Triboro News

Summer B has started! We hope everyone is feeling comfortable as the new term begins.

Let’s go over a few things:

The Learning Commons consists of the Student Learning Center (SLC) and Library. We are here to provide academic support. This means we can help with coursework, understanding assignments, providing feedback on your work, navigating software, and more.  

We want to help you to learn more effectively! Here are some tools to assist you:

1. Our library databases. These are all available through the portal, but you can get a glimpse at them here: https://rmcad.libguides.com/az/databases
   1. If you go to the portal and the links don’t work, check your popup blocker. You have to allow pop-ups. 99.99% of the time, that is the reason the databases don’t work. 
2. Our SLC scheduler: https://rmcad.mywconline.com/
   1. You need to make an account, this is not automatic. Use your RMCAD email address and make up a password of your choosing. 
   2. Once you have an account you can choose your topic and find the person who can help. We meet on Google Meet, Zoom, or in person.
3. Our SLC Shared Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/0AE5f5szuWpX6Uk9PVA
   1. This drive has all our tipsheets – we even have a spreadsheet with the tipsheets all linked!
4. Our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@RmcadSLC
   1. This channel has helpful videos of all kinds, including how to access library resources. 

If you need further assistance or have questions, please email us at learning@rmcad.edu.

For those of us in the northern hemisphere, June 21st marks the 2025 summer solstice—the longest day of the year and the official beginning of summer. What better way to expand your creative writing skills than by drawing inspiration from the changing seasons? Whether you want to try your hand at creative nonfiction, fiction, or poetry, here are some prompts to get you started:

1. Creative nonfiction: Ambushed by smell

Alongside warm weather and sunny skies, summer brings its own unique scents. When I think of summer, I imagine the chlorine of pool water and the sulfur of fireworks. What comes to your mind? 

Scent is tied closely to memory in our brains, so smells can be powerful prompts for reflective essays. The authors of Tell it Slant: Writing and Shaping Creative Nonfiction ask, 

Have you ever been ‘ambushed’ by a smell you didn’t expect? For example, have you opened a box of clothing from a deceased relative and had the smell of that person’s house flood over you? Or, have you walked into a friend’s house and smelled a meal exactly like one you remember from childhood? (Miller & Paola, p. 13)

Take a moment to reflect on the scents of your summer and the memories they evoke. Have you ever been ambushed by smell?

2. Fiction: Six-word story

The most famous six-word story was penned by Ernest Hemingway. You may have heard it before:

For sale: Baby shoes. Never worn. 

Written in the form of a newspaper ad, this tiny story evokes an entire narrative. Today, six-word stories are a popular form of microfiction. Wired Magazine even hosts a monthly six-word science fiction contest.

Try your hand at a six-word story inspired by the summer solstice. 

3. Poetry: Idyll

Idylls are brief poems centered on the natural world. They evoke nostalgia by emphasizing small, everyday moments. Writing one is the perfect way to reflect on the changing seasons and the past year. 

Idylls have a long history, going all the way back to the ancient Greek poet Theocritus (born c. 300 BCE). While many Greek poets wrote about warfare, Theocritus focused on simple pleasures and the beauty of the natural world. Following Theocritus’s example, poets throughout the centuries have written idylls. 

Check out a few famous idylls to get your creative juices flowing: 

• “Idyll” by Siegfried Sassoon
• “To Autumn” by John Keats

• “The Solitary Reaper” by William Wordsworth

   

Now try writing your own!