Naugatuck Valley commuNity college th Our 50 Edition Fresh iNk 2019 The Literary Journal of Naugatuck Valley commuNity college Waterbury, Connecticut editorial staFF: Jeannie Evans-Boniecki, Ph.D. - Faculty Advisor / Editor-in-Chief Poetry: Greg Harding, Wade Tarzia, Kristen Marcano, Joseph Adomavicia, Alyssa Katz, Megan Barrios, Yelizaveta Tolstokoraya, Dante Rojas, and Sandra Newton short FictioN: Greg Harding, Wade Tarzia, Sandra Newton, William Foster III, Kristen Marcano, Megan Barrios, Joseph Adomavicia, Alyssa Katz, and Yelizaveta Tolstokoraya graPhics: Ilene Reiner, Greg Harding, Wade Tarzia, Kristen Marcano, Megan Barrios, Joseph Adomavicia, Alyssa Katz, Dante Rojas, Yelizaveta Tolstokoraya, Christopher Boniecki, and Rebecca Liu coVer art: Jarrett Hyde I Fresh ink 2019 © 2019 Naugatuck Valley Community College - Waterbury, CT All content and graphics in this publication are protected by U.S. copyright laws and may not be copied or republished without the express written permission of NVCC or the relevant author. Re-use of content, editorial or graphic, for any purpose, is strictly prohibited. Permission to use content is granted on a case-by- case basis provided content is not modified in any way. Please submit your permission requests to [email protected]. *DISCLAIMER of CONTENT* With the awareness that people walk different paths in life - or “wear different shoes” - the Editorial staff of NVCC’sFresh Ink 2019 attempted to honor the different voices, styles, and perspectives throughout its evaluation of submitted works by withholding censorship of content and language. We feel it is important to note, however, that the views expressed within these pages are not those of NVCC or the Fresh Ink Editorial staff, but of the authors themselves. II Naugatuck Valley commuNity college shoes Madeeha Sheikh* III Fresh ink 2019 27 March 2019 Dear Readers, Maybe now that I have become an “old timer” myself and because I have been invested in researching the history of this institution for this 50th year edition of Fresh Ink, it has become increasingly clear that we all have had to make a choice to spend our lives’ time somewhere, doing something. Many of the people I have watched retire have chosen to spend almost all of their working lives here, at some iteration, of Naugatuck Valley Community College. A handful of these people have spent their time contributing in some way to Fresh Ink. For this journal to have persisted since close to the advent of the community college itself, it had to have been supported by numerous administrators: Charles Ekstrom, Charles Kinney, Richard Sanders, Joseph Cistulli, Patricia Bouffard, Irene Rios-Knauf, Sandra Palmer, John aitkus,V Sandra Newton, Diane Minardo, Betsy Sharp, myself, Pamela Tolbert-Rivers- Bynum to name a few. Today, as we celebrate 50 years of continuous publication, additional support was given to make this more elaborate edition a reality. Appreciation is extended to President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, Academic Dean Lisa Dresdner, Student Activities Director Karen Blake, the Student Government Association, and to our newly appointed Associate Dean of LABSS Bradford Baker for recognizing the importance of this journal and for supporting my efforts to produce it. Over the course of the last year, I have attempted to research the history of Fresh Ink in order to honor it in 2019. I have found back copies in the basement of the college, on the bookshelves of library staff, in the file cabinets of past advisors or stuffed away in boxes of mementos in someone’s back closet. Although I have attempted to follow this fifty year trail, at times it has grown faint. What you will find here as a timeline in the next few pages is my attempt to recreate, for posterity, its history. I have to acknowledge, up front, that this was a committed but imperfect effort – fraught with peril and intrigue – and, in an effort to swerve to avoid a squirrel, I could have killed a tree…. So in advance, I apologize for any mistakes in dates and names and hope that corrections will be provided so that I can update the data prior to putting this text live on the internet. What I have found is that this literary journal’s ongoing intention has been to honor those in our community who, over the last 50 years, have created – using words in prose or poetry or using paint, pencil, camera or computer – and who have chosen to share their work via the pages of Dimensions or Fresh Ink. As this is the 50th edition of this institution’s literary journal, it also intends to honor those of us who – over the last 50 years - have solicited, planned, evaluated, typeset, edited, spent countless invisible hours staring at a screen - so that the work of others could be seen and appreciated. It intends to honor those who have chosen to do their work, spend their lives’ time at NVCC. Back in 1969, Mattatuck Community College’s Paul Riccucci conceived of Dimensions, a small folio of student work that has grown to what we know IV Naugatuck