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 My dad and I worked together to sift through the historical references–Dad came up with a timeline based off of James Ussher’s Annals of History while I read Josephus.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.
Middleridge Celebrates “Night Out” (Fairfax Connection)
The smell of grilled burger and smoking coals mixed in the air with the soundtrack of live music Tuesday night in Middleridge Park during the community’s National Night Out. Hundreds of Middleridge locals came to celebrate their community at the Middleridge Civic Association’s annual picnic and festival.
Lorton Library Challenge “Takes You Everywhere”
The Lorton Library is halfway through their Summer Reading Adventure, which runs from June 15 to September 1. Children and teens participate in the library’s summer reading program every year to read outside of school and win a coupon book for their efforts.
Obon Festival Returns July 14 (Burke Connection)
The Ekoji Buddhist Temple off the Fairfax County Parkway in Fairfax Station will be hosting the only Obon festival in the Washington DC area July 14. Admission is free, and the temple invites all visitors, no matter their religion or culture, to celebrate the annual event.
Hidden Pond Ribbon Cutting Celebrates New Playground (Springfield Connection)
The Hidden Pond Nature Center in Springfield announced their completion of their new children’s playground and picnic shelter Saturday, June 23, with a short ceremony and ribbon cutting event.
Ribbon Cutting Delayed, Trail Open to Public at Lee District Recreation Area (Connection Newspapers)
Due to foreboding weather Saturday, June 2, the ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the completion of Chessie’s Trail at the Lee District Recreation Area has been postponed. The new date is June 16 at 2 p.m.
The Harvey Underground Church (Personal Narrative)
This was a personal narrative for my college creative writing course. I wanted to describe the several nights my cousins, brothers, and I played an intense game of “Underground Church” in my grandma’s yard in Harvey, North Dakota. Lights in the dark void hovered five feet off the ground, rotating in long, haphazard arcs like small, drunken lighthouses that sliced the night as a sharp blade. One of the lights haunted an old shed, the holder of the flashlight tromping around and pivoting his weight, as if he had nothing better to do than to stand alone in the sea of darkness. Our soft thuds of sneakered feet were too quiet to alert our hunters. We weaved in and out of trees, our powers of invisibility only compromised when we broke into an occasional pool of house lights. Dark paths, hidden holes, and dangerous strung clotheslines were determined to slow us down, yet we pushed on in a subdued rush. As my cousins and I tore blindly through the darkness, we knew we were in huge trouble—bigger than we ever had been before. What awaited if the searchlights caught us in its glaring eye was only up to the imagination: … Read More