 By: Kate Merrick
I guess you could say it was my destiny to pursue a higher education degree in English. Ironically, throughout my entire pre-college career, I despised English class. My love for math began early, with teaching myself multiplication facts in first grade, when my older sister, Olivia, was learning them with her class in third grade. I understood numbers, and almost treated math as a dance, careful not to make mistakes in each step of the way. That was until I took Calculus during my junior year of high school and could no longer conceptually wrap my head around the speed at which a particle moved along an imaginary line. At the same time, my love of social science was just beginning. I had a series of incredible history teachers in both middle school and in high school, who taught me so much about the world, and why we, as a collective society, are the way that we are. I was fascinated with the concept of everything that happened in the past before this current moment impacting everything that is to come. I held on to every piece of advice that I was given from these very teachers, setting me on a path towards hopefully being an educator post-grad. With this being said, I was raised around literature. My mom and dad are both high school English teachers, with an affinity for collecting books. Olivia was always buried in a book, which used to frustrate me, since I was so much more interested in playing in the dirt outside or playing school with my various American Girl Dolls. There were lively discussions around the dinner table about the books that my parents were reading for their respective book clubs, or the new novel Olivia began writing on her Chromebook earlier that afternoon. I, unsurprisingly, never had anything to contribute, because unlike the rest of my family, I spent my afternoons doing anything but reading. It is important to note that for myself, like many others, reading does not come naturally. Though I can confidently give a presentation in front of my classes without skipping a beat, I panic the second that a professor mentions reading any piece of text out loud. Because of this, I used to be incredibly averse to books as a whole, since I associated them with stumbling over my speech, and simply put, struggle. My freshman year of college, I attended San Diego State University and took it upon myself to enroll in a class entitled “Comics and History.” Although other aspects of SDSU were less than ideal, that class opened my mind to an entire world of media that I had yet to discover and soon fell in love with. After being assigned Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel (2006), I realized that books truly are for everyone and therefore are there for me to enjoy. Below is a list of the five books that changed my perspective on English as a whole and would go on to inspire me to become an English minor. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic combines memoir, literary analysis, family drama, queer identity and visual storytelling into one deeply layered book that still feels emotionally immediate. Alison Bechdel isn’t just telling childhood stories; rather, she is trying to understand her father, herself, and the hidden emotional codes inside their family. The memoir avoids making her father feel like either a villain or a hero, allowing him to feel startlingly real. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic loops through time, instead of moving linearly. Events gain new meaning each time they reappear, rewarding readers with deeper understandings of perspectives as the novel continues onwards. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic was the first book I have ever been assigned to read for a class in which the main character is a lesbian, which became incredibly important to me, as I finally got to see parts of my own story reflected in literature. The memoir connects with readers through its emotional depth, humor, and relatability, while also giving important insight into LGBTQIA+ experiences, and the impact that secrecy within families can have. I highly recommend checking this novel out, especially if you are a fan of graphic novels and relatable storytelling. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar Martyr! Is a deeply emotional and thought-provoking novel that explores identity, addiction, grief, mental health, and the search for meaning in modern life. Kaveh Akbar blends poetic language with vulnerability, creating a narrator who feels authentic and is entirely unforgettable. The novel asks difficult questions about suffering, religion, and what it means to truly live, all while maintaining moments of warmth and hope, making the story feel even more human. As an Iranian American author, Akbar brings visibility to experiences and perspectives that are often underrepresented in contemporary literature. The novel explores immigrant family dynamics, cultural identity, and the long-lasting effects of generational trauma in both a nuanced, and deeply personal way. For many readers, seeing a queer, Iranian American protagonist navigate loneliness and self-discovery can feel validating and refreshing, especially because Martyr! Avoids reducing identity to a singular trait. Rather, it presents characters as layered, complicated people whose experiences reflect both pain and resilience. What makes the novel especially memorable is the way it balances heaviness with beauty. Its lyrical writing, emotional honesty, and unique perspective leave readers reflecting on the story long after finishing it, making it both an impactful literary work and important contribution to representation in modern fiction. As Good As Dead by Holly Jackson I first picked up As Good As Dead when I was recovering from ACL reconstruction surgery, and needless to say I was immediately hooked. As Good As Dead delivers a gripping and suspenseful conclusion to the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series, while exploring the emotional consequences of trauma, fear, and obsession. Holly Jackson creates intense mystery and fast-paced twists that keep readers constantly questioning what will happen next, making the novel incredibly difficult to put down. Beyond the thriller elements, the book also examines how solving violent crimes affects a person mentally and emotionally, adding more depth than a typical young adult mystery would have. The novel is especially compelling because of its representation of anxiety, trauma, and the pressure young people face when dealing with danger and public scrutiny. Pip, the protagonist, is portrayed as intelligent and determined, yet vulnerable and emotionally exhausted, which makes her feel realistic rather than recklessly fearless. As Good As Dead highlights how easily trauma can change someone’s sense of safety and identity, demonstrating the long term effects of fear and violence in a way that many readers connect with. The book also stands out for featuring a strong female protagonist who refuses to stay silent or powerless. Pip challenges expectations about what teenage girls are “supposed” to be, showing resilience, intelligence, and moral complexity throughout the story. Readers who enjoy psychological thrillers, morally gray decisions, and mysteries with emotional depth will likely find the novel both entertaining and thought-provoking. