Digital Commons Network^™

Nola 2150, Kristopher Ferber

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Abstract

Speculative fiction often takes a dystopic approach where authors envision what will be lost from books being banned in Fahrenheit 451 to us losing our civil liberties in 1984 to most of humanity being wiped out by an engineered virus in Oryx and Crake. This creative thesis takes a more optimistic approach by the act of preservation. In this case the city of New Orleans thriving as an underwater city protected by a glass dome in the year 2150. The city’s vibrant culture remains the same despite being almost too close to comfort to marine life. This work …

An Unlikely Burden, Kendall J. Aufmuth

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

An Unlikely Burdening follows the story of twins, Madeline and Isaac Blake. The harrowing story explores the adversities faced by these high achieving siblings, uncovering deeper truths and depths of pain far seen from the surface. It takes place in various settings, beginning in a mental health inpatient facility after Madeline’s failed suicide attempt, uprooting the entire family’s world as they knew it. Uniquely written in diary form, it provides prospective to the reader from Madeline, Isaac, and both parent’s viewpoint as well. An Unlikely Burdening addresses real world issues such as mental health, and assault. Can Madeline overcome her …

At The Mercy Of All Things: Nurturing Experimental Queer Writing On Embodied Mothering, Charley Koenig

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation is an exploration of the ability of experimental queer writing to grow and transform expressions of mothering and care. The moves made here—both in the scholarship and anchor texts examined herein and in my own contributions to this effort—work to dethatch those toxic dominating narratives on motherhood, enforced and reinforced by our current Western society and culture, that contaminate and restrict our constructions of what it means to be and do mother. The collective work of experimental queer writers makes possible more nuanced, realistic, messy, complex, varied, embodied, liberating, and literally and figuratively dirty renditions of mothering and …

A Moving Cause: Travel Notes Towards Pilgrimage As Creative Writing Process, Elizabeth Reid Boyd

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Pilgrimage Studies is a growing field across the arts and humanities, yet pilgrimage writing is not established as a distinct genre. In this article I share my exploration of pilgrimage as a creative writing process and potential genre. As a social scientist and a creative writer, my approach is qualitative and interdisciplinary, drawing upon an on-the-ground social constructivist perspective and definitions of genre as social action. This includes an ethnomethodological account of my practice that distils ten narrative and thematic elements in the pilgrimage writing process. These elements hinge on the leitmotif of pilgrimage writing being ‘a moving cause’, with …

History And The Teaching Of Dialect And Slang In Screenwriting, Mitch Olson, Chris C. Palmer

Faculty Articles

This article explores academic and industry perspectives on the use of dialect, slang, and historical language in screenwriting. It offers a chronological overview of major screenwriting manuals’ treatment of dialect and slang (or lack thereof) 1946-2020. It then presents survey data of 53 currently-practicing screenwriters’ views on working with dialect and historical language in scripts, as well as their sense of possible changes in the industry regarding attitudes towards diverse voice representation on the page. It concludes with examples from a teaching sequence that illustrates strategies for writing with dialect, researching it, and ethically considering its usage in scripts. Situating …

Glitching Mayakovsky: Teaching The Accidental Poetry Of Machine Learning, Carlotta Chenoweth

Russian Language Journal

In this article, I seek to build on recent scholarship investigating the aesthetic status of AI-generated objects and the creative potential of machine learning by asking how AI glitches can be productive, both poetically and pedagogically. The report outlines an activity I designed for an undergraduate Soviet literature survey course. For this activity, I ask students to work in small groups and generate their own pseudo-Mayakovsky poem using ChatGPT. After sharing the poems, we discuss questions including the following: in what way can Mayakovsky be considered the “author” of these poems? Does this constitute a new literary genre or form? …

A Symphony Of Distractions, Alisha M. White

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

No abstract provided.

Son Of A Preacher Man: There Is Something Beautiful Waiting To Be Born Within You, Georgia Peddie

Masters Theses

In moments where we feel that there is nowhere to go, to turn…in the aftermath of a personal storm, there is One who is always there. Open your heart to discover, dare to surrender…

Are second chances meant for everyone?

A woman who has lost her only son, lost her marriage…

A man who lost a best friend and then his father…

A God of second chances introduces the two

A story of grief and love…

A story of letting God in to move forward…

Son of a Preacher Man is a love story exploring loss, love, and surrender.

Set …

When Books Come Alive: Crafting A Clean Book-To-Screen Adaptation Worth Watching, Larah C. Cox

Masters Theses

The Things We Leave Unfinished is a screenplay adaptation of the novel of the same name by Rebecca Yarros. In this story, audience members will watch as the characters fall in love during both World War II and the present time, and experience how these themes become unbreakable family ties and strong women. This thesis, due to the importance of availability of clean entertainment for Christians to enjoy, explores what is necessary for a filmmaker to provide that kind of film, and seeks to find the answers in what makes a book-to-screen adaptation successful and worthy of an audience (both …

My Beautiful Scars: Writing For Recovery, Amanda Vineyard

Theses and Dissertations

My Beautiful Scars is a memoir written by AL Vineyard. Ms. Vineyard is a recovering methamphetamine and opioid user. She has a painful past and following an injury, fell deep into the world of drugs. Her substance use disorder progressed quickly. After the injury, she was prescribed opioid painkillers. The euphoria provided by the opioids numbed the pain that Vineyard experienced in her life. It became her. Over the years, Vineyard graduated to snorting and then, to shooting up her painkillers. A series of events led Vineyard to quit opioids and start shooting methamphetamine, which took her into a world …

