ACC on the Go: Something New & Something I Loved

I have just realized that while I thought I posted this over a week ago, I had actually just saved it as a draft! Oh, technology!

On Saturday, the 23rd of January, 1 professor, 4 ACCers, and 1 of my good friends piled in Dr. Dycus' minivan and headed to Cleveland, Tennessee for the annual Lee University Literary Symposium. While excited about hearing the various creative and critical works of college students throughout the southeast, Kaycee (second from right in the picture below) and I were busy preparing ourselves for reading our own creative works--yes, we were both accepted to present at the Symposium!

Until that day, I didn't read my poetry aloud--especially not in a public setting. Ever. For me, my poetry was just something I was supposed to express on paper or in a book, right? Wrong! Through this Symposium, I not only got the exposure (and something to add to my resume!) but the experience of doing something totally knew with something I love--writing! From what I can hear, I felt as though my work was received well...I am so glad I had a supportive professor, supportive classmates (who also make great friends) to experience that with me. I believe this experience was encouraging for all of us!

Now for a picture of the crew:

From left to right: Dr. Dycus (Head of English Department--A really awesome professor! If you happen to come to ACC, be sure to take at least one of classes--you will not regret it!), my friend Dominique (She's a Photography Major at another institution, but I brought her with me because I knew it would be worthwhile and she was great company!), Merit (one of my new friends, I just met her this semester--she's a Business Major), Me! (An English Major...whom I believe is not even looking at the camera...), Kaycee (A Humanities Major, I jokingly say I want to be her when I grow up! She really is a great person and so much fun to roadtrip with), Becca (My fellow English Major friend! Fun Fact: We actually met at an ACC visitation day in 2005--5 years ago! It's crazy that it has been that long...she's fun to be around and we've been on ACC "field trips" together in the past!).

So if you're an English major, Humanities major (like Kaycee), or just someone who enjoys to write, at ACC, you will have this to look forward to every spring semester. I regret that I did not become more involved earlier on in my college career, so that's why I am telling you guys about it!

- Morgan

The Good Reaction

As an English major, I write--a lot. Consequently, as the picture illustrates, I revise and then I am not afraid to react! I took this photograph last summer while "reading my old fiction" that I found in an old file box containing a book I was working on back in middle school. Though it was middle school, not a lot has changed in terms of reading old work and "reacting to it." Year after year, this has always been an issue in my writing until

last semester.

Thankfully, I decided to give something I wrote a chance at a little life. Dr. Dycus, who is the head of the English department and a professor here at ACC mentioned a Literary Symposium that was coming up in January 2010 at another university. They were looking for literary submissions from college students nationwide. I thought it was a good idea, and at the very last minute, I decided to give some of my poetry a shot. Yesterday I checked my email and found that my work had been accepted and I will be reading at the symposium! I am beyond excited. I guess reading and reacting to my work doesn't always have to be negative. Criticism + Positivity can bring great results!

I will definitely blog after the conference next weekend and let you all know how it goes. Hopefully I'll bring back some good "reactions!"

- Morgan

It's FRIDAY!

photography credit: Morgan Harper (ME!)


So right now it's COLD outside. It's Friday. I'm sitting in Octane Coffee in Atlanta. I just thought I would let y'all know about it. If you're looking for a spot to:

• grab freshly-brewed awesomely-priced (DELICIOUS) coffee...
• remind yourself that you are not alone--other super-busy college students in need of a little getaway time do exist
  
• work on that paper you're dreading (and no need to worry--there are 20 other college students here facing that same hurdle)...
  
• relax with a group of friends...
  
• listening to cool music that doesn't usually get played on the radio...
  
• catch up on your reading/journaling (is that even a word?)...
• people watch/meet new friends...
  
• enjoy artwork from budding local artists...
• get INSPIRED for the upcoming week...
  

or best of all...:drum roll:...

• plug up the laptops to access FREE WIFI (yea, I bet THAT caught your attention!)...

...Octane is your place! I found out about it a couple of months back from a friend and since then I have been hooked. So if you're that guy or girl that likes to get out and explore the world (well in this case, the Atlanta area) Octane just might a spot to drop a place mark on your map.