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong Written as a letter from a son to his mother, Ocean Vuong uses poetic language to examine the complexities of growing up between cultures, struggling to communicate, and trying to understand both personal and inherited pain. The novel blends memories, reflections, and storytelling in a way that feels intimate and raw, allowing readers to connect deeply with the narrator’s experiences. Vuong explores the experiences of immigrants and refugees with honesty and nuance, showing how war, displacement, poverty, and generational trauma continue to impact families long after they leave their homeland. Rather than presenting identity as simple or one-dimensional, Vuong demonstrates how race, class, sexuality, masculinity, and family expectations all shape and inform a person’s understanding of themselves. Many readers connect with the honesty of the narrator’s struggles, especially his desire to be loved despite pain and isolation. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous gives a voice to people whose experiences are often overlooked, allowing the novel to serve as a key form of representation for a variety of marginalized groups. What makes the novel especially memorable is its balance of heartbreak and elegance, as Vuong’s poetic writing transforms ordinary moments into powerful reflections on survival, memory, and hope, leaving readers with a story that feels both deeply personal and universally emotional. Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini The first time I picked up this book was while I was packing for a trip to Mexico, right after I graduated high school. Many of the English classes at my high school had Kite Runner as a required reading, and I was intrigued to see what the book was all about. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the emotional reaction that I had reading about friendship, betrayal, guilt, and redemption. Kite Runner dives into the complexities that accompany parental-child dynamics, ethnic prejudice, and the struggle to preserve one’s cultural and personal identity. Kite Runner teaches readers about displacement, class, ethnic tension, and war in Afghanistan without the novel feeling like a history lecture, which matters, because these themes directly impact people that the reader cares about. The novel isn’t really asking “was Amir good or bad?” It examines whether a person can repair the damage caused by cowardice. We can all use a little humanity, and this book is the perfect example of learning to truly and fully see others for all of themselves, including their faults. There is no other book that I jump to reread as much as Kite Runner.
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 By: Kate Merrick
Growing up, every adult in my life could not stop discussing how much they enjoyed their time abroad during their college years, and how formative it was in their development as young adults. Even still, I was not convinced I had made the correct decision when I touched down in Copenhagen, Denmark, this most recent September. In the fall of 2023, my sister, Olivia, joined the rest of my family and decided that she would study in Florence, Italy, for three months. When she returned, I found her newfound confidence, founded on self-discoveries, a bit trite. As her younger sister, I always must see and do things for myself, and I tend to get jealous of the things that she has done, which I, as a separate individual, will never have any part in. It was not until I embarked on my own journey that I began to see just how impactful that experience had been on her and I was able to appreciate the long-lasting impact that living for three months on another continent would have on me as well. My journey began with an eleven-hour flight out of San Francisco headed to Frankfurt, Germany. I touched down and ran across the airport, to catch my connecting flight to Copenhagen, Denmark. I arrived in Copenhagen shortly thereafter with two suitcases, a backpack, and a whole lot of fear of the unknown. Though I had traveled with Olivia to Sweden and the Netherlands at the age of 13 and went on a few other family vacations to Canada and Italy, I had never been to Denmark before. Looking around at baggage claim in the airport terminal, I realized just how foreign the entire experience was for me. For the first time in my life, I didn’t have Olivia to rely on. Navigating new places with the benefit of family present is difficult enough, however being completely alone was incredibly daunting and overwhelming for me. I grabbed my two bags and made my way to the meeting spot designated by my program directors, where I met the eleven people that I would spend the next six weeks with, before we all would go our separate ways to different countries for the final six weeks of our quarters abroad. I realized extremely quickly that I was not the only one who was having serious second thoughts about leaving everything we have ever known behind to try something new. For the first few days in Copenhagen, I was completely awestruck by the beauty and cleanliness of the city and could not even fathom how people walk past the Rosenborg Castle every day on their way to work without batting an eye. Nonetheless, it was in the early days that I still could not shake the feeling that I had made the wrong choice for myself. Having these two strong conflicting feelings – being breathless by both the charm around me and the anxiety inside of me - I decided that the feelings of homesickness could come and go, but only I had the power to make the most of my time in Europe. I reached out to everyone in my program and started making plans with anyone who was around. Just by putting myself out there, I was able to create numerous new friendships, some which were short lived, and others I still cherish and work to maintain since being back in the United States. All my concerns faded within a week, and I gained a newfound confidence to put myself out there despite, and eventually without, the overwhelming fear of rejection. I believe that everyone fundamentally wants to be included, and having the confidence to just ask people I barely knew to try out a new coffee shop, or take a twenty-minute train with me to Lund, Sweden for the day, allowed me to create a supportive community of people that I could fall back on if needed while being five thousand miles from home. I look back on that first week abroad with immense compassion for my then-self. I have come out of that experience much more inquisitive of my relatives’ experiences with regards to their semesters abroad, most notably Olivia’s. I find myself asking her all sorts of questions about her go-to spots in Florence and I get super excited when she shares stories from the weekend trips she took to countries I haven’t been to yet. Building a community can feel incredibly daunting, but simply putting yourself out there is a phenomenal first step in fostering new relationships halfway across the world.  By: Cypress Burger
