Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Towards An Ethos Of Discussing In-Corporeal Gender In Fantasy Literature: Part I – A ‘Feminine’ Eldil And A ‘Masculine’ Vala, Luke Shelton

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people engaged with others on social media in ways that they had not before. During this time, I was excited to see many new interpretive communities begin and to listen to the kinds of conversations these groups would have about Tolkien. One such conversation that stuck out to me was the way in which I saw some fans interpret Tolkien’s description of the physical characteristics of the Valar. I also happened to be reading through C.S. Lewis’ space trilogy when I saw many of these conversations. I felt that there were several …

I'D Rather Be A River Than A Man: The Trans Jewish Golem/ Trans Inequity, Intersectional Ritual, And Jewish Tikkun Olam (Healing Of The World), Dean Leetal, Valerie Estelle Frankel

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

I'd Rather Be a River than a Man: The Trans Jewish Golem Dean Leetal

This critical commentary revisits the Jewish story of the Golem and reads it as a transgender text. Some say that the Golem inspired Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a story famously interpreted by Susan Stryker as an allegory for her own trans experience: living on the edge of society, her humanity debated, defined by a morally questionable medical establishment. But there are important differences between Frankenstein and the Golem. The Golem is brought to life through language, particularly the Hebrew word ‘emet,’ and is an animated clay tasked …

A Queer Reading Of Octavia Butler’S Kindred, Marietta Kosma

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

Throughout Octavia Butler’s Kindred the author raises numerous tensions around the notions of accessibility, disability, equality, and inclusion, exposing the crisis of black futures. My analysis focuses on the way that queerness informs the protagonist Dana’s experiences in the context of slavery, her positioning in the contemporary discourse of neo-liberalism, and her positioning in the prospective future. Very few scholars perceive Dana’s subjectivity as an actual state of being that carries value both materially as well as metaphorically. The materiality of queerness has not constituted part of the larger discourse of the American slave system. By examining how Butler renders …

Sauron, Seduction, And The Queering Mechanism Of The Ring, Mercury Natis

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

It has often been argued that Sauron is barely present in the Lord of the Rings, existing as a villainous presence on the margins of the narrative. This paper will argue that Sauron is actually present throughout the entire narrative, as manifested in the Ring, and through the Ring’s presence as a queering device. The Ring acts out Sauron’s seduction mechanism, a defining character trait as portrayed in the Silmarillion. It is this seduction mechanism that allows the Ring to act as a queering agent throughout the narrative. Ring-lust is inherently queer as it projects a male-presented character’s seductive powers, …

Asexualities, Aromantics, And Autists In Epic Fantasy By Tolkien And Goddard, Robin Anne Reid, Rory Queripel

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

The Mariner (and his wife): Rethinking Aldarion’s (A)sexuality Rory Queripel

“Aldarion and Erendis” (Unfinished Tales) is a rare example in Tolkien’s work of a marriage gone severely awry. Many readings of the tale apportion blame to Aldarion, who is seen as “unwilling” to make the marriage work (Fitzsimmons, 2015), cruel and unfeeling towards Erendis, who herself is characterised as resentful and unaccepting (Rosenthal, 2004). However, these readings rely on an assumption of a cisheteronormative and, more importantly, allosexual relationship between the couple.

This paper proposes an alternate view of Aldarion and his role in the story, suggesting the possibility that …

Closeted Gays Take Hide, A Lamia Has Been Untied: Bbc Merlin And Queer Experiences Beyond Queer Joy, Anna Caterino

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

A decade after its finale, online fandoms have started labeling Merlin (2008-2012) as “date your bully 101” (theroundbartable), a story written by people “giving each other blowjobs while they talk about how much they deserve servants” (vhagarswattle). In light of the most recent models of queer representation, such takes are to be expected. Even so, Merlin is not a mere case of “hoyay” (Kohnen 201-2012) nor does it engage in queerbaiting or use the “Bury Your Gays” trope. The text is tied to the socio-political landscape of the late 2000s which serves as foundation for the show’s tragedy and, although …

Our Flag (And Spaceship) Means Queer: Monstering The Majority Culture, Sara Brown, Kristine Larsen

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

Although the television series Our Flag Means Death presents on the surface as a romantic comedy, it is enhanced by mythic elements that infuse the narrative with a clear sense of the fantastic. Here, the pirates exist in a Secondary World that openly draws upon the Primary (both in terms of historiography and legend); hence 18th-century piracy and British colonialism can interact seamlessly with human-to-animal-transformations (paying homage to the Greek myth of Ceyx and Alcyone) without seeming either disconcerting or anomalous – all co-exist comfortably in Faerie. OFMD both inverts and deconstructs mythopoeia; the Primary World myths of the Gentleman …

