Creative Writing Commons^™

December 12, 2015: Spring 2016 Anthony Ellis Scholarly Speakers Events, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

No abstract provided.

Gender, Othering, And Loki 2015, Amanda Munson

Master's Theses

With many enigmatic characters and engaging stories, Norse literature and mythology have had a formative impact on English literature from the early Middle Ages in poetry like the Edda and many Icelandic sagas. A lot of scholarship has been done on Nordic myth and literature, including character studies on many figures, especially Odin and Thor. However, it is difficult to find studies of the figures who make up the "other" in Nordic tales, such as the trickster Loki. While Loki plays a significant role in many tales, his position as the "other" in general Norse mythology and folklore is perhaps …

La Première Couche D’Encre, Abdourahman Waberi

Présence Francophone: Revue internationale de langue et de littérature

The author reexamines his engagement with the Rwandan genocide.

Le Devoir De Mémoire Ou Une Identité Ravalée Dans Cicatrices D’Alain Kamal Martial, Katharine Hargrave

Présence Francophone: Revue internationale de langue et de littérature

This article examines the construction of identity in Alain Kamal Martial’s novel, Cicatrices. Conceived during a rape committed by a group of militiamen, the narrator struggles against a sense of obligation to avenge his mother’s assault, as well as a need to liberate himself from this event. However, under the onus of being a proxy witness, he realizes that he cannot forget his duty of memory because he embodies the inherited trauma of past generations. The crude and powerful immediacy of this text forces the reader to reflect upon his or her own role in the remembrance of past injustices.

Important Places (2005), Shaun O’Connell

New England Journal of Public Policy

The author talks about his time and associations with the University of Massachusetts Boston. He also describes Ireland and his family's roots there and how it connects with Boston as well as his life in New York.

Reprinted from New England Journal of Public Policy 20, no. 2 (2005), article 10.

Two Nations: Homeless In A Divided Land (1992), Shaun O’Connell

New England Journal of Public Policy

The works discussed in this article include: Chain Reaction: The Impact of Race, Rights, and Taxes on American Politics, by Thomas Byrne Edsall with Mary D. Edsall; Why Americans Hate Politics, by E. J. Dionne, Jr.; A Far Cry from Home: Life in a Shelter for Homeless Women, by Lisa Ferrill; Scandal: The Culture of Mistrust in American Politics, by Suzanne Garment; Songs from the Alley, by Kathleen Hirsch; Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America, by James Davison Hunter; Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America, by Jonathan Kozol; Parliament of …

New York Revisited (1992), Shaun O’Connell

New England Journal of Public Policy

The works discussed in this article include: City of the World: New York and Its People, by Bernie Bookbinder; New York, New York, by Oliver E. Allen; New York Intellect: A History of Intellectual Life in New York City, from 1750 to the Beginnings of Our Own Time, by Thomas Bender; The Heart of the World, by Nik Cohn; The Art of the City: Views and Versions of New York, by Peter Conrad; After Henry, by Joan Didion; Literary New York: A History and Guide, by Susan Edmiston and Linda D. Cirino; Our …

Wars Remembered (2003), Shaun O’Connell

New England Journal of Public Policy

O'Connell speaks about his father, among other war veterans, dealing with the effects of the wars they fought in. He explains his father's history from how he enilisted to how he died. He also touches upon other's war experiences and writing about the after effects of them as well.

Reprinted from New England Journal of Public Policy 19, no. 1 (2003), article 3.

November 6, 2015: Carol Symes Lecture, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

The Department of English Anthony Ellis Scholarly Speakers Series featuring Carol Symes

Para-Expertise, Tacit Knowledge, And Writing Problems, Jenny Rice

Writing, Rhetoric, and Digital Studies Faculty Publications

My office is on the thirteenth floor of an eighteen-story concrete tower that sits in the heart of campus. The building is so massively disproportionate to other buildings that it looms over the entire campus. Inside, the hallways are long and narrow, with no windows or natural light. A bank of six large elevators takes up the center space of each floor. Perhaps it is not surprising that this office tower has become the source of campus lore and legends among students and faculty. During my first semester on campus, a student asked if I knew the history of my …

"Casting Aside That Ficticious Self.": Deciphering Female Identity In The Awakening 2015, Anne L. Dicosimo

Master's Theses

Kate Chopin’s female protagonists have long since fascinated literary critics, raising serious questions concerning the influence of nineteenth-century female gender roles in her writing. Published in 1899, The Awakening demonstrates the changeability of the various representations of woman. In the nineteenth century, the subject of women may be divided into two categories: the True Woman and the New Woman. The former were expected to “cherish and maintain the four cardinal virtues of piety, purity, submissiveness and domesticity” (Khoshnood et al.), while the latter sought to move away from hearth and home in order to focus on education, professions, and political …

The Elements Of Web Communication (For Amateurs), Joshua Neds-Fox

Library Scholarly Publications

Presentation given at the Michigan Library Association Annual Conference 2015, October 28th, in Novi, Michigan.

"Writing for the web is not the same as writing for other media. But your library website content is written by your library staff, who may be neither writers nor web professionals. This session will explore everyday strategies to improve your approach to writing for the web. Your web content will be more readable, your site will be more usable, and you will be more confident in your ability to reach patrons online."

