SF

Sam Finston

poetry,

journalism,

etc.

poetry,

journalism,

etc.

About

Hello hello! I'm a Boston-based writer who's been penning poetry since 2016. As you'll see in my portfolio below, I tend toward shorter form pieces and experiment in all directions. I especially love incorporating my other hobbies— such as art and code— into my work to make hybrid projects that I distribute in the wild and on the web. My writing isn't limited to poems either, as I have experience in journalism and game writing as well. Shoot me an email if you're interested in collaborating, publishing, or just want to say hi!

Poetry

nowadaysical

"nowadaysical" is an upcoming chapbook compiling some of the work I'm most proud of spanning the years immediately before and after the outbreak of COVID-19 in the US. The poems weave a loose personal chronicle of the four seasons in the wake of the pandemic and of starting a new chapter in life. The manuscript is complete and has already been submitted to several small presses, pending acceptance for publication. If you are interested in helping to get "nowadaysical" published, don't hesitate reach out!

Feels Zine

Feels is a Toronto-based publication that releases biannual issues that each center on a specific feeling. Each edition showcases a variety of art and writing on its respective subject. One of my poems is featured in "Issue 22: Dreaming," which is available online and in select bookstores. This marks my first publication outside of my alma mater. Pick up a beautiful risograph-printed copy today!

Zines

Since 2022 I've been making zines to debut at the Watertown Free Public Library's annual zine fest. These include collections of shorter pieces, such as "April '22" and "Gleanings," as well as longer form works that take special advantage of their physical format. Physical copies include hand-stamped linocut art, and digital copies are available on my linked itch.io profile.

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.

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:

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.

Potluck

Potluck is a chapbook published annualy by Mental Graffiti, RIT's former slam poetry collective (now Wordsmiths). 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:

  • Volume 2: Fried Tofu
  • Volume 3: Sauerkraut
  • Volume 4: Cheese Blintz
  • Volume 5: Eggs in Purgatory

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. Since moving to Boston, I can occasionally be spotted at local open mics.

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:

etc.

Did I mention games writing? I actually have a whole portfolio right here of my game dev projects and qualifications. Besides that, I also worked as a writer and CSS wrangler on the multiple-award-nominated-and-festival-featured Twine game Gamer Girl.