Many college students hold the dream of getting their work published nationally. Rarely do college students realize this dream while still in school.

Now this goal has been made more easily attainable with the publishing of “Let Go of My Ear! I Know What I’m Doing,” an anthology of outstanding undergraduate short fiction.

Put out by Sulisa Publishing, “Let Go” pulls a sampling of young talent from around the country, with entries coming from up at University of Washington all the way down to University of Houston.

The 20 original stories were chosen by a panel of judges, and the task must have been a daunting one, given the variety of stories and characters included in the collection.

Topics covered by the talented undergrads include a bearded woman and a tattooed man trying to escape a freakshow, a lonely girl far away from home but too scared to get to know anyone and a middle-aged pencil pusher whose life is run by an unwanted genie.

The most impressive concept surrounding “Let Go” is that although all of the authors involved in the project are college undergrads, an array of ethnicities, ages and aspects of life are covered in their work.

The artists also take free license with their writing styles. The young age of the authors doesn’t hinder their creativity in any way, shape or form.

The sadness and frustration of a trapped wife and mother is clearly felt in Katherin Nolte’s “Trying to Get Here,” and the wry humor of Jeannette Darcy’s “The Wrong Number” accomplishes the goal of mocking its own ill fated character.

Memories of a first, young love are brought to mind with Daniel K. Lewis’ “Stealing Rope.”

“And later still, long after she had kissed my lips and whispered things I never wanted to forget, I understood that although many often speak of things that never happened and never will, some never speak of the things that did,” he writes.

Each writer shows future promise by finding his or her own unique voice in “Let Go,” and better still, that voice is now audible over the more experienced and more published voice.

3 1/2 stars

Ratings based on a 5 star scale.

Kelsey Foutch is a junior in journalism and mass communication from Waterloo.