Tag: Oral Session 3 DL

Dishes

Presenter(s): Kaity Olsen

Faculty Mentor(s): Angela Bogart-Montieth

Oral Session 3 DL

Dishes is a short story that follows Anna as she navigates difficulties in her marriage and in her rocky relationship with her sister. Following a series of escalating fights, Anna goes to stay with her sister, where she is finally forced to confront the trouble between her and her sister and the infidelity she has ignored for years. When I first started writing Dishes, I was focusing primarily on the relationship between Paul and Anna, two people who had married at a young age and, through the years, struggled to maintain that love. As the piece grew, and in much of my work this year, I became more interested in exploring the complicated dynamics of women in families- between sisters and their mothers.

On Being Full

Presenter(s): Kaya Noteboom

Faculty Mentor(s): Mark Hennion

Oral Session 3 DL

The personal essay, as a mode of creative writing, allows total agency in the representation of stories coming from writers of under-represented backgrounds. As an artist who identifies as a trauma survivor, as queer, trans, and mixed-race, I prioritize telling true stories from my life because I feel an urgency to complicate the sparse existing narratives surrounding these identities. “On Being Full” is a personal essay that mediates on two opposing fears: the fear of unplanned pregnancy and the fear of infertility. Within it, I weave expository elements with scenes of unpleasant doctor’s visits, and flashbacks of pivotal moments in my family history. This essay is a meditation on fertility—for the purpose of procreation, and creating as an artist. “On Being Full” provides a queered perspective on pregnancy and motherhood, contributing to the visibility of stories and lives that are seldom given light in the literary community.

Variations on Affection

Presenter(s): Lisa Kwan

Faculty Mentor(s): Mark Hennion

Oral Session 3 DL

My short story “Variations on Affection” is told in first person point of view from the perspective of an Asian-American mother. The fictive present follows the mother on her daughter Sophie’s wedding day as she is walking down the aisle. The story alternates between this short time frame and flashbacks detailing important moments in their relationship. It is largely focused on exploring the difficult relationship between mothers and daughters, which is a result of cultural and generational differences. Mainly, it puts the ideas of individualism and collectivism in contention, contrasting Sophie’s independence with her mother’s stubborn traditional upbringing. The navigation of these tensions and their eventual reconciliation, though ambiguous, reflects the experience of many second-generation children and their immigrant parents. As the title suggests, there are many ways in which love and affection manifest.