Kate O’Briant
Practicum
Dr. Woolfitt
4.20.15
Annotated Bibliography
Jagendorf, M.A. Folk Stories of the South. 3rd ed. Vol. 1. New York:
Vangueard, 1972. 123-143, 205-226,231-260. Print.
This was a resource I found in the Lee Library. I want my project to include
elements of folklore so I wanted to find several volumes about folklore
specific to the South. In looking in the Lee Library I found most volumes to
be older, including this copy, published in 1972. This collection is assorted
by Southern States and their native folk stories. I read specifically, the
chapters on Tennessee, South Carolina, and Louisiana because I wanted
to set my story in one of these three places.
The stories I liked the most were; The Bridal Ghost Dinner and The Silver
Snake of Louisiana in the Louisiana chapter, Emily’s Famous Meal and
The Tragic Tale of Fenwick Hall form South Carolina, and Kate the Bell
Witch and Beale Street Folks in Tennessee. I paid attention to
environmental and character descriptions in these stories to see how a
“folklorist” describes their surroundings and translates them into readable
stories.
Chabon, Michael, ed. The Best American Short Stories, 2005. Boston:
Houghton Mifflin, 2005. Print.
This was another resource I found in the Lee Library and have read
through gradually. The various styles have been helpful to me creatively
and stylistically. Micahel Chabon, Pulitzer Prize winning author of ‘The
Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay” and “The Yiddish Policemen’s
Society”, is the editor/compiler of this volume of short stories and prefaces
the volume that stories are first and foremost for pleasure/entertainment
and notes these were the stories which pleased him best.
Reading this volume helped me to see a variety of conclusions reminding
me whether they be open ended, gratifying, or frustrating endings can all
be unique. It helped me to realize not everything has to be tied up in a neat
little bow. Several of these stories ask questions with open ended answers
which have been useful in brainstorming and writing my short story. Also,
seeing a variety of writing styles from well known contemporary authors
helped me to hone my voice and pay attention to details as I wrote my
story.
Casterton, Julia. Creative Writing: A Practical Guide. 3rd ed. Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. Print.
This is one of the craft books I referred to heavily before and during the
writing process. Casterton begins with some truly helpful observations on
creative writing and the need to make dedicated space to yourself as a
reader and writer. One of her most helpful statements is that if you have an
urge to write and any talent for it at all- you musn’t ignore it. She also
begins the book with some truly wonderful writing exercises including a five
day series on reading the world through senses by choosing a sense each
day and focusing on it and how you read the world through that sense.
I also found the chapters on short story writing and dialogue very helpful.
Casterton points out that to some degree all short stories are about a crisis
of question which you as the author have the power to answer or solve.
Whether the crisis is subtle or catastrophic I began to read short stories
with this observation and it was really helpful. The overarching theme of
the “Creating Short Stories” chapter is the need for change in a short story.
Some change must occur that the readers observe and the characters
choose to react to or actively avoid. Casterton’s volume was a go- to
source for me during my writing process an I plan in continuing to use it.
Rhyne, Nancy. More Tales of the South Carolina Low Country. Winston-
Salem: J.F. Blair, 1984. Print.
My time spent in Hilton Head made me want to create a story based there
because it is one of the most unique places I’ve been in terms of
geographical features, the feel of the island, and the places on the island
and the way they are laid out. So when I spotted this book by Nancy
Rhyne it seems I had to read it to get some more groundwork for the
setting. This book was sandwiched between a few others in the Lee
Library folklore section. I had an idea of the setting I wanted- slightly dark
with an air of mystery, and while browsing through the title automatically
stood out and helped me clinch the decision to set my story in Hilton Head,
South Caroline where I have visited a few times before.
The author of this volume, Nancy Rhyne, was actually well into her adult
life before she started writing. After a terrible incident of being bitten by a
copperhead multiple times, she picked up a class in creative writing as a
hobby because she couldn’t return to work right away. She and her
husband had always had a penchant for folklore so they began
investigation the back roads and low country communities gathering oral
tales and transcribing the into several awar winning volumes in their desire
to preserve the rich culture and background of the South Caroline low
country.
A few of my favorite stories in the book include “The Death Call” because it
includes so simply and vividly the dialect of low country peoples and the
power of superstition. I also enjoyed the story “Lija’s Gift of Prophecy” and
the “Ghost Who Rang the Gatehouse Bell”. I found these stories
interesting because they aren’t the traditional short story form but retellings
of oral traditions but they still maintain the object of change.
Bernheimer, Kate. Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Women Writers Explore Their
Favorite Fairy Tales. Vol. 2. New York, N.Y.: Anchor, 1998. Print.
This was one of my other craft/research resources. This book is simply put
a compilation of essays written by women artists (writers mostly) and how
fairy tales shaped them, affected them, frustrated them, etc… The title
gives a clear indication stories- especially fairy tale narratives -hold up a
mirror so that geniuses of the genre such as Angela Carter can ask difficult
questions about humanity using the darker side of older fairy tales. Kate
Bernheimer, editor of this compilation, has a special connection to fairy
tales having written a trilogy of them based in Yiddish fairytales herself.
She also compiled the award winning volume, My Mother She Killed Me,
My Father He Ate Me: Forty New Fairy Tales. Bernheimer’s eye for great
tales and her talent for putting together stories and essays which give
special and intelligent insight into the world of fairy tales is especially
valuable.
Essays like “The Three Little Bears, Little Red Riding Hood and the Coffin
House” by Alice Adams address the difficulties of living a childhood where
any moment someone could tear away your myths from you. While Citra
Banerjee Divakaruni’s essays addresses her obsession with the tale of the
“Palace of Snakes” and its relation to her coming to America- her
reconciling belonging to two places. One of my other favorites included
Vivian Gornick’s “Taking A Long Hard Look at the Princess and the Pea”
Which discusses the feminine search for the right man and the constructs
a woman can create by presence or absence of that partner. All of these
essays helped give me special insight into the importance of the fairytale
narrative while also addressing some gender narratives present in my
writing.
Albee, Edward. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. New York: New American
Library, 1962. Print.
Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf is a contemporary, award
winning drama classic which explores tensions like gender roles, the
Western need for reassurance, religious effectiveness, the importance of
childbearing, and more. This play is packed full of powerful and detailed
symbolism as well as spectacular wordplay and irony. Looking at Albee’s
work was helpful especially considering his first act’s dialogue has been
hailed by critics as some of the best ever written.
In reading the highly respected and highly theorized piece of drama I tried
to keep in the mind the effectiveness of Albee’s word play and the absolute
effectiveness of his dialogue. His dialogue and wordplay were an
inspiration to my writing, helping me to view things in a different light-
looking at how my work flows from line to line as opposed to its entirety.
Subtext is also a key component to Albee’s work and I tried to pay special
attention to small words as well as breakdowns in language which
symbolized something bigger happening.
Holberg, Jennifer L. Shouts and Whispers. Grand Rapids: Wm. B Eerdman
Publishing Co., 2006. Print.
Holberg’s Shouts and Whispers is a series of articles/ essays from well
known writers speaking about how their faith effects their work . The
authors age, experience, types of work, and faith backgrounds. It is a sort
of “devotional for writers” helping writers take a long look at the various
ways faith can intersect with the discipline. It is so interesting to hear so
many different writers address faith in such different and often unfamiliar
ways. This source was helpful because it helped me to remember to look
at God in a real way but also in a vast way- not just the traditional
evangelical ideas I have grown up with.
Two of my favorite articles included “Why Have we Given Up the Ghost?
Reclaiming Literary Fiction” by Brett Lott and Silas House’s “No Bible
Beating Allowed.” Both of these essays were fairly straightforward and
differed highly in style from these authors style in their creative works. I
thought it interesting how they changed their tone to fit the present goal. I
specifically enjoyed Lott’s essay because it reminded me of a point
presented by my freshman year theology teacher. I remember him asking
what most students in the class thought of modern Christian art and the
opinion was widely negative. This begged the question, why are we as
individuals who have the power of the Holy Spirit on our side producing
sub par woer when it is out work, in every fired which should be yielding
powerful results.
Jarrett, T J. Zion. N.p.: Crab Orchard Series in Poetry, 2014. Print.