For a while, I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue my studies after I graduated from high school, but I knew that if I did, I wanted to spend at least one term abroad. In true younger-sibling fashion, one reason I wanted to go abroad was because of my older sister. Although, her plans were very different from mine. For one, she originally planned to spend all four years in Ireland, but her plans changed and she only spent one year at University College Dublin. I think you can learn a lot about a culture based on the history of their art and architecture. During my family vacations to various countries in Europe, the art and architecture have been my favorite things to look at and explore. I loved the old Renaissance buildings of Italy, medieval castles in France and Scotland, and all the art museums in every country we’ve been to. I decided that if I could study art and design in a place with that rich of a culture, that sounds amazing! I ended up spending fall quarter of 2025 in Barcelona, Spain, studying at Elisava, a design and engineering school in the heart of a city so well-known for its innovations and designs. I took a design and art history class that counts towards my design major, and it turned out to be my favorite class abroad. That class was structured so that sessions alternated between field trips around the various neighborhoods of the city and being in the classroom to do projects or lectures. I’m so happy I waited to take that class abroad because I learned a lot of new information that I wouldn’t have otherwise learned while taking the equivalent course. During our first field trip, we explored the Gothic Quarter. We walked down the medieval stone alleyways and came upon a couple impressive gothic cathedrals, including the Cathedral of Barcelona. This cathedral lies within the old city walls, built in the 1st century B.C.E. during the Roman Empire. Our professors pointed out to us how you could see each era that the wall had lived through because of the distinct types of stones or bricks used to restore weathered parts over the years. That spot, amidst the old Roman walls and 19th century modernisme-style buildings—now mostly cafes and gift shops—became one of my favorite places to hang around, take photos, and enjoy the ambiance. Through that design and art history class, I had the opportunity to explore numerous local art museums and historical buildings, such as Casa de Amatller (home to Antoni Amatller, who was part of the family that created Amatller chocolates that are famous in Barcelona), the Picasso Museum, Museum of National Catalonian Art, and my favorite: the Design Hub Museum. This place is not only a museum but also a place for local designers to come and meet for industry conferences or to rent a workshop and work on their designs. While I was there, my class only visited one of the three exhibits that were up, which showcased products—such as lamps, stools, and even a motorcycle—designed throughout recent decades in Barcelona. The tickets our professors purchased for us allowed us to explore the whole museum, so after class was over, I went off on my own to see the exhibits on graphic design (posters and newspapers) and Barcelona fashion throughout the past 500 years. That was my favorite exhibit! Seeing how the museum set up the exhibit to go through the decades and show how women’s and men’s silhouettes changed was super fascinating to me. There were naked mannequins in each decade that had wooden augments to show how women and men made parts of their bodies appear larger or smaller. For example, an extension near the butt for the 1870s bustle or on the shoulders for shoulder pads in the 1980s. This was by far the most engaging exhibit that I went to while studying abroad last fall in Barcelona. If you ever have the chance, I highly recommend visiting Barcelona!  By: Drew Tamasaka Elusive and Endangered: A Case Study on the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus Deep in the evergreen forests of Washington at the foot of the snow-capped Olympic Mountains dwells in an eight-appendaged cephalopod hidden amidst the coniferous pines. Ever since its first sightings were reported in the 1980s, the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus (Octopus paxarbolis) has thrived in the treetops along the Olympic Peninsula. These fascinating dual arboreal-aquatic animals reach an average size (measured from arm-tip to mantle-tip) of 30-33 cm and are known to hide within the canopy thickets. Upon the arrival of Spring when they part from the Olympic National Forest to return to their ancestral pools to procreate, laying their eggs in the freshwaters of Hood Canal. In terms of biology, the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus shares similar attributes to its solely aquatic cousins. It uses its tentacles, each lined with a double row of suckers, to grasp its prey tightly. Studies have shown that the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus’s diet primarily consists of insects, small vertebrates, and bird eggs. Their skin is comprised of specialized skin cells called chromatophores that allow the octopus to rapidly change the color of its skin and hide from predators, namely bald eagles and feral cats. Unfortunately, sightings of the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus are far and few between, partly due to its elusiveness, but primarily due to its dwindling population. It currently sits as an endangered species, forced to the brink of survival from a history of deforestation and inhumane hunting efforts from human loggers. Despite their numbers, the Pacific Tree Octopus has remained an integral part to the biodiversity of the Pacific Northwest for centuries... Or has it? Created by an anonymous internet user under the name Lyle Zapato in 1998, the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus is one of hundreds of internet hoaxes created during the early 2000s. Part of the website’s success as a hoax can be credited to Zapato’s own technical and creative skills. Its bright colors and stylistic graphics hearken back to early-2000s blogs and websites, giving authenticity to its ethos. The site contains a variety of purported sightings and encounters, complete with doctored photos, video evidence, and testimonies from people who claim to have seen the fabled cephalopod. The website is a novel artifact reflective of the wild, creative landscape that dominated the early 2000s of internet culture. To that end, I encourage you to explore the website for yourself, it’s really quite a novel experience! The site’s success as an internet hoax has been so widespread that it’s been using internet literacy tests. Speaking of which, here’s one I’d like to share with you! Scientific Journal Study In the fall semester of 2020, a short online test was developed by Wingate University Depart of Biology and Master of Science professors, Unger Shem and Mark Rollins, to teach students about the existence of online websites containing information about false animal species. The test was given to a group of 1st-year college students taking an introductory organismal biology course in order to evaluate how the students would assess the credibility of a seemingly factual website dedicated to a fake species. The study was conducted over a 2-week period consisting of two parts. Part 1 of the experiment had students view an assignment containing a link to Zapato’s website with an accompanying survey consisting of three short questions to evaluate the website:
