Creative Writing Commons^™

The Survivors, Abigale Ralston

Scholars Day Conference

Set over 100 years in the future, this story follows the lives of teenagers Alex, Leon, and Paige. The world has been destroyed. In order to survive, humanity has had to learn how to survive in space, in a vehicle called simply The Ship. Lately, however, Alex and his friends have noticed problems occurring on The Ship, indicating a disaster may be imminent. Alex, Leon, and Paige are now tasked with finding the causes of the problems and saving the last of humanity from extinction.

On Writing "Three Inches From Death", Hannah Smith

Scholars Day Conference

This presentation is a summary of my experience writing the first draft of a Young Adult fiction novel for my Honors Thesis over three semesters.

Tuneless Song: A Poetic Form Proposal, Rae Bynum

Undergraduate Research Conference

The Problem

I recently asked some of my fellow poets what the purpose of poetry is to them. The consensus? Sharing experience and meaning with the reader. But what is the point of sharing these ideas if there is no one with whom to share? Poetry readers are dwindling in numbers for two main reasons: the first being that most people believe poetry to be elitist because they have only read poetry from the periods where this was true; the second reason is that “poetry” is widely available to the common person in the form of music. The form I …

Religion, Reason And Reconciliation In Louise Gluck’S The Wild Iris, Vincent Sergiacomi

Capstone Showcase

In a world where reason is king, what is the role of faith? Louise Gluck does not claim to have an answer, but she does explore the question. The Wild Iris gives us a god who is utterly convinced of the singular appeal of faith, countered by a worshipper who finds their rational worldview too reasonable to abandon. Yet over the course of the text, neither is able to demonstrate the singular primacy of their point, both arguments leaving their arguers unsatisfied in one way or another. This paper will explore the debate between the human and divine speakers of …

Entertainment Media Perceptions Of Minorities In Young Adult Adaptations, Kynnadie Bennett

Scholars Week

This is an exploration of stereotypical and racist portrayals of minorities, specifically African-American, Latinx, and Native American communities, in film and television in the past and how that has affected representation in film adaptations of young adult literature. Young adult literature is one of the highest-selling genres in literature, purchased by both young adults and actual adults. In recent years, young adult literature has been adapted into film and television series and while representation has improved since the early years of entertainment history, there are still problems in the industry: many of the stereotypes remain, some minorities lack representation, and …

Editing The Editor, Adeline Goodman

Scholars Day Conference

Through six months of rethinking and re-conceiving a manuscript I wrote in middle school, I have transformed my process as author and editor. Reflecting on my experience as journalist, senior editor, researcher, and writer in college, I addressed challenges such as self-criticism, peer-review, historical accuracy, and emotional storytelling as I rewrote the young novel. "Editing the Editor" demonstrates the nitty-gritty of what it means to resiliently polish prose and what that looks like in print.

Our Stories, Paige Wright

Scholars Day Conference

After exploring my history with horror and how the genre developed over time, I share some short horror stories I've written and why I find the horror genre important as a Christian.

A Sign Of The Times, Zoe Roswell

CURCE Annual Undergraduate Conference

I drafted this short story for an assignment in my Creative Writing 102z course based on techniques we learned in class including estrangement but also it was inspired, in part, by Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie”. Williams’ play touches on certain familial mental health struggles in each character that were deep rooted and I wanted to communicate the same effect. My story revolves around the present life and childhood of Charles, an underground boxer, who was orphaned at a young age due to both of his parents’ struggles with mental illness. Charles experienced his mother’s mental deterioration before and following …

Frankenstein And Weston, Ransom And Van Helsing: Common Characters In The Works Of Terence Fisher And C.S. Lewis, Connor Salter

Making Literature Conference

No abstract provided.

"Black Raspberry Picking” And “Paddington Station", Sarah Davis

Making Literature Conference

No abstract provided.

Coleridge As The Mariner—Disconnection And Redemption In Comparing ‘Dejection: An Ode’ And ‘The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner’, Tali Valentine

Making Literature Conference

No abstract provided.

Degrees Of Separation In Annie Baker’S The Flick, Caleb Hoelscher

Making Literature Conference

No abstract provided.

A Note To Self, Chrishauna Curry

Making Literature Conference

No abstract provided.

Counterintuitive Comfort In The Consolation Tradition: The Deconstruction And Reconstruction Of Ideological Frameworks In Pearl And Endo’S Silence, Megan Herrema

Making Literature Conference

No abstract provided.

Capacity, Whitney Martin

Making Literature Conference

No abstract provided.

2019 Schedule Of Events, Making Literature Conference

Making Literature Conference

No abstract provided.

2017 Making Literature Conference, Tom Noyes, Shari Wagner, Grace Tiffany, Jessica Mesman Griffith, David Griffith

Making Literature Conference

Keynote Speakers: Tom Noyes, Shari Wagner, Grace Tiffany, Jessica Mesman Griffith, David Griffith

Dendron, A Collection Of Poems, Peter W. Rosenberger

Celebration

“Dendron” is the Greek word for “tree.” “Dendrochronology” is the study of a tree’s rings. “Dendrites” are the neural projections that grow like a tree’s branches in our brains so we can learn and respond to stimuli. This collection of poems, Dendron, is a poetic exploration of my growth. The collection—twenty-one poems, one for each year of my life—is a living, poetic memoir. Presented in chronological order, each of the poems is meant to capture a specific year of my life. The poems—of varying styles and sentiments—are not without quick moments of fiction, but for the most part, they coalesce …

The Sewing Room, Madeline L. Tracy

BYU English Symposium

A short horror story delving into the depths of family relationships. After Charlotte's mother dies, she goes to live with her grandparents. She has entered her mother's childhood world and what she witnesses could become emotional baggage- or something that could define her forever.

To Know Grief Intimately, Alexandra Francom

BYU English Symposium

No abstract provided.

Almost Normal, But Not Quite, Benjamin L. Featherstone

BYU English Symposium

This is a non-fictional essay focusing on the author’s personal experience with the process and result of receiving a cochlear implant. This essay neither promotes nor discourages the usage of cochlear implant. Instead, it simply reveals the experience of the author. This written form shows the inner storms that come from trying to find a balance between two worlds, which the author lives in—the Deaf world and the hearing world.

Just The Secretary, Belen Jackson

BYU English Symposium

When a voice is silenced, can it ever be restored?

Five Minutes Of Fame, William Drew Chandler

BYU English Symposium

No abstract provided.

"A Life And Death Dilemma", Christy Lester

Undergraduate Conference on Literature, Language, and Culture

No abstract provided.

“Looking Skyward: An Analysis Of ‘Augress’ By Michael Shewmaker”, Lydia Anvar

Undergraduate Conference on Literature, Language, and Culture

No abstract provided.

“Son Of Man (Of Steel): Messianic Imagery In Zach Snyder’S Man Of Steel (2013)", Jordan Upton

Undergraduate Conference on Literature, Language, and Culture

No abstract provided.

A Queer Poet In A Queer Time: John Milton And Homosexuality, Adam J. Wagner

The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)

Scholar David Hawkes refers to John Milton as a “Hero of Our Time.” Milton’s written works, including his poetry and political treatises, contain cultural and theological insight applicable not only to his 17th Century English culture, but 21st Century American culture as well. As homosexuality continues to enter the public sphere in Western society, many scholars are uncovering past insights about how sexuality has evolved. Milton’s literary texts provide insight into his own sexual orientation and how people viewed human sexuality post-English Renaissance. Homosexuality is a broad topic, but Milton’s works give insight into three main areas—homosexual sex, sexual orientation, …

2015 Making Literature Conference, Scott Russell Sanders, Angela Shannon, Jessie Van Eerden, Miho Nonaka

Making Literature Conference

Keynote Speakers: Scott Russell Sanders, Angela Shannon, Jessie van Eerden, Miho Nonaka

Keynote Address: "Translating Endo Shusaku's Silence: Literature of Faith and Human Weakness," Miho Nonaka

Keynote Reading: "Reading & Craft Talk: The Midrashic Impulse," Jessie van Eerden

Keynote Address: "Pictures into Words," Scott Russell Sanders

Digital Demonstrations: Examinations Of Protests And Politics In Cory Doctorow’S Young Adult Fiction, Jacob Brown

Ray Browne Conference on Cultural and Critical Studies

Within this paper, I intend to examine the manner by which author and blogger Cory Doctorow utilizes complex themes of digital labor exploitation and intellectual property law within his young adult fiction in order to bring about positive social change, with particular attention paid to the 2008 novel Little Brother and its 2013 sequel Homeland, the 2010 novel For the Win, the 2012 novel Pirate Cinema, and 2014’s In Real Life, a graphic novel written by Doctorow and illustrated by Jen Wang. Throughout Doctorow’s realistic depictions of slightly-fictionalized versions of contemporary life and embellishments of near-future …

Wilderness, Kathryn E. Bucolo

Celebration

The collection of short stories I have written focuses on how people process (or do not process) tragedy, especially as related to themes of grief, memory, and faith. Most of the stories I have written are dysfunctional narratives in that they do not necessarily provide solid conclusions or solutions for the characters or readers, reflecting current trends in literature to move away from the didactic and moralistic in favor of the ambiguous and unstable, the hopeless and sorrowful. In "Wilderness", one of the pieces I wrote for my collection, Robert struggles with the death of his wife when he realizes …