Anyways, now I am onto that picture that is dominating the head of this post. I took that shot last week during Thanksgiving break in this striking beautiful faraway land called Nashville, Tennessee. If you haven't noticed yet, Jamie-Grace (who also posts here on the Life at ACC blog) is my younger sister and was my road trip buddy up to Nashville. It was such a blast and I'm so glad I got to pull my camera out! But for all you budding artists out there, you don't even have to step off campus to spark your creativity. Here are a few shots I've taken on campus at ACC over the years:


- The view one night outside of Head Hall...the building behind is the Gym/Alumni (Men's Dorm)-Taken in Westside Chapel one night after rehearsal for chapel the next day.
- A collection of shots from Upper Head Hall (Women's Dorm)


If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm one of those people that just absolutely loves. Art. Da Vinci, Rothko, Pollock, random street graffiti--you name it. The cool thing about being the artsy type at ACC is:

• you're not the only one! you'd be surprised at the number of people who enjoy your same tastes in music, movies, art, etc.
• you don't have to major in art to be artistic! ACC may not have an art major but in and out of the classroom, you'll find yourself being inspired to explore so many new things.
  
• ACC supports you! if you take a step into ACC's coffee house, McKinney's, you might notice artwork posted on around--created by students!
  

I'm an English major, but it doesn't mean that my learning experiences in college are restricted to language, linguistics, and literature. While these things are essential to my future field, they are just the foundation of a whole world that awaits.

(And here comes Morgan's Bright Idea of the Hour)

I guess that's what college is about. Maybe some of us are interested in preaching or teaching or opening up a coffee shop but regardless of what our majors or goals are, God has something big for us and we just have to open our eyes and see it--you don't have to be scared! Have coffee with a Biblical Studies professor. Take an extra history or philosophy class! Join in on a worship band. Chat with the librarian! Go study abroad. College can be a pivotal point in your life--you just have to allow for it to be :)

To sum it all up, get out there! Take that class you're nervous about. Pull out the digital camera or the paint brush. Hang out with random people--come hang out with me at OCTANE COFFEE...





And God will do the rest! :)

It's Actually Happening!

The papers, the tests, the 8am classes, the 7pm classes, the text books, the group projects, the long walks from Head Hall (the girls dorm) to Hathcock (academic building) when it's cold and rainy in the morning, the night I cut my hand and had to get stitches the night before finals, long nights in the library--it was all worth it! It was also worth the fun times--being on the soccer team, playing music in chapel, studying abroad and doing mission work in England, ACC TACKLING TOCCOA IN SOCCER!, the awesome professors, the High School Musical routine for the Christmas concert (even though I'm not a fan of musicals at all, it was hilarious!), messy wiffle ball on Tuesdays (even though I just stood on the sideline and took pictures!), being on the Sunday Nights team, running the ACC Mile for the first time, late nights at Dwarf House, early mornings in McKinney's--who knew it will all lead me here? I guess when I first showed up on campus back in Fall of 2006 with my dad's truck loaded with dorm accessories from Target, I had in mind that I would someday graduate. However, it still seemed so far away. I remember thinking, "2010?! Ha! That's ages away, I have plenty of time." But like they always say, time flies when you're having fun. So maybe that's what college is about. Having a blast for four years straight and getting a degree at the same time!
Sounds awesome, doesn't it? Well, while that is true, I feel like my ACC experience has been so much more than that. I have grown and learned SO much from the people here. God has shown me so much from the classroom to the cafeteria to random Target runs on a Wednesday afternoon. I could go on and on with stories from these past years I've spent here and even the intervals I spent away.
So today I turn in my application to graduate and I guess I am going to move on now! But this is a great place to "move on" from. I feel like by graduating I have only stepped on a stepping block to get to God's total purpose for me. I'm glad I had this experience and I am looking forward to the rest of the year!

Sunday Nights!

Sunday Nights was awesome this week. Maybe it was just me, but everyone seemed slightly more energetic and excited than usual, which is a good thing! For those of you that don’t know, Sunday Nights is a student-based worship service that happens on campus every—well, Sunday Night. This year I’m apart of the team that helps put it together every week. I’m working a lot with the music and helping to organize bands to lead worship. In past years, when I’ve led worship, playing at Sunday Nights was often the highlight of my past week, and a good way to help kickoff the upcoming week. Even when I wasn’t playing, Sunday Nights was always that something I could look forward to at the beginning of the week. For me, another cool thing about Sunday Nights was getting to see it kick off and then take off. Sunday Nights started my first semester here at ACC when I was a freshman back in 2006. It was something new, but it never got old for me! Little did I know that in my senior year, I’d get to witness and be apart of what Sunday Nights has become.
I think that’s what I really like about ACC…you get to see the start of all the great things God is doing around here. And even better, you get to be play a part in all of those great moments. It makes me wonder, as I prepare to graduate in May, what God has in store for the classes after me. Can’t wait to come back and visit and just being flat out amazed over and over again!
Well, I have about 60 pages to read of Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis before my Inklings class tomorrow! I’ll update again later!


-I created and worked on the PowerPoint...this is a picture of my computer showing what's on the overhead...I wish I had had my Nikon D60 and done a long exposure shot on this.

-Morgan