Part 2 of the experiment had students view a satirical video illustrating that the Pacific Northwest Octopus was a hoax in addition to another survey containing the following questions:
The results showed that in part 1, 90% of students thought that the Pacific Northwest Octopus was real with the remaining 10% deeming it to be fake. Part 2 results found that 92.2% of students concluded that the animal was fake, while the remaining 7.8% continued to believe in the animal’s existence. Granted, this experiment was specifically designed to be short and concise. No request to further investigate the website or guidance as to how student should approach examining the website was purposefully excluded from the survey; as such, a student paying little attention to the website may have been more receptive to buying into the website’s perceived believability. Many student testimonies from after the experiment were overwhelmingly positive with many of them remarking how surprised they were for believing the hoax, commenting that, “I thought it was real and did not do any further research,” and “This was a great activity, I can’t believe I fell for it” or “I thought the video during part 2 was funny.” Here’s a link to the full journal article if you’d like to check it out for yourself. In all honesty, does it really matter that a class of college freshmen was fooled by a fake website? Unlikely, however, I think Zapato’s website is a fascinating case study on internet hoaxes and internet literacy. It’s likely that most of us have developed some form of dependence on the internet, be it for recreational use or academic study. Whatever the case, it’s no secret that the internet has become inextricably tied into our everyday lives, and therefore, I argue, even more reason we should remain vigilant for the falsehoods and fake news that tend to weave itself into our online media. We just need to remember to keep our eyes peeled for any other pseudo-cephalopods in our midst. Works Cited Snopes. “Is the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus Endangered?” Snopes.com, Snopes, 16 Oct. 2014, www.snopes.com/fact-check/tree-octopus/. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025. Unger, Shem, and Mark Rollins. “Don’t Believe Everything about Science Online: Revisiting the Fake Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus in an Introductory Biology College Course.” Science Education International, vol. 32, no. 2, 31 May 2021, pp. 159–163, https://doi.org/10.33828/sei.v32.i2.9. Wikipedia Contributors. “Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 Mar. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Northwest_tree_octopus. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025. Zapato, Lyle. “The Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus | Sightings.” Zapatopi.net, zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/sightings.html. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.  An Opinion Piece by : Lila Clausen
We only learn the rules so we can break them, intentionally From the moment we start writing essays in school, we’re trained under the guidelines of a rulebook that pretends to make writing simple, clear, and technically “correct.” “Use topic sentences.” “Don’t start a sentence with ‘and’ or ‘but’” “Never end with a preposition.” “Every essay should have five paragraphs: an introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and a neat, summarizing conclusion.” But the hidden message underneath all these guidelines unfortunately teaches students that academic writing is about compliance to standards, not expression of their understanding. The problem with this is that writing, at its best, isn’t about compliance. It’s about control, the kind that comes from knowing the rules well enough to decide, deliberately, when to toss them out the window. Standardized education loves structure. It teaches us the essay like a formula, prioritizing clean, countable, easy to grade criteria. It’s also, quite frankly, devoid of soul when used as the primary framework for expression. We’re taught to start with a “hook,” end with a summary, and build everything in between like a neatly stacked sandwich of hyper-rational reasoning. But at some point, you start to notice the limits of this approach. How many times can you restate your thesis before the echo starts to feel hollow and your argument becomes redundant? And then there is grammar, the invisible hand that slaps your wrist when you write “And” at the start of a sentence or let a comma splice sneak through (a hand that surely had the urge to slap my hands away from the keyboard). As an English Literature major, I of course acknowledge that grammar rules exist for a reason. They offer clarity, precision, and contribute to a shared understanding, but they’re not divine commandments. They’re simply conventions built by humans to make language work communally. And as humans, we are allowed –encouraged even– to change and play with these self-imposed rules. The most evocative and persuasive writers know when to honor grammar, and when to ignore it. They prioritize clarity of expression over technical perfection. Still, the structure that they teach us isn’t useless, it’s scaffolding. It teaches clarity, organization, and argument, even if it is rigid. It also offers professors something consistent to evaluate, as so much of grading (especially in UCOR courses) relies on assessing whether a student can demonstrate their understanding in a recognizable form. Academic writing formulas help instructors assess dozens of papers quickly and fairly, and help students signal that they understand expectations, even when they’re still finding their voice. So, when this kind of formal criteria is in place, following the rules becomes a kind of academic survival strategy. When your GPA affects scholarships, internships, or entry into your major, it makes sense that students cling to formulas that feel reliable. And naturally, this isn’t a blanket invitation to abandon structure. Some courses and disciplines expect tight adherence to convention, and part of writing well is knowing when experimentation serves the work and when it doesn’t. It is only once you’ve learned the logic of how these traditional conventions function, and understand why they exist, you earn the right to dismantle them and construct your own writing architecture. Because the five-paragraph essay isn’t a law; it’s training wheels. It’s how we learn to frame our ideas. But in college, you have