Fiction Commons^™

Why The Dancer Laughs, Anna Summerville

Student Scholar Symposium

The short story “Why the Dancer Laughs” explores the gradual mental and physical decay of a professional dancer, as she struggles to come to terms with a new life in which a chronic illness slowly takes the power from her legs. Weaving through her grief and regret in an introspective first person perspective, the story explores themes of change and holding onto the past, using a statue of a dancer in her family room as a foil between its preserved state and her deteriorating form. Overall, “Why the Dancer Laughs” aims to answer the question: How do we find the …

Commonthought (2025), Commonthought Staff

Commonthought

This issue features works created by Lesley University students and covers a broad range of topics. The work itself crosses many disciplines from creative writing to visual arts.

Rocket Holler, Sarah Wofford

Staff and Faculty Scholarship

Astra-Dean decides to explore an old spaceship half-buried out in the woods. This short story was published in December 2025 as part of an anthology titled "No Mercy in This Land." Cover art by Aya Francisco.

Kaleidoscope, Katherine Kennedy

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Awkward, sullen, and superior, Avery has never been good with people, and that’s fine by him. Painting is the only thing he has ever liked; the only thing he’s ever been good at. Starting college is his chance to give himself completely to his passion and see what he’s capable of when he’s not wasting time pretending to be interested in other people.

That’s why being seated next to Daisy in Studio Art is a catastrophe.

Daisy is everything Avery finds annoying; she’s overly friendly, chatty, and emotional. But over the course of the semester, Avery finds himself drawn in …

Sex, The Body, And Learning Gender: Demons In The World Of The Five Gods, Erin E. Mcbrien

Mythopoeic Society Seminar Proceedings

“Sex, the Body, and Learning Gender” analyzes the relationship between the physical body, sexual orientation, and gender as characterized within Lois McMaster Bujold’s World of the Five Gods series, with a particular emphasis on her Penric and Desdemona novellas. Using the framework of Bussey and Bandura’s social learning theory, and a close reading of Bujold’s text, this paper explores how the demonic characters within this series are an example of gender as a learned concept rather than a biological imperative. This is further developed by examining how the demonic characters both imprint on and contrast against the more societally-bound sorcerers …

Finertipped In Wait, Katerina Ronconi

Gandy Dancer Archives

No abstract provided.

Entre La Sombra Y El Lienzo: Clea Dessendre Como Modelo De Personaje Secundario Complejo, Lydia Huijbregts Jaen, Antonio Horno López

GDI. Revista de investigación de Género, Diseño e Innovación

Introducción: Este artículo analiza a Clea Dessendre en Clair Obscure: Expedition 33, explorando su versión real y la pintada en el lienzo, y su impacto en la narrativa del juego. Metodología: Se aplicó un análisis narrativo, psicológico y ludológico, integrando teorías de duelo (Kübler-Ross), socialización (Baumrind) y comunicación (DiSC) vinculadas con la jugabilidad. Resultados: Clea-Real encarna disciplina y perfeccionismo; Clea-Pintada, una proyección maternal. El gameplay conecta su psicología con la experiencia del jugador. Discusión: Las identidades paralelas muestran cómo traumas y expectativas moldean personajes complejos. Conclusiones: Clea evidencia cómo la narrativa y la mecánica se fusionan para crear …

Democratizing Music Production Through Technology, Jacob W. Alfaro

Capstone Projects and Master's Theses

This paper explores the history of recording technology and the effects of innovations on recording contemporary music. It follows the changing roles and relationships between artist and producer, as well as a brief look into the recording of our album as a real-time example.

Bias And The Writing Process In Adaptations And Retellings Of Mythology, Haley Sanderson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

My thesis is an examination of how adaptations and retellings of mythology are written and affected by readership and reception of mythology. I compare American Gods by Neil Gaiman and The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood and how they are written as adaptations and retellings of mythology. As seen in both novels, the presence of the mythological source material in adaptations and retellings of mythology is equally influenced by authors’ perception and the influence of readership. Approaching the ideological positions of Atwood and Gaiman through the similarities and differences of The Penelopiad and American Gods provides a deeper insight on the …

Looking Down From Parliament Hill, Kira Hook

Gandy Dancer Archives

No abstract provided.

His Own Eyes, Noah Banas

Gandy Dancer Archives

No abstract provided.

Confessions, Stephen Piazza

Gandy Dancer Archives

No abstract provided.

Naam, Amna Haider

Graduate Thesis Collection

This thesis is a collection of short stories that blends realism, speculative fiction, and South Asian folklore to examine how identity is negotiated through belief, culture, and survival across borders. The stories center characters who must continually interpret the worlds they inhabit in order to sustain self identity. Names in this collection function as sites of power and vulnerability: they are inherited, altered and concealed, shaping how characters are seen and how they see themselves. Alongside names, the supernatural and myth emerges not only as metaphors, but as lived forces, drawing from Islamic folklore and mythic traditions to articulate experiences …

Real World? Real World., Colton Cuca Campbell

Regeneración: A Xicanacimiento Studies Journal

Real World? Real World. by Colton Cuca Campbell.

The Road To Santana, Divana Olivas

Regeneración: A Xicanacimiento Studies Journal

The Road to Santana by Divana Olivas.

The Game Of Chance, Alieth Caceres

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

Through my first semester at college, I was faced with the capability of not coming back due to being from a low-income family. Being a first-gen, I didn’t have anyone to guide me and I went from place to place begging for something to hold on to. My biggest goal for my family and I is to graduate from college and it is unfair that this opportunity will come short only because of financial problems. In some moments I felt all was lost, some telling me that I couldn’t and should just give up. All the connections I had reached …

Breaking Barriers First-Gen Experiences, Fiorella Salazar, Alondra Hernandez, Alieth Caceres, Aolanni Jimenez-Gonzalez, Alberto Martinez, Karol Martinez, Jesus Arias, Julian Melendez Miranda, Gabby Flores, Isabell Lachinpour, Jefferson Ramos, Annette Gomez, Zahir Pineda, Alejandra Rodriguez, Carla Bueno

First-Gen Voices: Creative and Critical Narratives on the First-Generation College Experience

In Breaking Barriers: First-Gen Experiences, first-gen students showcased their stories through poems, art, research, and personal reflections. Every story reflects resilience and creativity as they navigate their educational and personal journeys with a first-gen identity. These are stories that we can connect to and learn from to further build bridges for future generations in The First to Go Program!

The Emergency Exit, Aisha Alchaar

The Graduate Review

The Emergency Exit is a short story that blends elements of fantasy and magical realism to explore themes of trauma, resilience, and self-discovery. The narrative follows Amy, a sixteen-year-old girl trapped in a life of abuse, neglect, and despair. On the verge of running away, she stumbles upon a mysterious door labeled "The Emergency Exit," which transports her to an unfamiliar world—one filled with kindness, beauty, and the possibility of a better life. As Amy navigates this seemingly perfect place, she experiences love and belonging for the first time. However, just as she begins to embrace her new reality, she …

Backspin, Ryan Juliano

The Graduate Review

"Backspin" is an experiment in metafiction. The piece's narrative features two characters contemplating greater meaning within the story they find themselves in.

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …