Literary Portfolio
Poems
DATE
PROF
COURSE
2021
N/A
N/A
eggshells
Like many of my poems, "eggshells" originated from a phrase or message I've heard throughout my youth. Someone I was once close to used to try to manipulate me by saying that they felt they were "walking on eggshells" whenever we talked, as I often became upset. In reality, I was standing up for myself as a victim of abuse.
Here, I flip the script; I decided to take those words from my abuser and apply them to illustrate my perspective instead.
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Now renamed "Shell Shocked," this poem went through considerable changes during the editing process for Portal 2023, which I expected and am satisfied with. I still admire my low-effort poem that meets complex issues with drily-delivered puns, but I love how its literary depth has expanded for publication.
DATE
PROF
COURSE
2020 [2023]
CREW 110
ROBERT HILLES
A walk through the valley
I wrote this poem, originally titled "Alberni Valley" after my hometown, during my list poem era. I revised it before I read it for the Portal Portfolio Series in 2023; "A walk through the valley" is the most recent version.
Upon revision, I wasn't as tied to the repetition, and I wanted to say more in less space.
Reviews
DATE
PROF
COURSE
2021
CREW 230
JOY GUGELER
My Art Is Killing Me
I reviewed Amber Dawn's 2020 poetry collection for my Intro to Publishing course. The main goal of the assignment was to explore a book published in the last year by a Canadian author whose work is similar to what the student intends on writing.
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I chose this book because much of my writing is queer poetry that plays with form. At the time, the bulk of my poems were either angry, angsty, and dry, or curiously sweet in reflecting on childhood memories. This collection showed me what it looks like to put beauty in between all those lines, contrasting the ugly.
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In a way, this experience was foundational for me. My Art Is Killing Me reaffirmed a world of literary possibilities and opportunities that I was sure no publisher would let me take; Dawn's work gave me inspiration, ideas, and hope for my future as a writer.
Essays
DATE
PROF
COURSE
2020
CREW 202
SUSAN JUBY
Pepper Plus 8
Written as a researched explanation assignment, this essay details my experience with canine midwifery while providing sources for information I mostly already knew.
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I have a lot of weird, zany, or surprising stories to tell, and writing this served as a good start. Although I've encountered stranger scenarios since the age of eight, my experience with dog breeding makes up a significant period of my childhood and is therefore something I guess I'd call foundational.
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If I were to write this piece now, I'd include a lot more detail in terms of setting the scene. Of course, with a word limit, I had to prioritize the narrative; however, a part of me thinks that I'm just more ready to write this piece now. It's not just that I'm better equipped—I wrote this essay when my furry family members were getting old, and now that they have all gone peacefully, I feel much less in limbo and can tell our stories without worry or guilt. (Also, R.I.P.)