Creative Writing Commons^™

Aeolian Tones: A Book Of Minor Poetry About Isolation And The Space Between Disconnection And Connection, Thaddeus Tague

Masters Theses

This is the artistic statement for Aeolian Tones, the poetry chapbook that will serve as my thesis. In this accompanying paper, I explore the vision, process, and inspiration behind the various themes in the chapbook, as well as the overall goal. I hope to provide personal context for the writing's purpose, as well as offer reflections and interpretive guidelines for how the poetry can and should be understood. In this work, I aim to provide a space for readers seeking reflections on loneliness, healing, profound pain, and disconnection.

Next, the literature review will examine ten modern works of minor non-epic …

Archetypes: Angels Of Literary Art; Demons Of Science, Ronald A. Davidson

Masters Theses

This Master of Fine Arts Creative Writing thesis focuses on archetypal literary theory and criticism and their application to Bushido of the Cur, a novella by Ronald A. Davidson. The critical analysis will evaluate the characters in the novella and identify how their roles in the story align with everyday human experiences, suggesting the existence of a literary collective unconscious. The creative manuscript, Bushido of the Cur, exploits the craft of character development to present a storyline that feels authentic, even though it is a work of historical fiction in the western noir genre. The goal of the manuscript is …

What Once Was Lost, Olivia Black

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the popular found family trope in literature, to analyze why this craft element has gained popularity within the genre of young adult adventure fiction, and to explore how this literary device is utilized in the first part of the novel 'What Once Was Lost.' This thesis begins with an artist statement, in which the writer explores her background and how she developed an interest in the found family trope. This statement also specifically references the connection between found family and the writer’s creative manuscript. The thesis then shifts to a critical paper …

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.

The Gray Bird Sings: The Extraordinary Life Of Betty Kwan Chinn (Second Edition), Karen M. Price Ph.D.

Trade & Scholarly Monographs

“Touched by childhood tragedy, Betty Chinn brings hope to those who have fallen on hard times. Left homeless as a child in China, Chinn became mute. When she came to America, she found both her voice and her mission: aiding those without shelter on our own shores. ” -Barack Obama, awarding Betty the Presidential Citizens Medal

As a child during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, she was separated from her family, imprisoned, and ruthlessly tortured. As an immigrant to the United States, she worked tirelessly to shelter and feed thousands in her community. How she survived monstrous conditions, challenged impossible odds, …

Sky, Atreyee Majumder

Articles

A peer-reviewed ethnographic poem, it is a reflection on the travel of the soul across time and in and out of bodies, a theory that is well regarded in the corpus of Hindu philosophy. Formally, the poem is an attempt to excavate the skeleton of the Indian poet/scholar/translator A K Ramanujan's poem Chicago Zen.

Midlife, Michael Sevcik

Poetry MFA Theses

Abstract

Midlife by Michael James Sevcik is a collection of poetry that explores issues of age, gender, sexuality, identity, desire, family, and loss within a predominantly domestic space while addressing broader social, cultural, and philosophical issues using a phenomenological poetics grounded in everyday experience. The collection is organized into three distinct yet interrelated “movements:” the first movement, “Anchored,” establishes an existential yearning amidst professional and amorous stasis and familial pressures. The second movement, “Liminal,” explores temporality and its relationship to place and memory. The third movement, “Renewal,” incorporates travel, family history, and art, transforming them into critical modes of aesthetic …

Lost In Translation: Navigating Cultural And Linguistic Barriers For Indian Learners In Tesol Classrooms, Shivam Jaynarayanbhai Gohel

Master's Projects and Capstones

ABSTRACT

This thesis examines the cultural, linguistic and emotional issues of the Indian multilingual students in the U.S. TESOL classroom and explains the value of decolonized and culturally responsive pedagogies to ameliorate foreign language anxiety and create equitable education. Based on the frameworks of Culturally Responsive/Sustaining Pedagogy and Affective Filter Theory, the study integrates existing and existing research to investigate the role of colonial heritage in influencing TESOL practice, the undermining effect of anxiety on academic achievement and the empowering effect of instructions that are inclusive and responsive. Chapter I presents the problem, including how multilingual and multicultural identities of …

An Axe To The Funny Bone: Curated Instability And Horror-Comedy Intersections In American Storytelling, Samantha Box

Masters Theses

Funny. Terrifying. Subversive.

Horror-Comedy twists and bites at the intersection of two incredibly reactive genres— with both Horror and Comedy being well known for the political and social discourses they embody and reinvent through story. While prevalent in American popular culture, scholarly analysis of this hybrid space barely exists beyond a small number of Film Studies investigations. Despite this lack, Horror-Comedy works continue to be successfully produced. This thesis unpacks the vibrant relationship between fear and laughter in contemporary American storytelling through Horror-Comedy, maintaining a focus on structural dynamics and the audience-disarming results of simultaneously applying horror and humor to …

Autastic!, Torri Blue

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

Artist Statement (creative writing, poetry):

"Autastic!" is a poem about the beauty and tenderness of autistic experience. It's also about autistic relationality--our connection with one another in the neurodivergent community, as well as with the more-than-human world. It's a snapshot of autistic culture and communication as lived by one autistic poet, an invitation into an "autistic we."

Where The Shadows Mark Me, Jan A. Wozniak

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

No abstract provided.

Midday Rehearsals—Philosopher’S Walk, Early Term, Jan A. Wozniak

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

No abstract provided.

Parking Lot Lights, Rachel Furey

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

No abstract provided.

Neurodivergent Kintsugi, Jenée Stanfield

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

Jenée Stanfield is a late-realized, neuroqueer woman living in the Pacific Northwest with her spouse and her dog. She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Pacific Lutheran University and is currently working towards a MS in Restorative Practices at the International Institute for Restorative Practices.

She has presented professional development workshops and conference sessions on topics related to neurodivergent community and neurodivergent-affirming restorative practices in higher education. She co-founded a neurodivergent staff and faculty community at the college where she works as an advisor.

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 …

Life Of A Military Child, Hannah Barnes

Philomathean

No abstract provided.

Retreat From Severodonetsk, Stan Galloway

Philomathean

No abstract provided.

On Ghosts, Sam Hamilton

Philomathean

No abstract provided.

Yellow Pajamas, Stan Galloway

Philomathean

No abstract provided.