Nonfiction Commons^™

The Awakening, Harriet Bishop

Manuscripts

And there I stood, a useless, living form
With roughened hands in worn out pockets pushed
And felt some force, not mine, had changed my will,
I turned my face up toward a darkened night.
There at my feet was spread an ancient world,
While high above there whirled a universe;
And far within the depths of treasured years
Strange, kindly voices dimmed the call of space.
For far below was all that used to be
While out in space stood life's futurity.

Felice, Marijane Badger

Manuscripts

I had been working hard all summer. When my vacation finally came, I decided to get "away from it all" and rented a cabin on a small lake. I arrived at the resort in the late afternoon of a warm September day. The lake was choppy and angry, little waves slapped at the shore.

"You should have come up sooner, Miss Morgan, we had a lovely summer. All of the vacationers are gone now, although we have a man in the cabin next to yours. I didn't think you would want to be left absolutely alone. He won't bother you, …

Thinking Makes It So, Jean Pastor

Manuscripts

"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so."
The purpose of this paper is to analyze and evaluate the above statement, but before proceeding with the analysis, a backward glance at its history will prove interesting.
Although popular opinion generally attributes the origin of "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so" to William Shakespeare, this idea must come under the heading of a "popular fallacy." In this instance, as in numerous others, Shakespeare has merely articulated one of the commonplaces of the time. In other words, the Elizabethans might have been …

The Blind Man, Helen E. Hughes

Manuscripts

I know you as you walk among my rooms,
Your head turned thus, your shoulders moving so,
Your hands made busy with the sound of brooms,
The many little tasks that women know.
Dear brilliant lady, as you come and go,
Is light lent to my days. In you I find
A roof against the rain-let winter blow!
Look on me, love, with kindness; for my mind,
My heart, my searching hands that clasp you-are
not blind.

Tradition, Mary M. Schortemeter

Manuscripts

Katherine Schneider Sat in the large, ugly, black leather chair that stood by the parlor window. She touched the worn chair arms with hesitant, reverential fingers. This had been Papa's chair, and now he was gone. All she had left was the square oil portrait so faded from the suns of many years that she could scarcely define the stern lines of his German face.

She lifted her eyes to Papa's picture and saw how stubborn was his chin, how coldly keen were his eyes. He always looked just that same way, she knew. He never changed anything. He never …

Greek And Latin In College Curricula, John E. Ross

Manuscripts

One of the changes in college curricula has been the lessening emphasis upon the study of the classics in literature and language. R. Freeman Butts discusses the historical setting of this change in his recent book The College Charts Its Course. Mr. Butts places an emphasis upon two aspects of this condition in education: "the origins of the traditions that a liberal education should be predominantly linguistic and literary in character," and "the rapidly changing social and intellectual conditions of the nineteenth century weakened this conception of a liberal education in the American college and gave rise to many innovations …

They, Inc., Jeanne Gass

Manuscripts

"Well, look who's here. Our new tenderfoot himself." Abby eased gently into the big wine-colored chair.
The man across the room scowled and fiddled with his hands and looked at the floor.
Emmie sighed ever so slightly. "I told them we could handle this assignment ourselves."
The man muttered. "Well. This was an important case."
Abby sniffed delicately. Emmie put her hand up' to her mouth and whispered, "It's all right, Abby. They probably had to give him something to keep him busy. He won't hurt anything."
"Mustn't have professional jealousy, you know," the man added defensively.

After Diana, Mary Wiley

Manuscripts

The clink of coffee-cups is pleasant here.
See, I have drawn the curtains fast, and shut
The moon's distracting light from our bright hearth.
Your grave brown warmth is heightened so
And I do not remember with such pain how sweet
The star's carress falls on the traveller's face,
When first he lifts it up to worship them.

The Concert, Joseph Berry

Manuscripts

The small, quiet man sat before a great sparkling mirror and swore quietly as he rubbed prodigious quantities of rouge onto his sallow complexion. He surveyed his rosy cheeks in the glass, stood erect and made a mocking bow, very deeply, very slowly.

