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Volume 104, Number 1 - Spring 2026, The Alembic

The Alembic

Cover "The Stars are Screaming in the Field Outside my Apartment" by Hale Mueller

The Snake, Jacqueline Lombardo

The Alembic

No abstract provided.

This Plastic, Pulkita Anand

The Alembic

No abstract provided.

How Visual Art In Fatty Legs And A Stranger At Home Deepens The Understanding Of Historical Atrocities And Colonial Violence Inflicted On Indigenous Children In Residential Schools In The United States And Canada, Beth Rocco

Student Theses

“I can fix my own hair,” I protested in Inuvialuktun, but she held tight and, with the same motion a bird makes to pull a piece of flesh from a fish, clamped the jaws of the shears down on my braid and severed it” (Pokiak-Fenton 31). This scene in Fatty Legs by Christy Jordan-Fenton and Margaret-Olemaun Pokiak-Fenton, was a deep cut into the soul of a child. The first slash was being taken away from her parents and family. Next was chopping off her hair, a symbol of identity and tribal pride for Indigenous people. The children began their residential …

Saltfish And Seedcake: Examining Fantasy Through Food Studies, Isabella Martins-Simonsen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Although mundane and often overlooked in reality, in fantasy, food, like all other things, is entirely symbolic. Therefore, considering food closely when analyzing a fantasy text offers unique insights into the world being developed, the characters within that world, and the author’s own understanding of both the real and “secondary” world. In this paper, I consider the foods of Earthsea, Narnia, and Middle Earth to offer various perspectives on the worldbuilding and examine the implications of different foods in these well-known settings. For example, the tea served in Narnia creates a fantasy world that is more normal than the strange …

Death And The Uncanny: Freud, Grief, And The Horror Of Inevitability In Ari Aster’S Hereditary And Midsommar, Courtney Michelle Taylor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores how Ari Aster’s Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019) create ongoing discomfort among viewers through their shared focus on death and the tensions between fate and freewill.

Using Freud’s concept of the uncanny as a lens, this thesis argues that these films are disturbing because they introduce familiar horrors in a newly unsetting way, forcing audience members to confront deep rooted fears of grief, loss, and the lack of control.

By repeatedly forcing his audience and characters to confront death and the illusion of agency, Aster successfully creates the prolonged anxiety and dread felt by many viewers of …

Beyond Trends: The Potential Influence Of The Ela Teachers Of Tiktok, Heather Lynn Wright, Lauren May

Virginia English Journal

This paper describes a study on content from secondary English Language Arts (ELA) teachers of TikTok and their potential influence on future teachers. There were two research questions: (1) What information is being dispersed through TikTok specifically for secondary ELA teachers?; (2) What connotations about secondary ELA teaching are implied implicitly or explicitly through the tone of the TikTok creator? TikToks were examined through a three-part framework, considering the constructs of performances (Goffman, 1956), stickiness (Zott et al., 2000), and affinity spaces (Gee, 2004). Using a systematic approach, 50 secondary ELA TikTok accounts were identified and the top 20 …

Interview With Orca Award Winner Paul Olson, Unl English; Literature, Curricular Reform, Great Plains Studies, Mark A. Griep, Paul A. Olson

UNL ORCA Interview Series

Paul Olson was awarded the ORCA in 1984. He was born in 1932 in Washburn, Wisconsin. During his youth, his family also farmed in Nebraska and South Dakota. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas. Next, he earned a master’s in English from the University of Nebraska, had a Fulbright fellowship to spend a year at London University in England, and earned his doctorate in medieval and Renaissance studies from Princeton University in New Jersey. In 1957, he joined UNL as an assistant professor of English and was soon promoted to full professor. One of his …

They Write Themselves: Romancing The Vampire Of Lighthouse Landing, Dezi Vaile

Masters Theses

Many fantasy creatures have dark pasts; supernatural, often disturbing, stories that have been tossed in a sauce of romance to appeal to a wider palette. While vampires are typically regarded as creations of nightmares, these creatures of the night have been no exception to this cycle. Although legends of blood suckers far predate the birth of Bram Stoker, Dracula is arguably the most enduring and important example of vampire literature. By beginning with Dracula, alongside earlier works like The Vampyre and Carmilla, we will track what has and has not changed within the genre of vampire literature. With the passage …