T.J. Jarrett is a poet from Nashville, Tennessee. She is a software
developer by day but in the meantime crafts vivid books of poetry such as
Zion. Jarrett’s poetry has been published in Poetry, African American
Review, Boston Review, Beloit Poetry Journal, and more. T.J. Jarrett’s
most recent book of poetry,Zion, was published by Crab Orchard Press is
a series of poem addressing a variety of themes- the most prominent of
which is racism. Jarrett drew inspiration from a famous lynching in
Alabama and creates a gorgeous and tenuous work full of vague yet
powerful images and gorgeous language. The infamous Mississippi
Statesman, Theodore Bilbo plays an important and poignant role
throughout the series of works playing a foil as well as a symbol of the
peace and forgiveness Jarrett hopes to find in this volume. Characters like
Bilbo and “the Dark Girl” keeps readers engaged an asking questions
about what is happening in these miniature narratives. Carefully crafted
chapters move the reader toward ultimate purpose.
I always find it highly helpful to see how a poet arranges there poems- how
they organize their themes. Seeing this and the beautiful voice of Jarrett’s
work stuck in my mind as I wrote my story. Her imagery is also incredibly
powerful yet subtle. I love images, so reading these images through such
beautiful and powerful prose was rally helpful in writing my short story.
Carter, Angela. Burning Your Boats. New York: Penguin Group, 1997.
Print.
Angela Carter’s Burning Your Boats was one of my favorite sources to
draw from. Angela Care a prolific writer of fiction as well as feminist
essays. The Times ranked Carter tenth in their list of “the 50 best British
writers since 1945”and Nights at the Circus was selected as the best ever
winner if the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 2012. Carter spent two
years in Tokyo after her first divorce in 1972 and this stint abroad greatly
influenced her writing because she stated it was in this time she “learned
how to be a woman”. Her time abroad inspired New Society as well as
Fireworks: Nine Profane Pieces.
Carter, a revolutionary feminist, used fantastical stories such as The
Bloody Chamber the comment on the traps women must break and the
prison which can be femininity In modern culture. Carter seems to have the
ability to write in a variety of ways- some stories sounded like
contemporary style writing and some seemed almost Victorian (The Bloody
Chamber). This encouraged me to remember every writer has their own
voice but also that stories don’t all have to sound the same. It is also an
indicator that each story is a commentary on perhaps some grater theme
or issue. The voice is changeable and unique, befitting the story it is telling
Plus, Angela Carter is of course a giant in the field so reading her work
was invaluable.
Viramontes, Helen M. The Moths and Other Stories. 1985 th ed. Houston:
Arte Publico Press, 1985. Print.
Helen Viramontes is revered in the literary world as an invaluable voice for
the chicana/ Latina world because of her contribution to the world of short
fiction. Her stories address the problems specific to the Latina
demographic such as oppression by way of the church, patriarchal society,
or the prevalence of “non literacy”. Viramontes powerfully breaks this
tradition in her spellbinding tales which apply not only to Latinas in
principle but to the human reader by dealing with issues like loss, fear, and
power.
In her first story, Moths, I was enamored by Viramonte’s style because
she speaks in a stream of consciousness and I write in a similar way, using
lots of ands, stringing objects and thoughts together and building to a
climax of sorts. Viramontes build this tension and suspense with every
sentence, which eventually leads the reader to the climax of the story.
Viramontes and authors’ like her remind me in the short story template
every word must be meaningful and serve for building the story’s
suspense.
Dunbar, Alice R. The Goodness of St. Roque and Other Stories.
Lexington: n.p., n.d. Print.
Alice Dunbar’s short stories were suggested to me by Dr. Woolfitt. Alice
Dunbar is lesser known in the short fiction world but he thought her writing
might be of interest to me when I mentioned I was interested in Louisiana
considering many of her stories take place there. I fell in love with Dunbar’s
writing style because it is so different from many contemporary authors I
have read.
Dunbar evokes setting and make old situations seem new and new
situations seem old with her voice and storytelling. She writes as if she
was born in the 1800’s and uses almost Victorian language to tell lovely
stories which upon a closer look bear great impact. Dunbar also reminded
me of an important truth early on in the writing process- not all stories end
like novels. Her conclusions reminded me that we are programmed to read
towards a grand climax when sometimes the ending is much softer
because short stories function differently than novels.