to take the wheels off if you want to go anywhere interesting. Breaking out of that 5-part format means letting your ideas guide your structure rather than the other way around. Some arguments deserve digressions, some stories need a slow, looping buildup, and most thoughts worth exploring refuse to fit into three tidy sections. Some of the best essays I’ve read (and the best I’ve written) don’t start with introductions that summarize what’s to follow. There’s a certain relief that comes from realizing you don’t have to sound like anyone else. Standardized academic writing often teaches us to imitate authority by trying to sound objective, polished, and detached. But writing that resonates doesn’t have to sound perfect, it sounds human. And when you prioritize your voice, you start noticing how it bends rules naturally. Maybe you write in fragments, capturing an internal process, jumping around from piece to piece to express a greater thought. Maybe your paragraphs are short because those thoughts come in bursts, or maybe they are endlessly long because your thoughts dive deep into long tangents that mine away at the core of an idea. Maybe you overuse parentheses because your mind keeps adding small side notes that feel important. None of this is wrong; flexibility provides a necessary rhythm to your writing. The rulebook says: don’t start sentences with conjunctions. But real speech begins with “and,” “but,” and “so” all the time. These words create movement, a sense that one thought tumbles into the next, that ideas are linked by human breath rather than punctuation. Language, even when committed to text, is alive. And grammar is just a guidebook for structure and clarity. Understand it, take it in, and then pick and choose what serves your expression best. I will, however, add a caveat to consider: it is very difficult to break the rules meaningfully without understanding their purpose and function first. Every time you choose to go against a rule, you should be able to explain why; otherwise, you’re not subverting the rules, you’re just ignoring them. A well-placed fragment works because it knows what a full sentence would sound like and chooses, intentionally, to do something else. Learning the rules gives you precision and clarity, and breaking them gives you freedom and expression. The sweet spot lies somewhere in between structure and fluidity. The further along I get into my higher education, the more I understand that most creative growth comes from unlearning the conventions that we were once taught were “objectively correct.” There is no objective correctness to writing, agreement of understanding is performed communally, and is constantly renegotiated and rebelled against. And clinging to rules because they give us the illusion of technical perfection often limits the actual efficacy of your writing. But if you know how the rules work, and more importantly what their underlying purpose is, you can stop hiding behind them and start shaping something that is not only effective but actually sounds like you. So maybe the next time you sit down to write, you don’t start with a standard outline. You start with a feeling, an idea, maybe a question. You follow the thought that refuses to stay quiet, and when necessary, you break the rules that keep your voice from getting through. Because that’s the point, isn’t it? To learn the rules so that we may break them, intentionally.  By: Madden Armstrong
Since 2020, I have been an avid podcast listener. There wasn't much else to do after school as a high schooler living through the COVID-19 pandemic, so I would pop in my earbuds and go for walks, listening to all kinds of podcasts with my abundant free time. From fiction, to news, to talking heads, I absorbed as much as I could. Around that time, the seed was planted in my head that I might like to try my hand at making a podcast sometime. Flash forward to Winter Quarter, 2025. I took a podcasting class with Professor Reyes that opened my eyes to the possibilities that simple audio editing programs like Audacity can afford to me. I learned how to use the soundboard and microphones in the Media Production Center’s podcasting room, adjusting all of the tiny knobs and dials to the ideal sound ranges. Beyond that, though, I also learned how to record ideal environments with my phone’s mic. Phones have come a long way, and the fidelity of your mic when using an app like Voice Memos is actually quite high. Then, the Writing Center Podcast got off the ground with our first episode of the year, a panel with faculty about their experiences as writers. It was a lot of fun to plan what questions my cohost and I were going to ask, along with setting up the podcast studio for our panelists. One of the most important parts of a successful talk show-style podcast is making sure that the participants can see one another. I think that this facilitates a real conversation in ways that calling in doesn’t quite match. Something else I learned was about the use of sound effects. Using musical cues between sections is a good way to transition from topic to topic without the change seeming too abrupt. This is also helpful if there is a large section you want to cut out, need a transition from content before and after the cut. Even if you don’t have access to fancy audio production tools or a good mic, give podcasting a try with your phone! The best way to record with your phone is to find a quiet, enclosed environment, like a closet. Then, soundproof it the best you can. In my experimentations for class assignments revealed that sometimes, simply tossing a blanket over your head and microphone dampens external sound enough. At the end of the day, podcasting is a creative skill with a relatively low barrier of entry. If you have a phone, you have access to voice memos, and Audacity is a free software. If it is something you have thought about trying, I encourage you to give it a shot! I got the opportunity to pursue it through a class and my job, but even if you don’t have external motivators, it can be a lot of fun if you set time aside to learn. By: Lila Clausen
