Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor
In the student media building, there is an office that contains every edition of the Northwest passage since 1966. The Northwest Passage is Western’s literary magazine, run by students. Art is submitted by students and faculty, and can include poetry, prose, short fiction, drawings, paintings, photographs and most recently, music.
Since 1966, students have been submitting their work to the Northwest Passage, some anonymously. Their art is made immortal through the pages of the journal, and for several students, that’s as far as their art went. But some continued, whether that be professionally or recreationally.
One of those students is Ty Brack. An English major and communications minor, Brack served as the assistant editor of the Northwest Passage from 2005 to 2006 and editor from 2006 to 2007. Along with his editing duties, Brack also submitted art to the journal, in the form of poetry.
“My favorite part was getting to admire the creativity and talent of my peers on campus,” said Brack, “It opened doors to relationships and ideas.”
From 2009 through 2012, Ty began transferring his poetry into lyrics. Working with local producers and other artists, Ty launched his rap persona Flyvek. Ty performed various local shows at a variety of venues and for charity shows that raised money for nonprofits, including The Global Project.
Brack released his first album, titled “Flyvek is Just One of the _____ and Counting,” in 2012. “This album is still available on iTunes, #shamelessselfplug,” the rapper mentioned. After releasing the album, the rap artist returned to Western for graduate school to receive his Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT).
“That started a five-year span of rather busy professional development in teaching, which along with being newly married at the time, made it difficult for me to find the balance of time to continue recording and performing,” remarked Brack.
Ty is currently teaching 10th grade English and poetry at North Marion High School in Aurora, Oregon. He also serves as the Activities and ASB director, as well as the assistant varsity baseball coach.
He hasn’t forsaken his art however: “Now though, I’ve found that balance and have begun recording again, with a new album and new shows planned for the beginning of 2019,” commented Ty.
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton
