Creative Writing Commons^™

Building Connection With Community Reads: Opening Up A Learning Community During Isolation And Beyond, Hannah Mendro, Alyssa Berger, Carina Bixby, Joanne Chern, Kat Wyly, Laura Dimmit Smyth

All Things Open

Community Reads at the UW Bothell/Cascadia College Library is a program open to students, staff, and faculty across both our communities with the goal of facilitating conversation around topics of social justice and equity. We use a shared reading (a book, essay, or short story) that aligns with a greater theme as the basis of our programming, but build out from our reading in many different ways. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and more than a year of virtual learning, the team has focused on providing multiple creative entry points into our readings and discussions, prioritizing alternative ways …

Leapfrog & How To Half-Bake, Zachary Bajuyo

Scholars Week

The first piece recounts an early experience with frustration and the feeling of breakthrough when learning.

The second piece recounts an early experience of giving up.

Restored Soul: A Selection Of Poetry, Angela Shannon Preston

Day of Scholarship

"Restored Soul" is the working title of a manuscript of poetry. The poster will display selections of poems that stem from African-American culture, community, and faith. There will also be poems inspired by Minnesota and Bethel.

310 - The Politics Of Queerness: A Multimedia Gallery, Frances Sharples

GREAT Day Posters

This gallery will display multimedia poetic pieces inspired by the artist's capstone on the politics of queer poetics. The gallery complements a presentation analyzing the work of many queer poets and theorists and is informed by the literary and creative studies conducted in this capstone.

Καθαρός: The Pure - Setting Narrative In The Fourth-Century Roman Empire, Emma Branstetter

Scholar Week 2016 - present

My presentation illustrates the development of the Christian historical fiction novella named Καθαρός set in the early fourth century of Christian history closely following the events of the Great Persecution and its long-term effects on Christian communities in Asia Minor and North Africa. Previous Christian novels set in the Roman era primarily focus on the first century, and with the significant thematic potential found in later centuries after the life and resurrection of Christ, I embarked on this writing project. The research that affects my narrative is separated into four categories: the history and effects of Diocletian’s Great Persecution, fourth-century …

The Maid Of Gettysburg, Sarah Tate

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Creative and Artistic

The Great Gatsby Graphic Novel’S Illustrator Aya Morton’S Admiration Of Vincent Van Gogh And Company, Sarah Cisco

Undergraduate Research Conference

I chose to study F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby alongside Aya Morton's recent graphic novel adaptation. As scholars have noted the influence that modernist art had on Fitzgerald's writing style, I explored the influence that — impressionists and post-impressionist artists — had on Morton's renditions.

Flight, Hannah Davis

2023 Student Academic Showcase

My manuscript, Flight, is a novel concerned with intersections, and examines how the borders between humans, both artificial and circumstantial, can be interpreted as ways of connecting with one another. It is a hybrid novel written in the form of a braided essay that integrates both nonfiction excerpts that span from grief philosophy to music history to biology, and lyrical narrative. It addresses grief from multiple angles, examining the holes that other grief literature has not addressed. In a time concerned with polarization, such a manuscript, though experimental, has become more pertinent than ever. Other books similar to it are …

Faulkner & The Demon In A Bottle, Ernesto Gomez

2023 Student Academic Showcase

My story is one about the dangers of mankind in its relentless pursuit of knowledge and asks questions regarding how much is one willing to sacrifice all for the sake of being superior to those around him, and rising above what society expected one to stay as or become. This short story of my own creation was made through my own effort and tempered by the criticism of those around me, truly befitting of a story that examines the nature of knowledge and what we are willing to do in order to grasp it.

Splinters, El Jayne

2023 Student Academic Showcase

Splinters is a piece of creative fiction that explores how love is communicated through art. A young man shares the art of wood carving with his grandfather who taught him, and, as his grandfather’s health begins to fail, he uses it to return that love to him. Through the eyes of this narrator, we are taken on a journey of love and loss between generations, and come to understand that the simplest of things often hold the greatest weight. Though fiction, this work is heavily inspired by my own relationship with my grandmother and the art we share with one …

Hi-05 Helen Dupré Moseley: Painter, Author, Roller-Coaster Fan, And Air Stewardess Of Flying Saucers, Lizzie Richards, Karen H. Goodchild Dr., Youmi Efurd Dr.

SC Upstate Research Symposium

Without having any formal training in the arts, Helen Dupré Moseley (1887-1984) made art for around fifty years of her life in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Utilizing different media and formal qualities, Moseley created fantastic works of art that forced viewers to use their imagination and make their own choices in interpretation.

In addition to works of art, she was also an avid writer and thinker, producing many short stories and unpublished children’s books. What makes her distinct is how she was formally untrained as an artist yet was not excluded from the art world, as she had the ability to …

Hermanos, Sawyer Rodriguez

Symposium of Student Scholars

Script Logline: A recent college graduate must learn to start over and confront his past when he is put into witness protection

Fallen Kingdom: A Novella, Sarah Black

Scholars Week

Fallen Kingdom is a work of fiction that falls into the category of fantasy/romance. Exploring themes of PTSD and loss of self, we begin in a world on the brink of ruin. After The Fall, Scarlett finds herself in an unknown land, hunted, injured, and alone. She has few memories of her arrival or the time before--memories that become ever more frequent as a world of magic takes shape around her. Fallen Kingdom is a fast-paced, striking adventure that documents her struggle with responsibility, friendship, and love.

The Rainbow Read-In: A Place To Build Community, Elizabeth Johnson

Kansas LGBTQ+ Leadership Symposium

The UMKC University Libraries held the second Rainbow Read-In (RRI) virtually in June 2022. Readers presented either their own works if they identify as LGBTQIA+ or works written by LGBTQIA+ authors. Nine participants presented and sixty people attended. Our first Rainbow Read-In included ten presenters and forty attendees in 2021.

The goal of this presentation is to share how we created a safe space to showcase works from within the queer community. The objectives of this program are to discuss the origins of the RRI, the formation of the committee, lessons learned, short- and long-term goals, potential areas for improvement, …

Disruption: A Collection Of Narrative Profile About The Stigma And Discrimination Of Mental Illness On Senior High School Students, James Garreth Gomez

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

This study summarizes the stigma and discrimination being experienced by young adults and acknowledges areas wherein research is needed to identify the factors that contribute to this matter. The following questions are addressed: (1) What kind of stigma and discrimination do these teenagers with depression and/or an anxiety disorder experience? (2) How can the stigma and discrimination of mental illness be portrayed through the particularities of the narrative profile? (3) What techniques will be used for the narrative profile that may effectively portray lived experiences and raise awareness? A collection of narrative profile essays was established for this research for …

(G)Olden Days: A Photopoetry E-Book About The Lived Experiences Of A Female Filipino Widowed Elderly During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Jada Antonette M. Medroso, Rachel Maegan D. Ramos

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

This study aims to create a photopoetry e-book about the lived experiences of being a widowed elderly in the COVID-19 pandemic, and to also answer the primary question: “How can photopoetry be used to convey both social awareness and hope in showing the lived experiences of a Filipino widowed elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic?” To help the researchers achieve their objectives, they related it to theories such as Marxism which explained that because of the unjust system, the elderly are forced to live through inequality and prejudice, and the Ethics of Care theory's explanation of the selfless desire to help …

Void, Jaycylle Kayne A. Soto

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

The main driving force of the author to write the collection of flash fictions "Void" is to express people's different representations of feeling void. From the void we feel inside to the one that others make us feel. The goal of this collection is to let the readers know that they are not alone in feeling this kind of void represented in each literary piece. Moreover, this collection also includes unsettled and unsolved personal, family, and societal issues people of different classes and lifestyles may face and that creates a drastic change in an individual’s way of living. Throughout the …

A Note To Myself, We’Re Alright: A Poetry Collection As Therapy In The Pandemic Times, Cris Heila M. Ordoñez

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

A Note To Myself, We’re Alright is a poetry collection inspired by the author’s mood and state of mind. The artwork is composed of different types of poetry that best fits the author’s aesthetic. The poetry collection is intended to help those who are troubled in mind be at ease. The artwork aims to be an aid to people, especially to the youth in this era. The unfamiliar lifestyle that came from the COVID-19 pandemic caused some mental difficulties to us all. The research paper is based on a phenomenological theory which aims to question personal experiences to one self …

A Tedious Oscillation Between Heartfelt Knowledge And Tears: A Metamodern Essay On Bo Burnham’S Work, Josh Denzel C. Ng

DLSU Senior High School Research Congress

Ever since the late 1900s until the early 2000s, philosophers such as Linda Hutcheon declared the death of the postmodern senses and looked ahead to a new generation of intellectuals to provide a heading and analysis for what was still a new concept. David Wallace perceived that literature had to shift away from irony and postmodern deception to recover a forgotten referentiality and essentialism. He introduced the notion of using sincerity and honesty, which conform to the beliefs of transcendentalism. Successively, this gave rise to the birth of the idea of New Sincerity commonly defined as an oscillation between irony …

Challenging White Fragility Through Black Feminish Political Poetry, Langley Leverett

Scholars Day Conference

Due to overwhelming patriarchal hegemonies that women – white women, rich women, young women, and cis women – continue to uphold, feminism struggles to serve all women justly. To combat this negligence in feminism’s fourth wave movement, I will use this thesis to highlight ways that Black feminist poets have not only shaped feminist theory through their own contributions, but also have prolonged and saved the livelihood of both gender and racial equality. With a strong emphasis on Intersectional Feminism, I will explore the ways in which women can be united against tokenistic power, beginning with the inspiration from three …

West Texas Ghost Story, Clayton Bradshaw

Far West Popular Culture Association Annual Conference

"West Texas Ghost Story" explores the negative impacts of capitalism and patriarchal society on the well-being of individuals and the ability of families to remain intact under duress of such oppressive regimes. It follows the story of a young man growing up around the oil fields of West Texas in the 1990s as his father begins to hollow out and become a ghostly figure. The young man turns to art as a therapeutic outlet for this loss, eventually making his way to Marfa. The ghost story in question becomes one of metaphorical and perceived experience for the young man.

From Donna To Diane: Analyzing And Imitating The Art And Craft Of Suspense Fiction, Jamie Henderson

Campus Research Day

Abstract:

This study explores the art and craft of suspense fiction by analyzing foreshadowing and characterization, tracing the influence and imitation of the genre, and finally, showing the imitation of the structure and craft of a short suspense story in an original work by the author. The conclusion of the research states that, though foreshadowing and characterization are vital to the creation of suspense fiction, the most helpful tool in learning the art and craft of suspense is imitation.

Understanding Humanity: Demarginalizing The Intersection Of Black Masculinity And Feminity For The Psyche, Kandice Fowlkes

Symposium of Student Scholars

As the intersection of race and gender is a feat for the strong Black man and strong Black woman, the double edged sword is the deterioration of mental health overlooked by the need to maintain the guise of perfection. The social disadvantages of this intersection include a myriad of traumas such as financial stability, violence and oppression, and the internal stigma of judgment, which causes Black men and Women to delay or go undiagnosed for mental health disorders. In turn, this enables an unstable community to unite for mental health reform. Aside from seeking medical help, the conversation of mental …

The Journey Of Life Itself, Ashton Webb

Symposium of Student Scholars

Life Itself, written and directed by Dan Fogelman, is a heartbreaking tale featuring three different couples and the journey that life takes them on. Throughout the film there are common themes of heartbreak, marital problems, and death. The three stories are joined together by one devastating event, and Fogelman shows how beauty can be made from ashes. In this presentation, I will explore the themes of love, heartbreak, and depression and how these themes shaped the film, allowing Fogelman to intertwine three stories into one in order to tell an interconnected story. Though the film was not well received by …

Research For A Podcast Series: Distinguishing The Voice Of God, Mark Lawton

Liberty University Research Week

Graduate

Creative and Artistic

A Few Words In The Void: Bridging Past And Present Creative Poetry, Sarah Tate

Liberty University Research Week

Undergraduate

Textual or Investigative

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 …

Nightthoughts, Clara Pahl

Celebration of Research

The patterns of insomnia are abstruse. I have tried to explain the images and sounds and voices I see and hear when I cannot sleep, but words do not suffice. Nightthoughts is an experimental, poetic graphic novel that follows the disruptive experience of having insomnia, and the environmental and genetic factors that lead to a diagnosis. The panels may seem unconnected, as if there is no plot, but that is exactly the point: insomnia is an incessant jumbling of words and images and feelings. The plot-lessness of insomnia is the plot of Nightthoughts. Each panel and poem depict the …

College Town, Naomi Lief

Celebration of Research

College Town is a graphic novel concept focusing on the life of an individual growing up in a small, rural, circle of towns that are centered around higher education. The story will show how communities in our area have come to rest on three pillars: Education, religion, and politics. It will reveal how they have been deeply intertwined, creating an environment unique to Northwest Iowa.

College Town will cover a brief history of Sioux County and will highlight the origins of select churches, schools, and political viewpoints important to Northwest Iowa, specifically around the Sioux Center / Orange City area. …

Fa'amatagi: From Whence The Wind Blows, Annette Roberts

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Fa’amatagi: From Whence the Wind Blows is a love letter to the people and culture of my parents. This is a documentary poetics project that draws upon research of the Mau Movement, archives from the New Zealand government, and personal ethnographies with my own parents who are both of Samoan descent. I curated several pieces of art from book collector Alexander Turnbull and photographer Alfred J. Tattersall. This project delves into the effects of colonialism on a previously isolated people. It explores the act of civil disobedience and what comes of it versus the long-lasting damage of compliance towards a …