Projects
If I’m being honest, reading plays is not my forte. It’s also not something I was too enthusiastic about when Dr. Wegner presented the assignment to us. The concept of reading a play versus watching one just seemed boring and unnecessary. I read this play, then I watched a stellar performance on Youtube, then I read it again. To my dismay, I found it to be a touching story with deep meaning. I’m known for using the phrase, “the space between the stuff and the things” when I can’t quite put my finger on the feeling something gives me. Our Town, Thornton Wilder’s classic play, is about that space. Those feelings that are left unsaid, and those moments that we discover our deepest selves without one word being expressed. To convey that feeling in a written piece is a talent I hope to one day possess. This isn’t my best work, but I enjoyed it. When I re-read my works, especially from the earlier days of college, I find myself shuttering at the idea of someone else reading it. I think it’s an important part of becoming a better writer by overcoming the fear of criticism. Our Town touches on that, too. It exposes the imperfections of humanity, and expresses the importance of growth and change. I believe that message was conveyed in my writing. This provides an example of my ability to locate the meaning within the words, and giving the rhetor a voice.
I recently took a college course on eco-poetry, and this project changed my thought process on how I viewed the power of writing. From each project to the next, I became enlightened about eco-poetry and what its true purpose was for. The idea that poetry can aid in shifting minds about real-world issues was not something I considered before. I discovered that eco-poetry holds the power to influence the reader in a way that demands reflection. It provokes new ways to see the world around us. This assignment was the catalyst for me to continue researching this sub-genre. Analyzing eco-poetry calls for a review of the writer and their story, which is displayed here.
Expression through poetry usually involves comparisons to nature, and how it brings up emotions within the human condition, however, eco-poetry is not the same. Eco-poetry seeks to enlighten humanity about how we have taken advantage of the planet’s resources, and that it is up to us to be the change we need for our future. Sometimes it’s harsh and saddens the reader in a way that’s meant to invoke something within us that will lead to change. That change can be something small that we do in our day to day lives, or something much larger. It gets us on board with the environmentalist and encapsulates the feeling of what we will lose if we don’t bring awareness to the people. This written work breaks down various authors within the genre and describes what ecopoetics are trying to say.
This feature article was written about a local librarian and how she dealt with change. The interview dives into her early years in college, and how her journey began one way, and took a different turn. This provides an example of my writing style for profile pieces on human interest. I found this to be a rewarding project because this person is an inspiration to me and my career goals. Up to the time of this writing engagement, I hadn’t done a piece like this before. This experience opened up a new avenue of writing for me that I intend on creating again.
Writing about the human experience allows for creativity to shine through in ways I didn’t expect. By breaking down the journey to Megan’s success in the field of librarianship, I found that this piece could potentially help someone that isn’t sure about their future, and that change isn’t something to be feared. This gives light to one person’s experience and helps readers to consider alternatives in their own lives. This article also speaks about the process of becoming a librarian, and the various positions within that career choice. Megan speaks about her life as a materials librarian that never actually works with the public. This give a new perspective about how we typically view libraries and what happens within.
Judith: The Good Bad Woman was an analysis paper written for a Medieval English course that argues the correlation between the character Judith in the Apocrypha and in Judith, the classic Old English poem of the Medieval Era. This work takes a deep dive into the portrayal of the role of women during this time in literature, and how one variation of the character from the Apocrypha changed course in the poem. This analysis was difficult, and took time to draw comparisons and contrasts between the two characters. This paper provides an example of my research writing, and how I grappled with the argument and provided evidence to complete the assertion. This was one of my favorite pieces so far, although I intend on rewriting this one day with more tenure under my belt. I think there is room for improvement, however, I include this piece because it’s simply one I enjoyed and appreciated. Aside from the research material, The idea that women could be perceived as strong and warrior-like, even for a second, during this era of literature is fascinating to me. This subject will persist in my writing career, and I expect to write more about empowered women in literature.
This project provides an example of my technical writing and project planning skills. Technical writing is the heart of a good written artifact, whether you’re writing for creativity or procedural documents for the office. Technical writing has proven useful in all aspects of my career so far, and continues to be part of my daily work life. This project was a proposal that requested funds to allow students to set up a local author event that was fully student operated. The idea was to give the students experience in project planning on their own, without college staff involvement. This would encourage the students to develop problem solving skills, and beginner level event planning with minimal financial backing. It also provided a way for new and local authors to speak on their written works. This would be a precursor for larger scale projects; a building block for event planners in marketing and public relations at the college level. This could be a project listed on a new resume for young business people just graduating college.