hygᐧge [hyoo-guh] noun a quality of coziness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a feeling of contentment or well-being (regarded as a defining characteristic of Danish culture). In the midst of our increasingly cold and dark Pacific Northwest months, I’ve found myself returning to my most treasured comforts more often. In doing so, I’ve been reminded of a concept that is an integral part of Danish heritage: hygge, a word with no direct English equivalent; its meaning difficult to fully capture in a simple quick-search definition. So, in an effort to make this abstraction a bit easier to digest, and to help you understand how you could integrate it into your own life, I aim to deconstruct and express the definition of hygge for you here. To start, I’ll add etymological context by offering you the related word “hug” to ground this foreign concept in something familiar. Both the verb “hug,” and the term “hygge” are derived from the Old Norse word hugga, meaning, “to comfort” (Altman; Harper). Sharing in origin, hugs and hygge are phonetically similar and share a common purpose. Simply put, hygge channels the comforting feeling produced by hugs into a kind of lifestyle. There is no one way to create hygge, it occurs in varying forms depending on the individual. The one thing that it universally requires is mindful presence and comfort-seeking. For some, hygge is dedicated alone time, while for others, it means dedicated togetherness. The commonality being the dedicated time that is allocated to focusing on the present moment while actively acknowledging oneself and one’s surroundings. While the activity is subjective, the experience is the same. In socialization we create hygge by mindfully gathering with people we are fond of, people who put us at ease. By relaxing, basking in our togetherness, and fully engrossing ourselves in the present, we can develop an atmosphere of hygge. In this form, hygge almost operates like a verb, involving the act of conversation, mutual silence, or parallel play: an activity or lack of activity with the sole purpose of purely enjoying the company you are with. It operates as a more specific form of “hanging out” that Marie Helweg-Larsen, a Danish native and psychology professor, described perfectly as “intentional intimacy.” Hygge can similarly be achieved by spending time alone while intently focusing on the moment. Staying inside on a cold, rainy day with a warm beverage in hand, a soft sweater on, and a minimum of three blankets over one’s legs to keep yourself warm can be a perfect expression of hygge. In this way, I like to think of hygge as the atmospheric and emotional equivalent of a burning candle: comforting, peaceful, and aesthetically comforting. But it could also come to you while quietly enjoying a serene view, listening to soothing music outdoors during a quiet evening, or strolling along the water-side to watch the ferries pass. Oftentimes hygge is channeled into developing a material environment characterized by simplistic surroundings that supply this kind of comfort, warmth, and sanctuary. In fact, this is a significant influence to Danish interior design style: simple, functional, but in no way lacking warmth. Comforting elements like throw blankets and pillows, candles, fresh flowers, books, and spaces that are free and uncluttered are characteristic of Danish design. But to be clear, I am not here to sponsor the purchasing of Danish furniture or an excessive amount of candles. These sanctuary spaces can look like anything. Hygge is a personally cultivated ambiance that suits one’s needs for security and comfort and is therefore expressed differently in each individual’s ideal environment. Although simplicity and functionality are primary goals, it is an overall feeling of comfort and ease that permeates these spaces. Hygge doesn’t demand minimalism or perfection, it asks for sincerity. Part of the reason this intentional atmosphere grew to such importance in Denmark is due to the harsh winters when it is darker and extremely cold. In these times, indoor comfort is more frequently sought out. Home becomes a sacred sanctuary from the gloom outside, and as such, is a thoughtfully cultivated space. According to Alex Calvert, a man who moved from the United States to Copenhagen in 2010, “...if you’re walking the streets, there’s fires and candles in the windows that are glowing… even in the depths of winter, there’s still this sense of warmth,” (Stieg). In Seattle, we get our fair share of darkness and cold, and we can expect this to intensify in the oncoming winter. Our dorms, apartments, and even classrooms become beacons of warm light and havens from the pelting rain. Creating comfort in those spaces is a wonderful way to ward off internalizing the melancholy weather outside. As college students, we often spend significant time in environments that are not necessarily stress-free or comfortable. And we do not always have the opportunity to customize our homes or classroom spaces to suit our individual needs because we do not always have complete control over those spaces. The start and end of our personal space is usually our bedroom, which is perhaps why many of us feel the need to personalize that space and manifest the hygge we do not otherwise have available. Posters and knick-knacks, stacks of books, even piles of laundry, regardless of what fills our rooms the space is ours. It may be the only space we have (if one is fortunate enough to have their own room, or even half a room) that offers the haven we deserve, so carving out a space for a sanctuary and personalizing it to fit one’s individual needs is essential. Though initially presented as a foreign term, I do not think this will be an entirely foreign concept to most of you. Coziness, comfort, and contentment are not alien to us, but I am of the opinion that we must place a greater emphasis on establishing them in our lives. So, whether you experience hygge by listening to music and daydreaming, spending mindful time with people you feel safe and joyful with, or hiding under the covers for an extra five minutes during cold winter mornings, I encourage you to lean into whatever brings you hygge. Seeking out the simple joys of hygge could be all the difference in relieving a modicum of distress amidst particularly stressful times. Related and References Works Altman, Anna. “The Year of Hygge, the Danish Obsession with Getting Cozy.” The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2016, https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-year-of-hygge-the-danish-obsession-with-ge tting-cozy. Brits, Louisa Thomsen. The Book of Hygge: The Danish Art of Contentment, Comfort, and Connection. Plume, 2017. “Happiness, Benevolence, and Trust During COVID-19 and Beyond.” Happiness, Benevolence, and Trust During COVID-19 and Beyond | The World Happiness Report, Sustainable Development Solutions Network, 2012, https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2022/happiness-benevolence-and-trust-during-covid-19-and-bey ond/#ranking-of-happiness-2019-2021. Harper, Douglas R. “Hug (v.).” Etymology, 2000, https://www.etymonline.com/word/hug. Helweg, Marie. “Why Denmark Is the Happiest Country.” LiveScience, Purch, 30 Mar. 2018, https://www.livescience.com/62150-why-denmark-is-happiest-country.html. Puisis, Erica. “Everything You Wondered About Danish Design.” The Spruce, The Spruce, 4 Nov. 2022, https://www.thespruce.com/what-is-danish-design-5224667#:~:text=Though%20Danish%20desig n%20is%20simple,hygge%20design%20and%20lifestyle%20elements. Stieg, Cory. “Why People Are so Obsessed with 'Hygge,' the Cozy Danish Lifestyle Movement.” CNBC, CNBC, 25 Nov. 2019, https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/23/what-is-hygge-and-why-are-people-so-obsessed-with-it.html.  By: Izzy Westbrook
I dread big writing assignments. I dread starting the messy first draft, I dread revising, and I dread stressing about my grade while I write. Much to my relief, I quickly learned I was not alone in this. In an exercise for prospective writing consultants, me and my peers were instructed to outline our writing process. Although our writing processes varied, procrastination and dread were a common theme. Some of my peers laid on the floor or stared at their blank screens doing nothing. Others outlined their paper to avoid starting the first draft. I usually push my writing assignments until the end of the day. My anxiety grows the longer I procrastinate, making it harder to get started. Still, 99% of the time, once I finally start writing, I realize that the task in front of me is not as bad as I anticipated. Feeling anxious about writing all day is much worse than the time spent actually writing. Ironically, I usually get in the zone after a few minutes, and I start enjoying the process. I’ve come to realize that starting to write is my least favorite part of the writing process. So, I might as well get that over with ASAP. As much as I hate it, the best way to alleviate anxiety about a task is to start working on it. Isis, Meredith, and Bill offer some advice for managing writer’s anxiety in their writing center blog at DePaul University . 1. Break up the assignment into smaller, less intimidating tasks. For example, I might plan to spend two days writing an outline, then write one paragraph each day for the next week. Focusing on one paragraph at time feels much more manageable than worrying about the entire paper at once. Even if you tend to leave things until the last minute, writing a paragraph and then taking a short break is a much nicer way to motivate yourself. 2. If you’re feeling stuck, try freewriting or making an outline. I like drafting outlines using shorthand. I often get stuck trying to create perfect, polished sentences. This makes it harder to think about the ideas I want to express in the first place. Allowing myself to write without worrying about grammar or writing conventions frees up mental space to get ideas flowing. That way, when I outline, I only have to think about what I want to express, and when I start drafting, I only have to think about how to express it. 3. Recognize your strengths as a writer. Self-doubt about our abilities to succeed can increase dread. Reminding yourself of the times you persevered through a challenging assignment can help increase your confidence. I also like to start with the tasks I feel most comfortable with. Just starting any aspect of an assignment (however big or small) can make the rest feel less daunting. 4. Challenge the unrealistic standards you might be placing on yourself. No piece will ever be perfect, and even the best writers occasionally write papers they are not proud of. Remember that a messy first draft is better than no draft at all, and that anything you don’t like about your writing can be revised later. Sometimes, I save my word documents as “messy first draft” to remind myself that it’s okay to write a bad first draft- in fact, it’s an expected, important part of the writing process! Sometimes, you just need to get ideas out on paper. 5. Reward yourself for meeting your goals. Take some time to celebrate your accomplishments and do things you enjoy. Engaging in your hobbies or spending time with friends is a great way to reward yourself after meeting a goal. In my experience, this increases motivation to meet goals and helps prevent burnout. 6. Reach out for help. Your professors and the writing center are here for you! Few authors work in isolation. Often, just putting my ideas into words by talking to someone about my writing helps me solidify my thesis or draw new conclusions. When I work on a paper for a long time, I develop blind spots. Getting feedback helps me identify strengths and weaknesses that I might not have noticed before. Finally, I recommend writing with a friend or two. The presence of another person who is also writing can help hold you accountable. More importantly, knowing that you are not alone in the writing grind makes writing much more pleasant and easier to begin. If you struggle with writer’s dread like me, you are not alone in this! Find what motivates you to get started and remember that your anxiety is probably worse than the task itself. Works Cited: G-J, Isis, et al. “Mental Health in the Writing Center: How to Help Writers and Ourselves.” UCWbLing, 26 July 2021, ucwbling.chicagolandwritingcenters.org/mental-health-in-the-writing-center-how-to-help-writers-and-ourselves. Accessed 11 Oct. 2023.  By: Olivia Merrick
If there’s one thing that you should know about me, it’s that I am the ultimate romantic. I almost exclusively listen to love songs, my favorite part of the holiday season is when it finally becomes socially acceptable to watch Love Actually on repeat, and I have an entire bookshelf full of candy-colored romcoms. Truly, there is nothing more I love in life than love, and that means that I’ve had the luxury of reading the good, the bad, and the ugly of the romance genre. Whenever people ask me for romance novel recommendations, I instantly know who to point them toward: Emily Henry. Henry wasn’t always a romance writer—she actually began her career writing young adult novels—but her books skyrocketed to astronomical popularity following the publication of her debut adult romance novel, Beach Read. Since Beach Read hit shelves in 2020, Henry’s published a romance novel every single year. My personal favorite novel in Henry’s repertoire is Book Lovers. Hard-nosed and tenacious literary agent Nora is forced to collaborate on a manuscript with her archrival editor—Charlie— after her younger sister forces her to join in on a trip to a small town in North Carolina. As Nora navigates her increasingly complicated feelings about Charlie, she simultaneously confronts the complexities of her relationship with her sister, her mother, and Sunshine Falls: which might be charming her New York City loving heart more than she’d anticipated. There are a lot of reasons why Henry’s work, to me, stands above the work of any other author in the genre. First, she’s got a unique knack for writing just about any popular romance trope in a way that feels authentic in its execution. Beach Read, for example, follows rivaling authors who make a deal to swap their usual genres of writing for their next books, while People We Meet on Vacation follows two long-time best friends who are forced to confront their unspoken one-night stand while stranded in a Palm Springs motel room. Henry’s books almost always center a protagonist who, in one way or another, is a professional in the world of books: a unique recurring motif for this genre. There’s a freshness to the way that Henry tackles some of the most common ways for love to unfold and find us, in large part thanks to her ability to craft three-dimensional characters who stand apart from one another and from other characters in the genre, allowing her to create a uniquely effortless balance of familiarity and innovation. Henry’s other unique strength as a romance writer lies in her written dialogue skills. For the most part, I find that romance novels have to rely on dialogue more than internal monologues to convince readers that the narrator and love interest have chemistry. It’s