"And you also, you ass? I'm extremely delighted to hear you say so. Really, you're too kind. Really. Why, it couldn't have been that fine, you're just flattering me. You fool, you wouldn't know a bow from a mute. All you ever look at is my shoes. 'Performance in proportion to square of brilliance.' Is my tie …

Volume 9, Issue 1: Full Issue

Manuscripts

Full issue of the March 2014 issue of Manuscripts. Includes work by: Joseph Berry, Mary Wiley, Jeanne Gass, John Ross, Mary Margrette Schortemeier, Helen Hughes, Jean Pastor, Marijane Badger, Hariet Bishop, Jack Kilgore, Jean Bowden, Dean Wildman, Elizabeth Clark, Rachel Whelan, Robert L. Harris, Ed McNamara, Frances Shemelson, Josephine Rosenfeld, Geraldine Staley, Tom Wagle, Keith White, Betty Lee Snyder, James Hawekotte, Riley Sullivan, Ardath Weigler, John Rock, and Jim Mitchell.

Front Matter

Manuscripts

Front Matter includes: front cover, table of contents, and masthead

White Boy, Anonymous

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

This piece represents the difference between race and environment coming from my perspective as a first-gen college student.

Life Is Very Much Like A Storm, Anonymous

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

A day in the life of a first gen student.

I'M On The Right Track, Guadalupe Mejia

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

Being a first generation college student meant that sometimes I would feel confused and lost among the swarm of information being thrown at me. This piece shows how necessary it is to keep a positive outlook and to learn to rely on the support that you receive, whether from parents or from within. This is my first-gen experience.

Mi Tierra Natal, Anonymous

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

My father has an overarching influence on me. It has, for as long as I can remember, been my goal to make him proud of me. I'm not sure if I have, I am not sure if haven't, but one thing is for certain, he has and will always continue being my motivation. He, along with my mother, are my reason to continue on with this concept of "pushing forward." They are the defintion of my first-gen expereince, but I think it's important for me to understand their experiences and how they have shaped mine. This is my attempt at …

Higher Education, Anonymous

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

This is literally my story of attending LMU as a first-gen college student. It includes what it took for me to get here as well as the struggles that I still face. I am still writing this essay as I live it, but I am glad that I had a chance to reflect on where I have come so far.

Hasty Journaling On A Badass Little Old Lady's Computer, Anonymous

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

AB Trip Tucson/East LA 2014 was heartwrenching for this writer. The trip focused on immigration, particularly on the plights of the people affected by the militarization of the border. The writer is undocumented his/herself, and for this reason would prefer to keep his/her identity en cachette.

Vision: The Blind Steps Of A First-Generation College Student, Adrian Vazquez

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

It is difficult to pinpoint or isolate specific events in a person’s life and say, “There, that is what caused this to happen--that’s what’s shaped him in to who he is.” Often it is a series of sometimes unrelated events that mold and shape an individual into who he or she is. This is such an account. It is a narrative of my journey describing some of the twists and turns, the good times and the bad leading up to my acceptance into LMU and the beginning of my new life.

The Interweaving Of Metaphor: Writing And Crocheting, Jennifer Ellspermann

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

As part of my personal development, I found that attending LMU helped me to better understand my multiple identities. How do you define a half Mexican/half Caucasian female who is a fraternal twin and had a Catholic school upbringing? I have found that my family, educational background, and creative writing has helped me to express the excitement, frustrations, and expectations of being the first in my family to obtain a university degree.

I'Ve Changed, Kenneth Chancey

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

This piece entitled "I've Changed "is a personal testimony told creatively through incorporation of a physical statue known by many, and the use of imagination, in order to understand my past experiences. Just as "I've Changed" demonstrates my potential to adapt and overcome many obstacles that have presented themselves to me in the past, it also highlights my strength and potential to continue pushing forward. The piece relates to my first-generation experience here at LMU because often I have felt isolated, dumb and unworthy of the education I have received, not because I lack intelligence, but because I did not …