Preface
“My Third Skin” is a collection of short stories, micro-fiction pieces, poems, and supporting illustrations that were written, drawn, assembled, and brought to life by the creative minds of the university in Spring ‘22.
On the pages of the anthology, one may find pieces of writing from AUBG’s current students, alumni, staff, and faculty members. Every written piece is accompanied by a link to a Spotify song chosen by the author of the respective work.
One of the writers and designers of the anthology, Catherine Doytcheva, shared how the book is not only an expression of one’s artistic soul but also a connection point with the outside world. “I care about this project a lot because it’s fully student-made, and we all proved to ourselves and each other that we can create a book with our words and be able to hold it in our hands and witness our stories touch and inspire others,” she said.
Between the Pages
Looking back at the production process, Mila Mladenov (‘22), a member of the project’s creative team, shared that the financial aspect of the project was the most challenging one. “The Literature Department at AUBG greatly supported our project by donating in order to help us with the printing process, while the Development office staff aided us by sharing our initiative with alumni, who were generous enough to donate as well,” she said.
A physical copy of the book can be purchased from the AUBG bookstore. In addition, multiple copies were donated to Panitza Library to have the book in free access to all those who are passionate about reading or aspire to become writers.
Epilogue
After the book launch event, the creators of “My Third Skin” established a student fund that aims to support future creative writing projects. The fund consists of financial resources from book sales and generous donations from the AUBG community and its friends.
“Luckily AUBG gifts us with professors, as well as a community, which pushes us to realize that our ideas are important,” said Mila Mladenov. “That gives me comfort, as well as reassurance, that the best projects are yet to come. And I cannot wait for it to happen.”
A full list of people involved in the project can be found in the Acknowledgements, Honorable mentions, and Credits sections of the book.