A Curious Companion: Care, Curiosity, And Companion Species In The Complete Adventures Of Curious George, Charlotte Brooks '26

Honor Scholar Theses

This thesis examines the Curious George series through Donna Haraway’s companion species framework in order to analyze how narratives of care, curiosity, and goodness structure human–animal relationships within the stories. Focusing on the first seven books written and illustrated by H. A. Rey and Margret Rey, as compiled in The Complete Adventures of Curious George (2001), the project uses close textual and visual analysis to examine how George’s curiosity repeatedly generates disruption that is managed through intervention, discipline, and forgiveness by human authority figures, particularly the man with the yellow hat. Drawing on Haraway’s concepts of companion species, naturecultures, and …

Satori 2026, Lupema Celis Castillo, Amity Collins, Lydia Domaille, Grace Emiliusen, Alysen Endres, Holly Foss, Jenifer Frick, Benjamin Hagen, Linda Hang, Ely Herrick, Axel Hillis, Eva Hodnick, Sarah Huderle, Dylan Jackson, Kira Kainz, Sayeeda Khan, Greta Kirsch, Reianna Larson, Jacinda Lundeen, Kendra Mcclure, Marissa Mcclure, Linda Moua, Kaylee Nickisch, Ella Page, Kari Plumley, Caleb Reed, Reagan Roesler, Sarah Schmick, Mandie Schmidt, Elizabeth Schneider, Lucy Severson, Gracia Sonderup, Emily Sowers, Celia Stern, Shelby Svien, Liz Tischler, Jackie Velishek, Allen Wedekind

Satori Literary Magazine

The Satori is a student literary publication that expresses the artistic spirit of the students of Winona State University. Student poetry, prose, and graphic art are published in the Satori every spring since 1970.

The Satori 2026 editors and creators are:

Design and Technical Editors: Elena Armstrong, Jenifer Frick, Eva Hodnick, Sarah Huderle, Linda Moua

Prose Editors: Shaela Eriksen, Linda Hang, Camden McDonald, Callie Sahlstrom

Poetry Editors: Lydia Domaille, Dylan Jackson, Reagan Roesler, Allen Wedekind

Art Editors: Kendra McClure, Jade McElmury, Charlie Lund

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Liberty Kohn

WINONA PRIZE WINNERS 2026

• Allen Wedekind (Nonfiction) -  Pleasant Transgender Man
• Mandie …

"Black History Is Black Horror": Hauntology And Cultural Trauma In 20th And 21st Century Black Women's Gothic Horror, Destini S. Beckwith

Theses

Octavia Butler’s Afrofuturistic, gothic horror, neo-slave narrative Kindred (1979) vividly illustrates the story of a woman, Dana, involuntarily time-traveling from her home in 1976 Los Angeles, California, to a plantation in 19th-century Maryland. The interactions that she has with her ancestors, such as Alice, a free Black woman, and Rufus, a white man who enslaves Alice, leave Dana mentally and physically scarred. The 20th-century novel is meant to graphically reflect on the horrors of enslavement and the mental and physical effects that Black people endured/still endure because of it (i.e., grief, racial violence, and post-traumatic stress disorder). Furthermore, the novel’s …

Gun Control In The United States Of America, Blessing Crowder

Distinguished Student Scholarship Collection

This paper examines the issue of gun control in the United States by analyzing the relationship between firearm accessibility and gun‑related crime, including homicide, suicide, and accidental deaths. Drawing on historical examples, scholarly research, legal cases, and public opinion data, the paper argues that restricting access to firearms can significantly reduce gun‑related violence. It explores how firearms often fall into unauthorized hands, the role of mental health and impulsivity in violent outcomes, and the disproportionate risks firearms pose in racially charged environments. The paper also addresses opposing arguments centered on self‑defense and deterrence, evaluating legal precedents and ethical justifications for …

