Creative Writing Commons^™

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. …

Poetry Of Spiritual Experience, Victoria Horn

Celebration of Research

The process of writing poetry, especially poetry with a spiritual focus, is far from cut-and-dry, but there are a few particular research elements that have helped me gain my footing in writing spiritually-focused poetry. Firstly, as you will see on the left, reading essays on poetics from the likes of Mary Karr and Don McKay—both of whom approach their own writing as avid readers of other poets—has taught me to give myself the time and space to reflect deeply on the possible ways poetry can reach out and touch experiences, specifically spiritual experiences, that are beyond language. Secondly, as you …