one thing for a narrator to think that their love interest is dreamy and perfect; it’s a totally different thing for you, as a reader, to draw that conclusion on your own through the tension, passion, and emotion in the conversations between characters. Henry’s dialogue is always the perfect combination of genuine, humorous, and empathetic: really bringing the chemistry to life for her readers in the process. But perhaps, most of all, what I treasure in Henry’s writing is her ability to tackle complex, human experiences in both her protagonists and love interests. Whether they’re wrestling with grief, fear of an uncertain future in their 20s, or regrets they have about decisions they’ve made in the past, every single one of her characters jumps off the page and feels like the kind of people you’d know in your real life. Romance characters, particularly love interests, can easily feel cookie-cutter and recycled from stories past, but Henry’s ability to weave humanity and love together makes her characters feel three-dimensional and multifaceted in a way that is particularly rare for this genre. So, if you’re looking for your next great romance adventure, consider picking up one of Emily Henry’s six romance novels the next time you’re at a bookstore! I promise you’ll fall head over heels for her writing as much as her characters fall head over heels for each other. Links to Emily Henry’s Romance Novels: Beach Read “Augustus Everett is an acclaimed author of literary fiction. January Andrews writes bestselling romance. When she pens a happily ever after, he kills off his entire cast. They’re polar opposites. In fact, the only thing they have in common is that for the next three months, they're living in neighboring beach houses, broke, and bogged down with writer's block. Until, one hazy evening, one thing leads to another and they strike a deal designed to force them out of their creative ruts: Augustus will spend the summer writing something happy, and January will pen the next Great American Novel. She’ll take him on field trips worthy of any rom-com montage, and he’ll take her to interview surviving members of a backwoods death cult (obviously). Everyone will finish a book and no one will fall in love. Really.” People We Meet on Vacation “Poppy and Alex. Alex and Poppy. They have nothing in common. She’s a wild child; he wears khakis. She has insatiable wanderlust; he prefers to stay home with a book. And somehow, ever since a fateful car share home from college many years ago, they are the very best of friends. For most of the year they live far apart—she’s in New York City, and he’s in their small hometown—but every summer, for a decade, they have taken one glorious week of vacation together. Until two years ago, when they ruined everything. They haven't spoken since. Poppy has everything she should want, but she’s stuck in a rut. When someone asks when she was last truly happy, she knows, without a doubt, it was on that ill-fated, final trip with Alex. And so, she decides to convince her best friend to take one more vacation together—lay everything on the table, make it all right. Miraculously, he agrees. Now she has a week to fix everything. If only she can get around the one big truth that has always stood quietly in the middle of their seemingly perfect relationship. What could possibly go wrong?” Book Lovers “Nora Stephens' life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby. Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute. If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.” Happy Place “Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t. They broke up five months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends. Which is how they find themselves sharing a bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blissful week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most. Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week…in front of those who know you best?” Funny Story “Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra. Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak. Scruffy and chaotic—with a penchant for taking solace in the sounds of heart break love ballads—Miles is exactly the opposite of practical, buttoned up Daphne, whose coworkers know so little about her they have a running bet that she’s either FBI or in witness protection. The roommates mainly avoid one another, until one day, while drowning their sorrows, they form a tenuous friendship and a plan. If said plan also involves posting deliberately misleading photos of their summer adventures together, well, who could blame them? But it’s all just for show, of course, because there’s no way Daphne would actually start her new chapter by falling in love with her ex-fiancé’s new fiancée’s ex . . . right?” Great Big Beautiful Life “Alice Scott is an eternal optimist still dreaming of her big writing break. Hayden Anderson is a Pulitzer-prize winning human thundercloud. And they’re both on balmy Little Crescent Island for the same reason: to write the biography of a woman no one has seen in years—or at least to meet with the octogenarian who claims to be the Margaret Ives. Tragic heiress, former tabloid princess, and daughter of one of the most storied (and scandalous) families of the twentieth century. When Margaret invites them both for a one-month trial period, after which she’ll choose the person who’ll tell her story, there are three things keeping Alice’s head in the game. One: Alice genuinely likes people, which means people usually like Alice—and she has a whole month to win the legendary woman over. Two: She’s ready for this job and the chance to impress her perennially unimpressed family with a Serious Publication. Three: Hayden Anderson, who should have no reason to be concerned about losing this book, is glowering at her in a shaken-to-the core way that suggests he sees her as competition. But the problem is, Margaret is only giving each of them pieces of her story. Pieces they can’t swap to put together because of an ironclad NDA and an inconvenient yearning pulsing between them every time they’re in the same room. And it’s becoming abundantly clear that their story—just like the tale Margaret’s spinning—could be a mystery, tragedy, or love ballad . . . depending on who’s telling it.”  By: Isabella Frederick
At twenty-two, I have spent eleven years of my life journalling. Throughout this time, I have filled nine journals and am working on my tenth. I started journaling as a way to expel all my pre-teen anger without hurting anyone. At this point, I was so young that I covered any swear words I wrote with little flaps of paper. Needless to say, my journaling has gotten more mature as I have, yet I still find myself being grateful for this exercise. How journaling has benefited me:
Tips for your own journalling practice:
Keeping a journal (or diary, if you prefer) is a wonderful exercise that has given me so much! I hope this little guide has either inspired you to start one or given you another way to look at your own journaling. Now grab a pen and a notebook and go write about your life! |