October 5, 2015: David Bleich Lecture, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

The Department of English Anthony Ellis Scholarly Speakers Series featuring David Bleich

"Fire And Water Imagery" In Jane Eyre 2015, Shannon O'Loughlin

Master's Theses

Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre is a study in contrasts. Critics have argued the implausibility of the novel, that an orphaned governess who marries her dashing employer is too far-fetched to be believed. However, a proper understanding of Jane Eyre must be based not on a sequence of events, but on the thematic form of the novel in which the signifiers relate to each other and shift throughout. Ferdinand de Saussure explains in his "Course in General Linguistics," that the mental concept one has of a word is its "signifier" (62). Charlotte Bronte relies not simply upon a sequence of events …

October 1, 2015: Safe On Campus Training, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

Learn to be a better advocate and ally to lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender people. Participants receive information on practical strategies for addressing homophobia, learn ways to support students who are coming out, and gain an understanding of respectful language use.

Too Many Rented Rooms: Creative Expression In The Tibetan Community And The Foreign Artist, Imogen Rosenbluth

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Though Tibetan society has always had a literary and creative bent, the genre of secular Tibetan poetry is still very much burgeoning. One of the most unexpected consequences of the Chinese occupation of Tibet and the subsequent exile of thousands of Tibetans has been the emergence of a new genre of testimonial writing by refugees, the majority of which is written in the English language. The corpus of work within this genre is still relatively small, but growing all the time, and this expansion begs several complex questions, foremost of which is what purpose such writing serves and to whom …

September 24, 2015: Cfp: 2016 Multidisciplinary Graduate Student Conference, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

Call for Papers: 2016 Multidisciplinary Graduate Student Conference

September 13, 2015: Ellis Series Kick-Off Event: New Discussion Forum, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

The Department of English Anthony Ellis Scholarly Speakers Series featuring The New Discussion Forum

Countersong: Rising Or Falling, Jonathan Skinner

The Goose

A recording, analysis and poetic translation of countersong between two Hermit thrushes (Catharus guttatis) recorded in the mountains of Northern New Mexico (United States) on 19 July 2015.

Heirloom: A Piper's Orchard Abecadarian, Shin Yu Pai

The Goose

Poetry by Shin Yu Pai

Petrocan, Madelaine C. Longman Ms,

The Goose

Poetry by Madelaine Longman

Brushfire, Ariel Gordon

The Goose

“Brushfire” concerns itself with how people use urban forests, from indecent exposure to poaching to teenage drinking party-bonfires that get out of control. Though it could be construed as a manifesto on walking-in-the-woods, it also touches on some of the conflicts inherent in urban/nature experiences.

The Stag Head Spoke By Erina Harris, Joel Deshaye

The Goose

Joel Deshaye reviews Erina Harris's book of poetry entitled The Stag Head Spoke.

Ringing Here & There: A Nature Calendar By Brian Bartlett, Joel Deshaye

The Goose

Joel Deshaye reviews Brian Bartlett's Ringing Here & There: A Nature Calendar

The Oxford Handbook Of Ecocriticism Edited By Greg Garrard, Camilla Nelson Dr

The Goose

Camilla Nelson reviews The Oxford Handbook of Ecocriticism, edited by Greg Garrard

Creative Collaboration On A Creativity Book, Jane Harvey

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

Based on existing roles as writer and designer, two Master’s students partnered on one project. This project was dually about the creative product and creative process. The final product result is a book on creativity, but much of the project learning was about collaboration during the creative process itself. The project included the creation of written and visual content and a production-ready book layout on the subject of creativity. This paper describes the process followed to create a fast reading, jargon-free book with a special academic end section.

Subduction Zone By Emily Mcgiffin, Kelly Shepherd

The Goose

Kelly Shepherd's review of Subduction Zone by Emily McGiffin.

July 16, 2015: New Issues 20th Anniversary, Department Of English

Gleanings: Department of English Blog Archive

A special gathering of the Kalamazoo community, writers, and Creative Writing and English alumni to celebrate 20 years of New Issues Poetry & Prose. Featuring music, readings, and an art sale.

Deer In Their Own Coats, Daniel Coleman

The Goose

Urban deer are requiring a renegotiation of settler-Six Nations relations in Hamilton, Ontario. In this article, Daniel Coleman attempts to get to know one doe group that share his neighbourhood in an effort to understand what their presence has to say about how Hamiltonians and members of the Hodinoso:ni Confederacy can honour the spirit of an eighteenth-century treaty in ways that enable us all to live with "the good mind" here at the Head of Lake Ontario in the twenty-first century.

L’Animal : Agent Du Biopouvoir Dans L’Imaginaire Postcolonial Alain Cyr Pangop Kameni Et Hervé Tchumkam, Alain Cyr Pangop Kameni, Hervé Tchumkam

Présence Francophone: Revue internationale de langue et de littérature

This article seeks to understand the status of the animal and its relation to biopolitics in postcolonial fiction. Going beyond and against Graham Huggan’s notion of “postcolonial exotic”, the analysis of the relation between human and animal is twofold: first, describe and interpret the mechanisms of power, and second, show how the figure of the beast which is at the center of political struggle and social conflict makes more complex the understanding of the “discipline and punish” in postcolonial contexts. Ultimately, drawing on the study of selected novels and drama, the aim of this paper is to show that the …