Edge Of The Wagon Wheel, William C. Mcqueen

Online Theses and Dissertations

This is a satirical sci-fi novel set in the near future. Following the inadvertent melting of the ice caps, the United States splits—peacefully, like a mutual breakup—into four new countries. In an attempt to prove that the earth is flat, the Best States of America (BSA) have launched a replica of the Apollo 11 spacecraft with a child prodigy aboard, alone. Meanwhile, a disgruntled low-level government employee from the Left States of America (LSA) detects the launch with the help of his AI computer and makes contact with the BSA astronaut. The story follows everything that transpires to get Buzz …

The Enduring Enigma Of Tom Bombadil: From Riddlic Styling To Metaphorical Encounter, Derek Simon

Journal of Tolkien Research

Conversationalists and critics alike continue to take delight in Tom Bombadil, yet remain perplexed by his enduring enigma. Interpretive positioning appears to be determined by the semantics of the term enigma deployed and how it intersects with any of the several textual standpoints adopted. The primary contention of this article is that the enigma is intentionally both a riddle (noun) and a riddling (verb). Reading the enigma through literary features of the Old English riddle-song can yield an alternate interpretation of Tom Bombadil that has received scant attention in critical commentary. In support of this contention, I propose to read …

Creative Nonfiction, Abby Mcarthur-Self

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Abby McArthur-Self is a senior from Greencastle, Indiana, double majoring in English literature and art history. Their art deals with themes of memory and nostalgia, particularly within the context of the home.

Gratitude., Beamlak Kebede

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Beamlak Kebede is a student from Ethiopia currently double majoring in global health and political science with a minor in English writing. She is still exploring, but nonfiction has become her favorite genre! She loves reading books and crocheting cute trinkets in her free time.

Transcend, Anne Gregg

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Anne Gregg is a junior English writing major, Honor Scholar, and Media Fellow at DePauw. She is also the Editor-In-Chief of A Midwestern Review. Recently she’s developed an interest in liminality, Pinterest mood boards, and cryptozoology. Contrary to popular belief, she is not young; she is ancient and rotting.

When We're Calm, Ellie Davis

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Ellie Davis is a sophomore from Fishers, Indiana, majoring in English writing. She enjoys writing fiction, poetry, and screenplays that focus on identity and self-discovery.

How Beautiful Are We, Abigail Fathauer

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Abigail Fathauer is a junior English literature major, with minors in world literature and art history. She also works as Editor-in-Chief of the DePauw and president of the English Department Student Association (EDSA). In her free time, Abigail enjoys reading, hammocking with friends, and working at the Humane Society.

The Weight Of Speed, Cole Pedro

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Cole Pedro is a senior from Griffith, Indiana, majoring in English literature with a minor in creative writing. They use poetry and fiction as outlets for their lifelong love of storytelling.

Every Minute As I Live It Feels Like An Hour, Ellie Davis

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Ellie Davis is a sophomore from Fishers, Indiana, majoring in English writing. She enjoys writing fiction, poetry, and screenplays that focus on identity and self-discovery.

Our Blood Feeds The Earth, Anne Gregg

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Anne Gregg is a junior English writing and studio art double major from Terre Haute, Indiana. She enjoys using horror and fantasy to create narratives that explore themes of grief and the uncanny.

In Yaakumech, Audrey Ickes

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Audrey Ickes is a Junior, majoring in English writing and double minoring in history and communications, studying abroad this semester at the University of Glasgow. She fancies herself as an amateur world traveler but has only really been to two continents. This is her third published work.

Catch And Release, Elizabeth Davis

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Elizabeth Davis is a senior English writing major from Indianapolis, Indiana. Her work explores themes of vulnerability, intimacy, and connection, often with a focus on the natural world.

Women In Parts, Cole Pedro

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Cole Pedro is a senior from Griffith, Indiana, majoring in English literature with a minor in creative writing. They use poetry and fiction as outlets for their lifelong love of storytelling.

Kansas, Tatum Coi

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Tatum Coi is a junior majoring in English writing and film & media arts. She is an aspiring poet, novelist, screenwriter, and film director. She has written a poetry book that she has yet to publish, and is currently writing her first novel. She would like to thank Chris White.

Candy For Men, Ellie Davis

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Ellie Davis is a sophomore from Fishers, Indiana, majoring in English writing. She enjoys writing fiction, poetry, and screenplays that focus on identity and self-discovery.

Vol. 36. Iss. 2 [Full Issue], _ _

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

No abstract provided.

Make Me A Seagull, Tatum Coi

A Midwestern Review: A Magazine of the Arts and Issues at DePauw University

Tatum Coi is a junior majoring in English writing and film & media arts. She is an aspiring poet, novelist, screenwriter, and film director. She has written a poetry book that she has yet to publish, and is currently writing her first novel. She would like to thank Chris White.

A Spectrum Of Light: Speculative Poetry Of Celestial Bodies And Astrophysics, Shannon Sosebee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This is a collection of speculative poetry with a focus on celestial objects within our solar system and larger bodies outside of our solar system, some of which are only theorized to exist. The author finishes the collection with introspective works, laying bare vulnerabilities and insecurities.

A Glimpse Inside Salaria’S Walls, Katherine Tracey Johanson

Honors Program Theses and Projects

No abstract provided.

Hit-And-Runs: A Memoir, Alison Cope

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The vignettes in this collection are memoir essays connected by the theme of hit-and-runs – i.e., random life encounters in which people share bits of themselves and leave subsequent lasting impressions. Resonating with themes of identity and belonging, overcoming obstacles and taking risks, the chronological throughline visits unique locations around the world, and frequently “hits” historical events, while tracing the narrator’s coming-of-age and spiritual journey from the mountains of Appalachia to the streets of Prague and home to Houston, as she “runs” with carnies and psychics, hurricane refugees, lovers, and predators from whom she must escape. Interspersed in these memoirs …