Valley commuNity college as Fresh Ink today. Upon the merger of Mattatuck Community College and Waterbury Technical College in 1994, Dimensions became Fresh Ink, but the intention has remained. Prof. Riccucci began this text’s long history and, with the assistance of numerous students over the years and many Student governments, through multiple College administrations, various English and Art faculty members have carried this torch: Gloria Dibble Pond, for one, advised this journal from 1971 - 1994; Ilene Reiner reviewed art submissions for twenty years from 1986 - 2004; Wade Tarzia has assisted for almost twenty years from 1999 to the present; Patti Pallis served for more than eight; Greg Harding served as a primary advisor for more than ten years and is still assisting today. Others - William Foster III, Lisa Shuchter, Steve Parlato, Julia Petitfrere, Beth-Ann Scott, Juleyka Lantigua-Williams, Ray Leite and Kelly Goodrich – all contributed to this marathon literary venture. In addition to faculty, many Student Activities Directors and Student Governments have provided economic, strategic, and practical assistance. From 1986 – 2002, the Student Activities Department’s Rob Henderson and Pat Caron served as editorial board members and were responsible for type setting all the copy. Under Linda Stango, the journal also flourished and now, Karen Blake provides much appreciated assistance in keeping this process afloat. Without her high level of efficiency and generosity of spirit, I wouldn’t be able to make this work. Finally to the Evaluation Team of 2019 that consisted of students and English and Art faculty, past and present, for their conscientious assessment of submissions, I say THANK YOU. This year’s round of evaluation was FLAWLESS! For those who helped me edit, particularly Ray Leite and Kristen Marcano, THANK YOU. To Rob Sheftel and Karen Blake - for helping us last year when the best laid plans fell apart and we had nothing to do and no place else to go for our publication event, I say THANK YOU. To Vismel Marquez and Lou Romao for resolving my random dilemmas in InDesign, I say THANK YOU. The cover artwork represents the 50 years of cover art gathered via my research but artistically rendered by NVCC alum, Jarrett Hyde. THANK YOU, Jarrett, for your assistance with this project. Readers, in the following pages, you will find the select work of numerous poets, storytellers and artists of NVCC and its extended community. At the end of this edition, you will find a Special Section presenting works from past and present advisors and staff ofDimensions /Fresh Ink as well as two poems submitted graciously by President Daisy Cocco De Filippis. At long last, it is here. I hope you enjoy this 50th edition of Fresh Ink - 2019. Best Regards, Jeannie Evans-Boniecki, Ph.D. Fresh Ink 2019 Advisor V Fresh ink 2019 Dimensions/Fresh Ink Historical Timeline DIMENSIONS 1969 - 1994 1969 - 70 Advisor: Paul Riccucci Staff: Sue Vanasse, Marion Hubbard, Sarah Corrigan, Connie Pikiell. 1971 - 1975 Advisors: Gloria Dibble Pond & Paul Riccucci 1976 Advisors: Elizabeth Michalowski, Gloria Dibble Pond & Paul Riccucci Staff: Ed Stefano, Sue Falsetti, Patricia Kinne, James Candee, Teresa Carroll, James Donohue Jr., Beth Gualtieri, Kate Shanley. Cover: Patrick Guarnieri. 1977 - 1985 Advisor: Gloria Dibble Pond 1986 - 1994 Advisors: Gloria Dibble Pond & Ilene Reiner (1987 - Selected for inclusion in the Mattatuck Community College Time Capsule to be opened in 2061 when Halley’s Comet Returns.) Staff from 1987 - 1993: 1987: Jacqueline Caprio, Rick Korn, Micki Cat L. Laing, Angela H. Setaro. Cover: Tiffany Cameron. 1988: Kathleen Kulmann, Elaine Ober, Terry Pinkard, Sandra Strumpf. Cover: Angela Setaro. 1989: David Derouin, Terry Pinkard, Donna W. Waranowicz, Jim Lombardo. Cover: Lorraine DeCrisanti. 1991: Pat Molnar, Nellie Rivera, Randy Rydzy, Rob Vadnais, Susan Scott. 1992: Pat Molnar, Randy Rydzy, Edith R. Schoenberg, Amy Valentino, Randy Rydzy. Cover: Peter Sagendorf. 1993: Sharon Beach, Suzanne Brown, Eman Galal, Bonnie Leffler, Pat Mohar, Rich Powell, Larry Riddich, Lisa Zembruski. 1994: Laurie Brunetti, James Goncalves, Vernon Mead, Bill Meehan, Pat Molnar, Richard Powell, Taffy Schremmer, Lisa Zembruski. 1994 Mattatuck Community College and Waterbury State Technical College merged to become Naugatuck Valley Community Technical College DIMENSIONS CHANGED TO FRESH INK. FRESH INK 1995- 2019 1995 - 1997 Advisors: William H. Foster III, Gloria Dibble Pond & Ilene Reiner Staff from 1995 - 1997: 1995: Sharon Beach, Lyn Hernandez, Sandra Longo, Bill Meehan, Michelle VI Naugatuck Valley commuNity college Palermo, Cindy Periera, Larry Riddick, Alice Phelan-Torres, Lisa Zembruski. Cover: Joanne Hurd. 1996: Maria Borgnine, Jennifer Centopanti, Meredith Golden, Chris Pimley, Brandon Rek. Cover: Michelle Dayton. 1997: Chris Baggett, Maria Borgnine, Eileen Clark, Stephen Crowe, Aaron Goodson, Christian Ouellette, David Petruzzi, Jason Stephens, Gina Zappulla, Sandra Byrne. Cover: Sheila Doyle-Walton.