Eunoia Review. Eunoia Review, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
<https://eunoiareview.wordpress.com/about/>.
I found literary journals both helpful and intimidating in my research
process. It is incredible how many different authors and styles are out
there and are beautiful as well as well received in the world of literature. I
enjoyed reading Eunoia Review because it is a WordPress site which
takes contributions from a number of writers of various ages, stages of
education, location, etc… I got to read several wonderful short stories and
poems the most recent of which is a series of sonnets by poet John
Lowther. Lowther uses an analytical database to find averages of words,
syllables, and characters in Shakespeare’s sonnets. These averages then
dictate his own poems. Reading authors like this helps me to appreciate
the various ways writers approach their craft. The amount of thought and
analytics that go into this series of poems and other series of work are
challenges as a writer. Challenges to look at things in new and creative
ways helping/ forcing you to create under new parameters with new
inspiration.
Emerge Literary Journal. ELJ Publications LLC, n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2015.
<http://emergeliteraryjournal.com/>.
Emerge is another Literary Journal I found using the list Dr. Woolfitt gave
us to help us find sites we could submit our work to. I found the most
recent edition highly helpful/ inspirational as it included several samples of
gorgeous flash fiction and poetry. I am always drawn to imagery so of
course I noticed all of the authors’ gorgeous imagery first in many of these
poems and stories but I also noticed the organization of themes and even
words as I read which I find myself noticing more as I read current flash
fiction authors.
Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse FIve. New York: Dell Publishing, 1963.
Print.
Vonnegut is a giant of contemporary literature, as are so many of the
fabulous authors I have read this semester in Contemporary Literature.
Reading his work, among these others has proven invaluable in creating a
context for the modern writer of any level. We are told frequently as
students of English and Literature to be aware of the conversation and
reading/loving one of Vonnegutt’s well known works proved an invaluable
experience.
I fell in love with this book as soon as I started reading it, which is
surprising because I’m not the biggest fan of contemporary literature and
the style of writing I tend to enjoy most is highly different from Vonnegut’s
cutting edge style. Every one of Vonnegut’s sentences is just that- cutting.
He is so precise and decisive with the way he tells his story. The
straightforwardness of his style juxtaposed with the fantastical/ slightly
ridiculous components of this story are incredible.
Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York: Vintage Books, n.d. Print.
`Morrison is another author I highly enjoyed reading. Morrison, a Pulitzer
prize winning novelist is known for incorporating highly complex themes
and societal issues into her beautifully imagined stories. These issues
include race, loss, grief, religion, and more. Even in the names of her
characters, Milkman Dead, Pilate, Hagar, First Corinthians pack a symbolic
punch automatically asking the reader to investigate Solomon, her
characters and that which they are to represent.
Morrison’s representation of Biblical themes in her text coupled with
cultural motifs of the time presents a unique commentary on the issues of
race and racial tensions. One of the most interesting things about
Morrison’s text is the fact her African- American characters are set in the
north and are dealing with racial violence and tensions in the South from
far away. Economic tension, guilt, and the need for revenge drive many of
the secondary character allowing Milkman to look in from the outside and
make his own decisions about race and self.
One of the things I love most about Morrison’s writing is the sheer volume
of symbolism. I feel as if you could spend years investigating Morrison’s
novels, peeling off layer after layer and learning something new every time.
Morrison’s writing helps me to remember to always leave something below
the surface of your writing. Allow for some things to be found.
May, Lori A. The Write Crowd. New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2015.
Print.
The Write Crowd is a sort of guide to literary citizenship as well as life
within the writing culture. Writing, by nature a solitary venture is spoken of
a new light in May’s book. The importance of literary citizenship has grown
along with the writing world. May emphasizes the need to accept other
writers’ feedback as well as giving to other writers because it is precisely
this cycle which helps writers keep writing.
I have always appreciated understanding how cultures and subcultures
function- so I especially appreciated May’s glimpse in literary and writing
culture both inside and outside of academia, I also got a taste of this after
our in class Skype interviews with poets and writers working both inside
and outside academia. This glimpse helps me as well as other writers
prepare for what the writing world looks like and how we must be prepared
to contribute.