Gazing Queerly: The Art And Text Around Saruman’S Non-Normativity, Christopher Vaccaro

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

The queer is often defined by its relation to normativity. Michael Warner’s The Trouble with Normal situates queerness in opposition to normalcy, even gay normalcy. Karma Lochrie’s Heterosyncrasies: Female Sexuality When Normal Wasn’t deconstructs a monolithic hetero-normativity. Within the fantasy genre, protagonists frequently reside in a queer relation to normative communities. J. R. R. Tolkien quite often depicts his major characters within his mythopoeic framework as in some way outside of the normal; they’re often odd, fringe outsiders in relation to the larger community to which they are a part. The texts of his legendarium present this queerness fairly clearly—so …

Tolkien’S Queer Landscape: Three Papers On Middle-Earth’S Heterotopias, Will Sherwood, Marita Arvaniti, Mariana Rios Maldonado

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

The following papers will explore Tolkien’s queer landscapes of Middle-earth: from Arda’s highest peaks and hidden underbellies, to her liminal, fae places, using the lens of Michel Foucault’s heterotopias.

Marita Arvaniti will introduce the panel and discuss Tolkien’s Faerian Drama and its relationship to the much-maligned Tom Bombadil episode, focusing on the queer figure of Tom Bombadil himself and his heterotopic domain.

Mariana Rios Maldonado will analyse the Barrow-downs, Dead Marshes, and Paths of the Dead as symbolic sites of death created during harrowing moments in the history of Middle-earth. These are no-places: spaces of Otherness containing the evil and …

Welcome And Announcements, The Mythopoeic Society

Online Midwinter Seminar (OMS)

Join us for a screening of the Welcome and Announcements video in the 'Track 1' room, and have a cup of coffee before we get started!

Week 3 (Feb 11-17): John 1:35-51 - Jesus: "Come And See", Calvin University

Campus Ministries Resources

No abstract provided.

Week 2 (Feb 4-10): John 1:29-34 - Jesus: The Lamb Of God, Calvin University

Campus Ministries Resources

No abstract provided.

Week 4 (Feb 18-24): John 4:4-30, 39-42 - Jesus: Seeker Of The Outsider, Calvin University

Campus Ministries Resources

No abstract provided.

Pedro Mexía And The Politics Of Translation In The Early Modern World, Erin Fairweather, Robert Fritz

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Spanish humanist Pedro Mexía (1497-1551) wrote two highly influential texts in the sixteenth century, the Silva de varia lección (1540) and the Historia imperial y cesárea (1545), which were, notably, written in Spanish, a vernacular language, as opposed to Latin, the academic language of the age. As these books presented previously inaccessible scientific and historical knowledge to the common person, they were soon translated into several languages, achieving widespread fame and influence. However, the texts have been mostly forgotten and have seen little study in recent times. Nevertheless, the Silva and the Historia can help us better understand the politics …

Iequity: An Augmented Reality Theatre Production, Amy Pan, Kristina Arnold Dr, Alan White, Truth Tran

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Augmented reality is commonly seen being used in game development and design, typically seen through a mobile device such as a phone. However, it has rarely been tested and pushed to its limits in other settings. The main focus of this project was trying to deploy augmented reality in settings that are seen as more traditional. This will be done by taking a play, pre-written and performed by a professor at Western Kentucky University, and building an augmented reality set for the play in the background. The main software that will be used is Unity and Blender. Unity will be …

Mountain (Grand) Mamas: Grandparents Raising Grandchildren During The Opioid Epidemic In Appalachian America And Their Portrayal In Media, Rosemary P. Kelley

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Deep within the hills of Appalachia grandparents are stepping into the familiar role of parenting as many have become the primary caregivers for their grandchildren. These grandparent-headed households (GHHs), a form of kinship care, have increased largely in response to the opioid epidemic that has ravaged the region; children are often left in the care of grandparents as parents experience substance use disorders and, in turn, incarceration. According to the US Census Bureau, over seven million grandparents live with their own grandchildren; over 32 percent of which serve as caregivers and are responsible for these children. The impact of kinship …

Aftdc 2024 Session I English.- Decoding Complexity: Visualizing The Trans-Disciplinary Communication (Tdc) Logarithmic Spiral, Jasmin Cowin

Trans-Disciplinary Communication

No abstract provided.