Sinclair Lewis Society Newsletter, Vol 34, No. 2, The Sinclair Lewis Society

Sinclair Lewis Society Newsletter

"Following Up with Conrad," review-essay on Writers Like Us: My Life with Sinclair Lewis, by Barnaby Conrad, with Barnaby Conrad III, by Frederick Betz

Teaching "He Loved His Country" by Shaun F. Richards

In Memoriam: George Capsis by Sally E. Parry

Inside the Network of American Foreign Correspondents in Interwar Europe: A Review of Last Call at the Hotel Imperial: The Reporters Who Took On a World at War, by Deborah Cohen. Random House, 2022. by Bernhard Wenzl

A Dr. Martin Arrowsmith: 2003 by Samuel J. Rogal

Palmer House Sold

Famous Last Words From Sinclair Lewis by Tad …

Irotas 2026 Version 2, English Department- Winona State University

Irotas

Irotas is an annual student journal of the arts created and published by Winona State University students. Irotas is a sibling journal to the Satori Student Literary Magazine. This is the Irotas created in 2026. there are three versions of the 2026 Irotas. This is a 2026 issue version 2.

Authors: Marissa McClure, Alysen Endres, Mandie Schmidt, Holly Foss, Allen Wedekind, Sarah Schmidt, Calista Escobar, Linda Moua, Jacinda Lundeen, Caleb Reed, Ella Page, Kendra McClure, Cora Waterman, Benjamin Hagen, Amity Collins, Mazin Abdel-Magid, Libby Crum, Elizabeth Tischler, Elly Herrick, Kat Beekman, Lupema Celis Castillo, Linda Hang, William Mahowald, Lydia Domale, …

Irotas 2026 Version 3, English Department-Winona State University

Irotas

Irotas is an annual student journal of the arts created and published by Winona State University students. Irotas is a sibling journal to the Satori Student Literary Magazine. This is the Irotas created in 2026. there are three versions of the 2026 Irotas. This is version 3.

Editors: Allen Wedekind, Callie Sahlstrom, Camden McDonald, Charlie Lund, Dylan Jackson, Elena Armstrong, Eva Hodnick, Jade McElmury, Jenifer Frick, Kendra McClure, Linda Hang, Linda Moua, Lydia Domaille, Reagan Roesler, Sarah Huderle, and Shaela Eriksen

Authors: Sarah Huderle, Kylee Binning, Lupema Celis Castillo, Kira Kainz, Elizabeth Tischler, Calista Escobar, Caleb Reed, William Mahowald, Linda …

Icarus’S Fall: Villainization In Wicked, Star Wars, And The Untamed, Laura Renfroe

Honors Theses

When looking back on the most beloved, yet infamous, villains of popular culture, one can note an abundant rise of prequels and backstory-driven media exploring the paths that villain characters take that lead them to their tragic fall. Some of those stories include John M. Chu’s Wicked, George Lucas’s Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, and Chen Jialin and Zheng Weiwin’s The Untamed, each of which explores protagonists who are labeled as “wicked” and depicted as fallen to the “dark side.” While these characters are often studied in existing literary research, there have yet to be explicit ties …

Literary Colonization And Locating Avenues Of Subversion In Bobby Flores-Villasis' Suite Bergamasque, Michael Aaron C. Gomez

Akda: The Asian Journal of Literature, Culture, Performance

This paper examines four short stories included in the collection titled Suite Bergamasque, written by multi-awarded Negrense playwright and fictionist Bobby Flores-Villasis. A materialist reading situates Villasis within the canon of Philippine literature in English and analyzes the way his stories formally render the class antagonisms of history through the interconnected narratives of Dumaguete City’s sugar elite. Finally, this paper also contends that the political imagination of Villasis’ work exhorts contemporary Dumaguete writers to critically examine inherited hagiographies in order to describe fully the conditions that have shaped the city into its contemporary formation, particularly the phenomena of gentrification …

Acknowledgments And Author Biographies

Emerging Writers

An editorial note of acknowledgement along with author biographies.