Katchum, Andrew M. Ghost Gear. N.p.: University of Arkansas Press,
2014. Print.
Ghost Gear is a volume of poetry by poet Andrew McFayden Ketchum
published in Arkansas Press. His poems have appeared in journal like
“The Southern Poetry Anthology, Glimmer Train, and American Literary
Review. Ghost Gear is also a Forward Reviews’ INDIEFAB Book of the
Year Award Finalist as well as a 2014 finalist for the Miller William Prize.
McFayden’s volume has been deemed “ not simply a literary performance,
but a tender alertness to the world.”
Katchum’s poems are an almost mythical glimpse into childhood and how
a child’s minds can receive stories. Katchum’s work centers largely around
the stories his father would tell him as a child when getting away from their
urban home and taking a look at the surrounding countryside and
geographical locations. These are the tensions which make Katchum’s
work so interesting and tenuous. Katchum doesn’t parse words as he
explores issues of sexuality as a young boy, father son relationships, and
belonging to a rather offbeat community.
Reading all sorts of authors and discipline is invaluable in constructing a
project like this. Writers like Katchum, modern writers who are currently
paying a large part in the writing and teaching community play a large
inspirational and helpful role in the lives of young writers. Kacthum’s tone
and poetic sound helped to read his poems carefully with an eye toward
poetic “music”. Sound is important to me as a writer so reading Katchum’s
work wit h an eye for poetic music -verbal and mental was truly helpful.
Shepard, Sam. Burid Child. New York: Vintage Books, 1997. Print. Buried
Child is A Pulitzer prize winning dram written by well known playwright an
actor Same Shepard. Shepard wrote a number of award winning plays,
including several OBIE’s as well as an academy award for Best Supporting
Actor. Shepard is a brilliant creative mind who has woven many pertinant
themes into his dramas.
Buried Child is a drama displaying many important themes including
disillusionment with the American Dream, the economic downturn in the
1970’s and well as the breakdown of traditional values. I have always
found it interesting is said young writers are those most prone to make
their characters and stories more autobiographical yet Shepard incurs
several element from his own past and family life throughout his works.
Buried Child is s interesting because it addresses the rural nature of the
economy trouble of the seventies. Shepard grew up around farms and
ranches throughout his teen and early twenties so it would only make
sense he would have dramatic insight into the breakdown of family in the
rural places where family values are to mean the most.
Reading a variety of genres proves very helpful in the writing process. One
of the challenges of drams is in the necessity of powerful dialogue as well
as attention to setting and dramaturgy. It is helpful for a writer to keep
these ideas in mind even though they may seem restricted to drama.
Remembering setting is its own character and including setting details
large and small can create stronger environments for writer which helped
me in my short story writing this semester.
Gilead Amrylnne Robinson
Marilynn Robins is the author of the Pulitzer prize winning novel Gilead.
Gilead, a tow in Iowa, is the setting for the fictional autobiography featuring
John Ames, a pastor writing s sort of extended a letter to his seven year
old son. Knowing he won’t have long to know his son the letter is a sort of
spiritual diary/ book of advice for the boy which addresses generational sin
and the importance of family as well as its dark sides.
Gilead’s remarkable, poetic language is awe inspiring in its honesty
regarding so many traditions in the puritan denomination ss well as he
Puritan family. One of Robinson’s most important inspiration were John
Calvin’s original texts. Gilead is not simply a beautiful novel but a
commentary on American frustration with puritanism. Robinson herself
states, "that one of the things that has happened in American Cultural History is
that John Calvin has been very much misrepresented. As a consequence of that,
the parts of American Culture that he influenced are very much misrepresented."
Gilead, the town name for the hill of redemption as well as Robinson’s novels is a
novel about reeducating people about Puritan culture whos members are
redeemed but every bit as human as anyone else.
One of the most important lessons I have learned from Robinson and writers like
her is that writing ,especially Christian written is there to accomplish more. It is
about representing something greater than ourselves and I hope as I grow as a
writer I can portray things which mean most to me as beautifully as writers like
Robinson.
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