SF

Sam Finston

poetry,

journalism,

etc.

poetry,

journalism,

etc.

Published Poetry

Antiqua

Antiqua is an illustrated collection of poetry that I self-published in 2017. It includes most of the poems I had written from fall 2016 to the following summer. Opposite every page of writing is an accompanying vector ilustration, all of which I created in Adobe Illustrator. It is available to download on itch.io.

Signatures

Signatures is RIT's student-run art and literary magazine. The annual volumes collect a full-breadth of work from RIT students and are available as professionally-designed hard copies every spring. Numerous issues have been recognized nationally, with Volume 34 earning a a Gold Medal from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. Some of my work has been featured in the editions listed here:

Potluck

Potluck is a chapbook published annualy by Mental Graffiti, RIT's slam poetry collective. Each volume contains poems submitted by club members and features graphic design by an RIT student in collaboration with the club's executive board. Some of my work has been featured in the editions listed here:

Journalism

Reporter

Reporter is RIT's student-run magazine, which covers topics ranging from school affairs to global phenomena. Paper issues are printed monthly, and even more material is available online. I worked as a writer for the tech section from 2016 to early 2018. My job consisted of pitching articles, finding and interviewing sources, and collaborating with editors and illustrators. You can find links to my articles on the following topics here:

Digital Poetics

As part of a digital creative writing workshop with poet Danielle Pafunda, I wrote a cycle of poems in the form of interactive web pages. The project explores what it means to be a "functioning" person, with each piece taking advantage of a different aspect of the browser. In the same workshop, I created a page that allows users to randomize some of the key words in William Carlos Williams's "This is Just to Say," using the RiTaJS API. Both of these projects were created with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

On Stage

I perform my spoken word and slam pieces at open mics, festivals, and other events. With Mental Graffiti, I took part in their yearly performance at Rochester's Fringe Fest and competed in slam competitions. As a representative of the club, I was invited to perform an original poem at the inauguration of my alma mater's current president. Pre-COVID, you could often find me at Boston Poetry Slam's historic Cantab Lounge open mic.