Sky O’Brien is from Botswana, Africa, but has spent most of his life in Perth, Western Australia. After studying at the University of Western Australia, he transferred to Principia College where he is majoring in English in the creative writing track. A believer in the power of words, creative learning, and imagination in shaping a socially just world, Sky has engaged with different writing practices over the years. As a writer and then assignment editor for Principia’s newspaper, The Pilot, Sky has attempted to bring socially conscious and international perspectives to the campus. In the fall of 2016, he studied art and writing abroad in Prague, Czech Republic, and engaged with writers like Václav Havel and Karel Čapek and their pursuit of truth, justice, and authenticity. In his creative writing capstone, Sky is looking at the concept of the house/home and its contribution to social, political, economic, and environmental contexts in capitalist societies. He loves reading the short stories of Raymond Carver, Grace Paley, and John Cheever.
Managing Editor, Sami Corbitt
Samantha (Sami) Corbitt is from St. Louis, Missouri. A junior majoring in English in the creative writing track and minoring in both Dance and Religion, she loves to explore the connection between words and movement. She is currently fascinated with the concept of communication and disconnection between thought and action. She has crafted two dance pieces focused on the internal struggles of self in connection to communication within domestic relationships. In the summer of 2017, she had the opportunity to study literature and translation abroad in the beautiful countries of Slovenia and Croatia. She engaged with authors such as Andrej Blatnik and Ivan Sršen, and translators such as Ifigenija Simonović. The study of translation on this abroad only deepened her curiosity about communication and how we each interpret our surroundings differently. She can often be found lying on the floor of her room, listening to music, and plotting new ways to communicate her thoughts to the world through movement.
Soap Bubble Set Editor, Elizabeth Hagenlocher
Elizabeth Hagenlocher is a senior and an English major in the creative writing track at Principia College. Although uprooted on many occasions, Elizabeth is currently a resident of Illinois. During her time at school she has presented her writing at two NULC conferences, and she has spent a semester in Prague, Czech Republic studying creative writing and studio art. Although she started her college career focused on fiction writing, Prague opened her eyes to the possibilities of poetry. Lately, Elizabeth has been working with the notions of time, existence, and femininity. When not writing, Elizabeth enjoys exploring the possibilities of sculpture, reading Lydia Davis, and writing down what strangers talk about.
Fiction Editor, Samantha Frank
Samantha Frank, a junior from Massachusetts, Texas, and Illinois, is deeply interested in how the creative process highlights and articulates the human experience, especially marginalized voices. She is majoring in English and minoring in studio art and in gender studies. In the fall of 2016 she traveled to Prague, Czech Republic with a Principia Abroad program and became interested in surrealism and creating to unlock repressed feeling and memory. She has experience editing, ghost writing, and has been working on her first novel for over five years. Though she never had imaginary friends growing up, she has always lived closely with whatever characters she’s writing about, often rewriting scenes in her head while traveling or waiting.
Poetry Editor, Nolan Saylor
Nolan Saylor is from Northern Virginia. He is an English major with a concentration in Literary Studies. This is his second year on the Mistake House staff. He enjoys contemplating how to be normal in society today and what the goal of life truly is. His personal reading includes series such as The Dresden Files and The Kate Daniels Series. His poems lean towards little ditties with a happy rhythm, though content may vary. After trying to be social and thus getting a concussion he has decided to avoid sports until he has finished his planned capstone on William Blake.
