Another Inconsistency: A Collection,
2026
CUNY Brooklyn College
Another Inconsistency: A Collection, Christy Luong
Student Theses
A collection of stories.
Selfown,
2026
CUNY Brooklyn College
The Oncoming Light: An Experiential Approach To Psychological Exposition Through Dialogue-Driven Narrative,
2026
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
The Oncoming Light: An Experiential Approach To Psychological Exposition Through Dialogue-Driven Narrative, Benjamin G. Dewitt
Honors Theses
Narrative is a lens through which we understand ourselves, our histories, our futures, and our ties to those around us. Narrative form has undergone vast transformations over time, and in the case of “postmodern” literature, pushes the boundaries of form into the experimental, questioning the truth of knowledge itself. While these experimental works can give rise to uniquely powerful emotional experiences, some components of narrative, when abandoned, may only hinder the immersion of the reader. This thesis evaluates several experimental, dialogue-driven narrative works against these components: linguistic, literal, emotional, and intellectual significance, in a hierarchy of importance as proposed by …
Creative Nonfiction Essays,
2026
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Creative Nonfiction Essays, Colby S. Langley
Honors Theses
To write about the present with any authority requires a keen eye for the past. To write from our lives into meaningful creative nonfiction requires a firm understanding that experience is the composite of life experience blending into the current moment. The writing is then drawn irreversibly towards emotion: indulgent and oppressive. The extremity of emotion dictates the difficulty of transcribing the experience onto the page, and violence is a source of both extreme emotion and experience. It is important to note that I am primarily considering personal violence for this essay, while societal and institutional violence have their own …
Memory Organs,
2026
CUNY Hunter College
Memory Organs, Coco Ma
Theses and Dissertations
Working across architectural sculpture, sonic works, and monoprints, this thesis explores the body as a site where memory, materiality, and cultural history converge. Drawing from muscle memory, Chinese architectural thresholds, and female narratives, it traces a body that is simultaneously physical and psychological, personal and collective, constant yet always shifting.
Lovepilled,
2026
CUNY Hunter College
Lovepilled, Zhiliang Zhao
Theses and Dissertations
"Lovepilled" is a collection of essays and stories about love, the longing for it, and where it takes place.
Heirloomed: An Italian-American Daughter Weaving Past And Present,
2026
City University of New York (CUNY)
Heirloomed: An Italian-American Daughter Weaving Past And Present, Catherine Santino
Theses and Dissertations
Amid a string of family deaths, writer and journalist Catherine Santino found herself preoccupied by the idea of lineage and inheritance. As she digs into her Sicilian heritage, she explores how the traditions and values set forth by her family’s matriarchs have shaped the woman she’s still becoming. From grappling with the shame caused by the Roman Catholic Church’s teachings of purity to examining how Italian food customs impacted her body image, Santino interrogates the complicated truth that the belief systems she was raised with offer both comfort and torment.
Internalizing Diasporic Peoples: How Do We Keep Native Hawaiians Connected?,
2026
Whittier College
Internalizing Diasporic Peoples: How Do We Keep Native Hawaiians Connected?, Kallie P. Kaaihue-Paopao
Whittier Scholars Program
In the attempt to better understand the grounds for the generation culture disconnect of identity in Native Hawaiians, I study the diaspora of my people. Diaspora is the dispersion of people from their native lands. I find interest in this aspect of my people because the most common studies blame our dispersion on socioeconomic status and as a Native Hawaiian that wishes to do more for her people, I want to express that while it plays a part that there is a disconnection between the social actions and reactions of Hawaiʻi’s people. Common questions that I find unanswered are, why …
The "Evil Forest" As Threshold: A Computational Eco-Feminist Study Of The Forest In Nigerian Fantasy,
2026
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
The "Evil Forest" As Threshold: A Computational Eco-Feminist Study Of The Forest In Nigerian Fantasy, Cynthia O. Mbagwu
Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
This study examines the representation of the “evil forest” in Nnedi Okorafor’s Zahrah the Windseeker and Ukamaka Olisakwe’s Don’t Answer When They Call Your Name, arguing that the forest functions as a liminal threshold that catalyses female transformation. Combining close reading with computational tools like TF-IDF keyword extraction in Ruby and sentiment analysis using VADER, the project investigates how pre-colonial and colonial connotations of the “evil forest” are re-imagined in contemporary Nigerian fantasy fiction. By segmenting each narrative into pre-liminal, liminal, and post-liminal phases, the study tracks shifts in sentiment toward the forest and correlates them with thematic developments …
The Illusion Of Absence,