Aftdc 2024 Session Ii Español.- Open Science Framework (Osf) Como Herramienta Para La Colaboración Transdisciplinaria, Cristo Leon

Trans-Disciplinary Communication

No abstract provided.

Aftdc 2024 Open Discussion On The Association's Vision: An Opportunity For All Members To Share And Shape The Future Direction Of Aftdc, Cristo Leon

Trans-Disciplinary Communication

No abstract provided.

Aftdc 2024 Keynote.- The Significance And Vital Role Of Student Participation In Peer Review For Transdisciplinary Communication, Nagib Callaos

Trans-Disciplinary Communication

Join Dr. Nagib Callaos at the inaugural AFTDC meeting for a groundbreaking keynote on the transformative role of student participation in peer review for transdisciplinary communication. Delve into the intellectual, educational, and pragmatic benefits as Dr. Callaos explores the impact on personal and societal good. Discover how this practice enhances critical thinking, intellectual diversity, and adaptability in the face of rapid technological and societal changes. Learn about the significant role of educational systems in fostering intellectual diversification and skill development. The keynote will highlight the unique value of engaging students in peer review processes, especially in transdisciplinary settings, underlining its …

Aftdc 2024 Roundtable I.- Collaborative Convergence Pyramid: A Framework For Tdc, James Lipuma Dr., Cristo Leon

Trans-Disciplinary Communication

No abstract provided.

Aftdc 2024 Welcome And Opening Remarks, Cristo Leon, James Lipuma Dr.

Trans-Disciplinary Communication

Our primary focus is to discuss the effective establishment, nurturing, and expansion of chapters within the American Association for Trans-Disciplinary Communication (AFTDC).

Her Own Divinity, Cassandra Bousquet

Campus Poetry Walk

Cassandra Bousquet is a sophomore Creative Writing Major minoring in both History and Music. Her work is featured in the collaborative poem, "Breathe," which appeared in Nature & Culture 2021 Festival Book (Copenhagen: Red Press Kulturhuset Islands Brygge & Københavns Kommune, 2021). Her poem “Dear Human at the Edge of Time” is featured in the anthology of the same title edited by Luisa A. Igloria, Aileen Cassinetto, and Jeremy S. Hoffman., and is available in the Roger Williams University Library! Last April, she was a Writer-in-Residence at Bristol's historic mansion, Linden Place. Spending time in and protecting the natural world …

Only The Universe Really Knows, Hannah Defeo

Campus Poetry Walk

Hi! I'm Hannah DeFeo. I am a freshman Legal Studies and Creative Writing major, with a minor in Political Science. Ever since I was able to write, I have always had a passion for poetry. Most of the poetry I write is about the people I love and the places I've been, but I have only recently become passionate about sharing my poetry with others. One day, I hope to publish my work and share my words and personal narratives with anybody who feels inspired by them.

To My Cane, Linda Ramey

Campus Poetry Walk

I hold an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland. In addition, I am a former winner of the Rhode Island State Art Fellowship in Literature. Currently, I teach Freshman Writing Studies at RWU.

I Fought For Years The Wisdom Of Platitudes, Alexander Nanni

Campus Poetry Walk

Alexander Nanni is the associate director of institutional research at Roger Williams University. A Rhode Island native, he lived and worked in Thailand for 18 years before returning in 2023.

A Gift Given Within A Heart Famine, Alexis Terzioski

Campus Poetry Walk

Lex is a Creative Writing major and a second year student at RWU. During her free time, she enjoys reading romance novels or writing poetry. Lex is so excited to be able to share her work with the Poetry Walk!

Tendril Embrace, Andrew Dunphy

Campus Poetry Walk

I'm no poet, although I aspire to be one. I'm just a non-traditional student who has benefited from acts of kindness by a great many new law school friends. Someone as fortunate as I am finds it quite easy to write about kindness.

Make It About You, Charlotte Cole

Campus Poetry Walk

I am currently a senior studying Forensics Science and minoring in Creative Writing. I have recently tried to become more involved with my writing and put more effort into it. I've come to appreciate poetry much more than I used to, and I'm trying to open myself up to more writing styles. I love sharing my poetry with anyone who will read it, even if they don't appreciate it the same way I do.

An Impossible Wish?, Erin Lomonaco

Campus Poetry Walk

I am a senior student at RWU, majoring in architecture and minoring in music and preservation studies. I have always had a passion for writing and have had the honor of having one of my other poems published as part of the RWU Poetry Walk last year.