JGB's Fall 2017 Intro to Creative Writing
Posted in Short Story on Dec 15th, 2017
Us Dear Megan, In the middle school library, the first time I saw you, you were sitting cross-legged on a bean bag chair cradling a book in your hands. Dark brown curls fell down your shoulders as you read aloud to the visiting third grade class. I was fresh out of grad school and excited […]
Posted in Short Story on Dec 14th, 2017
Or Something “It didn’t sit right with me. It felt like frostbite and searing skin.” She thought as she barreled through the field on her way home from Clementine’s Grocery. She had never seen someone weep with such intensity; it was as if his whole body was grief and salty tears and pooled snot were […]
Posted in Short Story on Dec 6th, 2017
Mary Rossi Facing It A warrior walks home alone at night; thirty, wrinkled clothes, worn-out face. She carries a gym bag on her shoulder. Sunday night. Midnight; it’s a horrible time, her mind all wound up with thoughts that she can’t push aside. She has one more stop to make. As she reaches her destination, […]
Posted in Short Story on Nov 9th, 2017
I found it interesting that Boggs decided to write this story as a continuation of sorts of her short story “Imperial Chrysanthemum” from earlier in Mattaponi Queen. I liked how Boggs switched the point of view of this story even though she is continuing to write about Cutie and Loretta (this story is told from Cutie’s point […]
Posted in Short Story on Nov 8th, 2017
What I think is most interesting about this story is the portrayal of change. Since we’ve last seen the characters of Cutie and Loretta, little has changed between them. Cutie’s character is still as stubborn as ever, still set in her usual way of doing things; she is still hesitant to accept Loretta’s help, and […]
Posted in Short Story on Nov 2nd, 2017
I really liked the recurrence of “imperial chrysanthemum” throughout this piece. Not only is it the perfect title for this piece, it is also the distinct pattern on Cutie’s antique and highly valuable silverware collection, which the reader comes to learn is the main focus of this story . Boggs is very descriptive and uses lots of […]
Posted in Short Story on Nov 1st, 2017
I really enjoyed this story, and enjoyed seeing all the different personalities of each of the characters and the different ways in which they all interacted with one another, especially once we are able to see more into their backstories the further the story progresses. Cutie’s determination to find her beloved silver is especially interesting […]
Posted in Short Story on Oct 26th, 2017
I found Kristin Valdez Quade’s “Mojave Rats” very interesting- the main character, Monica, in particular. Throughout the short story Monica makes many comments and has many thoughts about how much better she is than those around her; how much more sophisticated and of better breeding (only her, she never really goes into much detail about […]
Posted in Short Story on Oct 25th, 2017
I really liked how this story was told in a way that makes it real and relatable to the reader (it dealt with emotionally complicated and tough situations that many people in the real world go through and can relate to). For example, Ronnie (the main character in this story) must learn to cope with her husband’s injury (he […]
Posted in Short Story on Oct 25th, 2017
I really like this story and how the characters’ amount of life experience (and lack thereof) is demonstrated in the way they interact with one another. Jack, who is older, has a more realistic outlook on the future than the narrator, understanding that certain things, especially love, don’t last forever and don’t always turn out […]
Posted in Short Story on Oct 17th, 2017
I personally liked this story because I felt like I could relate to it in a way because we go to an all-girls school. On this day every year all of the boys, except certain boys, skip school and go hunting because it is the beginning of hunting season. The story’s narrator talks about the school’s campus […]
Posted in Short Story on Oct 17th, 2017
Boggs’ “Deer Season” was very interesting to read. I really enjoyed the shift of perspective throughout; to me it had a sense of stream of consciousness, but with more direction. The examination of a single point in time through the different lenses was both interesting and enlightening. The descriptions and narrative made me feel like I […]
Posted in Short Story on Oct 17th, 2017
I found the continual air of mystery in Kirstin Valdez Quade’s “Nemecia” very interesting. From the beginning to the end of this short story, its peculiarity never wavers. Throughout the story, we come to understand (or not) Nemecia through the main protagonist’s interactions with her and information surrounding her. As the protagonist and Nemecia grow, […]
Posted in Short Story on Oct 17th, 2017
I appreciated the way Boggs used point of view to make her short story stronger. I had never read anything where each paragraph is written from a different character’s point of view, and I think that because this story was short, it worked beautifully and wasn’t overwhelming. That being said, I don’t think that this would work […]
Posted in Short Story on Oct 17th, 2017
I really enjoyed reading this story because it really drew me in and pushed me to keep reading until the end. It had moments of darkness in it that caught my attention and left me wanting to know more. When the narrator wants to know the truth, the reader also wants to know the truth. The […]
Posted in Short Story on Oct 17th, 2017
It was interesting how the author presented a few characters and gave insight to their perspectives. It felt strange for such a short story to have so many different perspectives, but the author did a great job in clearly separating the characters so it was never confusing. They all talked in different ways about how […]
Posted in Short Story on Oct 17th, 2017
I find Quade’s “Nemecia” extremely intriguing. As the reader, I love how there is no certainty given (through the entire first half of the story) to the clarification of whether Nemecia has actually killed her mother and father. Quade adds suspense to the story by having the reader rely on Nemecia’s (just like how Maria […]
Posted in Short Story on Oct 16th, 2017
I really liked how Boggs used a different style in terms of point of view throughout this short story. The point of view of the story changes at the beginning of each new paragraph. Not only is this a different and interesting way to move the plot along, but it also provides more than one perspective/insight into the thoughts and […]
Posted in Short Story on Oct 16th, 2017
I found “Nemecia” very frustrating at first—the older girl bullying her younger cousin in such quiet, unnoticed ways and Maria never defending herself—but also intriguing in the fictional, yet supremely personal and complex bad blood relationship presented. There are moments in the story, especially in the beginning (Maria’s telling of how Nemecia permanently disfigured her […]
Posted in Short Story on Oct 15th, 2017
What I found most interesting about this story is the portrayal of liberation and how it relates to the boys in the story. The absent young men in the story are described as being very overbearing, constantly bullying the rest of the characters into conformity and submission–including the students in Mrs. Hayes’s art class. Art […]