2026
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
The Illusion Of Absence, Abraham K. Ali
Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
The Illusion of Absence is a collection of thirty poems with a critical introduction that examines the poetic legacy of paternal absence and the reconfiguration of family in Africa and diasporic narratives. I grew up in Nigeria without my father. His absence has shaped my understanding of love, silence, manhood, and home. This manuscript is an exploration of the lasting legacy of my father’s absence and its place within an exploration of masculinity within the broader context of the African and diasporic experience. My mother became the focal point within the home as she brought cohesion and unity within the …
Killing The Hot Vampire: Gender, Camp, And The Stakes Of Desire In Nineteenth-Century Vampire Fiction,
2026
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Killing The Hot Vampire: Gender, Camp, And The Stakes Of Desire In Nineteenth-Century Vampire Fiction, Ella G. Kehr
Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
This thesis examines the representation and destruction of the Hot Vampire in nineteenth-century vampire fiction, focusing on Dracula (1897), Carmilla (1872), and The Blood of the Vampire (1897). It argues that these texts construct the female vampire as a figure of excessive sexuality, independence, and deviance which causes both societal (patriarchal) and narrative disruption. In the male-authored texts, the construction of the Hot Vampire is exaggerated beyond the neat bounds of gothic excess and monster theory. The destruction of these vampires also follows this unbound extravagance. The Hot Vampire’s death becomes the ritualized restoration of patriarchal order, which is often …
Produce,
2026
DePauw University
Produce, Chelsea Parsley '28
A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University
Chelsea Parsley is a sophomore Creative Writing major at DePauw University. She enjoys drawing, writing, singing, and accumulating obscure pieces of trivia.
Monster,
2026
DePauw University
Monster, Melissa Butler '29
A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University
Melissa (Mel) Butler is a rising sophomore Pre-med Biochem major from Chicago, IL. She is also a spoken word artist working in mental health and social justice activism. She hopes that her poetry will remind people that they are never alone and that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.
The Ringworm Poem,
2026
DePauw University
The Ringworm Poem, Riley Hamilton '26
A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University
Riley Hamilton is a Senior English Writing major and Studio Art minor at DePauw University. She loves acrylic painting, making abstract collages, and of course, reading and writing. She enjoys practicing yoga, hiking, and camping.
Longlines,
2026
DePauw University
Longlines, Morgan Tharp '26
A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University
Morgan Tharp is a Senior English-Writing and Political Science double major. In her free time, she enjoys running for DePauw's cross country and track teams and reading.
Silver Daylight (4 A.M.),
2026
DePauw University
Silver Daylight (4 A.M.), Justine Vandenberg '26
A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University
Justine Vandenberg is an Environmental Fellow at DePauw University majoring in Global (Environmental) Health and Sustainability. She is also a writer, poet, and photographer who is passionate about using artistic forms to advocate for the health of ecosystems and human communities. To Justine, nature is home, and art is activism.
How To Live Alone,
2026
DePauw University
How To Live Alone, Cora Gibson '27
A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University
Cora is a rising senior at DePauw with a double major in pre-engineering and environmental geoscience, and a minor in math. Outside of rocks and integrals, she loves strong coffee, knitted sweaters, and a head back laugh with friends.
If The Flowers Were To Wither...,
2026
DePauw University
If The Flowers Were To Wither..., Ira Satpathy '28
A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University
Ira is a rising junior majoring in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. They work at The DePauw, and also host a podcast on feminist philosophy. Ira loves to draw portraits, play badminton, and scroll their Substack feed endlessly.
The Ballad Of Blorg,
2026
DePauw University
The Ballad Of Blorg, Isaiah Morgan '26
A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University
Justus Morgan is a Song major in his senior year at DePauw. He is delighted by those places beyond the expanding frontiers of his knowledge and writes about everything from not falling in love to imaginary wetlands to that one look from Margiela's S/S 1990 runway show. He recommends skygazing.
I Never Saw My Grandpa Run,
2026
DePauw University
I Never Saw My Grandpa Run, Cole Jacob '27
A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University
Cole is a junior Economics student and Management Fellow at DePauw University. He draws inspiration from his family, the natural world, and stories passed down through generations. His favorite poet is Robert Wrigley. Cole enjoys hiking, camping, and everything outdoors.
