out for copyediting, a career I've been contemplating. The master file will not go to the print shop for typesetting and we will get to review the proofs sometime after we get back from break.

In the fall, we'll have something to show for our hard work: a journal representing some of the best art and creative writing produced at College of the Ozarks, with ours included!