The Human, Kaamilah Kabala

FUSION

“The Caterpillar” is a short story by American author Lydia Davis published in “The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis” in 2009. In the story, the narrator wakes up to find a caterpillar in her bed, and decides to take it outside instead of killing it. However, she loses it somewhere in a dark staircase along the way. At first she looks for it and spends her time thinking about it, but eventually she forgets about the caterpillar and moves on with her life.

This article a re-writing of the short story. The author took the story and wrote it from …

The 'Thing Itself': Virginia Woolf's Materialism, Kathryn Andronowitz

Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism

No abstract provided.

The Faith Crisis As Death: Grief In Gerard Manley Hopkins's "Terrible Sonnets", Kaden Nelson

Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism

No abstract provided.

The "Family Of Things": Mary Oliver, Anthropomorphism, And Conflicting Approaches To Spirituality In Nature, Sophie West

Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism

No abstract provided.

Full Issue

Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism

No abstract provided.

The Metamodern Aesthetic As Reconciliatory Theology In Gilead, Henry Purser

Criterion: A Journal of Literary Criticism

No abstract provided.

“Neither Living Nor Dead”: From Nazgûl To The Sídhe In Tolkien's The Fellowship Of The Ring (1954), Noelia Ramos

Journal of Tolkien Research

This study explores the influence of Celtic supernatural folklore, particularly the banshee tradition, on Tolkien’s depiction of the Nazgûl in The Fellowship of the Ring. Using W.B. Yeats’ Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry (1888) and the Celtic Twilight movement as a comparative framework, it analyses “A Short Cut to Mushrooms” and “A Knife in the Dark”, focusing on liminality, spectral presence, and supernatural dread. These parallels are further contextualised through reference to early Irish texts The Táin Bó Cúailnge and The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn, central works within the Celtic literary compilation known to Tolkien …

Voice And Pain: Representations Of Disability In Adaptations Of “The Little Mermaid”, Ace Molloy

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

Hans Christian Andersen’s 1837 story, “The Little Mermaid,” is a popular fairy tale that has been adapted several times by writers, filmmakers, and game developers. It is one of the few fairy tales with explicit portrayals of disability; the mermaid in the tale is nonspeaking and experiences chronic pain, as well as being a mermaid—a nonnormative figure who is aligned with disability. This paper looks at the ways that the mermaid is portrayed in literary, film, and new media adaptations from a disability-justice perspective. Examining multiple representations of the character, I argue that while feminist adaptations erase her disability and …

Tiny But Moral: How "The Adventures Of Little Tiny And The White Mouse" Portrays Children’S Moral And Social Responsibilities In The Civil War Era, Abigail Hagopian

CAFE Symposium 2026

Estimated to have been published between 1860 and 1866, The Adventures of Little Tiny and the White Mouse was one of many works for children published by Thomas W. Strong in New York during the American Civil War. The eight-page picture book examines morality and consequences through the misfortunate adventures of a young, yet moral, abnormally small boy named Little Tiny. The youngest of a Broom Maker’s three sons, Tiny’s jealous older brothers sell him to a circus, where he performs alongside a myriad of animals. Missing his father, the animals jump through a series of hoops to help Tiny …

Profiting Off Of Humanity: Capitalism’S Bioinnovation In Speculative Fiction, Dana Janiec

Titan Humanitas

A deep dive in to Speculative Fiction such as Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go and Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake regarding how Capitalism drives twisted and cruel forms of Bioinnovation for the sake of profit.

The Rhetorical Agency Of Student-Parents: Assembling, Archiving, And Naming Practices And Interpretations That Transform Worlds, Dhipinder Walia

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This dissertation is an interdisciplinary project that uses interview data collected from six student-parents attending Bronx Community College during 2024 to 2025. Using rhetorical and critical discourse analysis, this dissertation argues student-parents enact their rhetorical agency to transform their college experience. Specifically, student-parents use their rhetorical agency to interpret time and place in a way that centers their own wellbeing as well as the wellbeing of their children. This dissertation focuses on interpretations and ordinary practices that reimagine what time and place can look and feel like on a college campus. Additionally, student-parents enact their rhetorical agency through ordinary practices …