SMITH Mag’s newest book project-Things Don’t Have to be Complicated: The Art of Six-Word Memoirs by Students of the World-is as awesomely collaborative as the other seven, with a sweet scholarly twist: the Six-Word Memoirs included will be solely student written and illustrated.

Social media savvy teacher at New Tech Academy in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Ginger Giessler, learned of SMITH Magazine’s call for student illustrated Six-Word Memoir submissions via Twitter and invited her students to participate. New Tech Academy steeps its students in a project-based curriculum that emphasizes innovation and encourages creativity. Giessler currently teaches Short Stories and Novels, English 11 integrated with US History, and Advanced Placement Language and Composition.

“My students are having a blast writing their Six-Word Memoirs,” Giessler says. “For some, it was a way to express themselves without writing a long narrative that may not speak to the reader as strongly as their Six-Word Memoir. Above all, they thought hard about their word choice, punctuation and how they could illustrate the emotion/tone they wanted to express.”

Below is just a small sample from Giessler’s class among the dozens her expressive students have sent in.

Hard Exterior. Soft in the middle. -Britnee Sanders, Sophomore

I’ve been saved from my sin. -Andrew Armstrong, Sophomore

Combinations or chances? I can’t decide. -Justice Harvey, Senior

Are you a student with a six-worder that you’re dying to share? Want to be included in our very first Six-Word Memoir eBook, Things Don’t Have to be Complicated: The Art of Six-Word Memoirs by Students of the World, written and illustrated by students? Here’s a quick recap of the contest rules:

SPECS
• All illustrated Six-Word Memoirs must be the original work of the artist.
• The Six-Word Memoir should be contained within the work (in any way the artist sees fit) not as a caption alongside the works.
• Digital illustrations or paintings are fine, as are photographs of a multimedia project (painting or collage or otherwise).
• Multiple submissions allowed.
• No photographs (unless there are one element of a larger collage or other work).
• Images should be submitted in one of two sizes:
- 1536×2048 (portrait)
- 2048×1536 (landscape)

SUBMIT
• Send your submission to news AT smithmag DOT net by Nov. 5, 2012 with the subject line “Six Art Book.” We’ll let you know by December 15 if you’ve been selected for inclusion in the book.
• If your submission is chosen, we’ll ask you for a 100-word or less description of yourself and/or your story, along with one personal web link (blog, Tumblr, etc.).

For full contest rules, be sure to check out the original post!