Photography

Boat House Dr…………………………………………………………..Ashley Allen

Boat House Dr. was taken in the artist’s hometown of Grapevine, Texas.

Chimneys…………………………………………………………………Ashley Allen

This photograph was taken off of the Chimneys trail in The Big Bend National Park. At the apex of the hike stand large rock formations marked with pictographs and petroglyphs that are several thousand years old.

Found Deer……………………………………………………………..Ashley Allen

Found deer. Taken off of the Twisty Trail in McAllister Park, San Antonio.

Hardworking bee around blooming flower bushes………Thao Dinh

Head in the Clouds…………………………………………………….Thao Dinh

Kaleidoscope Architecture…………………………………………Thao Dinh

Kaleidoscope architecture at the Utah Public Library

Reflections of Hand…………………………………………………..Thao Dinh

Snow Jogging…………………………………………………………….Thao Dinh

Spring bloom…………………………………………………………….Thao Dinh

Spring Lanterns in the Old Quarters of Hanoi…………….Thao Dinh

The Warmth of Hospitality…………………………………………Thao Dinh

Dog Daze………………………………………………….Jessica Garcia-Tejeda

Drip, Splash……………………………………………..Jessica Garcia-Tejeda

La Flame Never Dies…………………………………Jessica Garcia-Tejeda

Love Birdies……………………………………………..Jessica Garcia-Tejeda

Mile High Golden Sky……………………………….Jessica Garcia-Tejeda

Sacré-Cœur……………………………………………..Jessica Garcia-Tejeda

Self-Portrait…………………………………………….Jessica Garcia-Tejeda

Soakin’ the Setting Sun……………………………..Jessica Garcia-Tejeda

Sunflower Focused…………………………………..Jessica Garcia-Tejeda

The Silence of the Director……………………….Jessica Garcia-Tejeda

Wild Color Wheel…………………………………….Jessica Garcia-Tejeda

Yellow Faygo……………………………………………Jessica Garcia-Tejeda

I……………………………………………………………………………….Zoe Grout

“Oft of one wide expanse had I been told,/ That deep-brow’d Homer ruled as his demesne” from “On first looking into Chapman’s Homer” by John Keats

II……………………………………………………………………………..Zoe Grout

“And, on the sudden, fainting with surprise,/ Saw two fair creatures, couched side by side” from “Ode to Psyche” by John Keats

III……………………………………………………………………………Zoe Grout

“Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!” from “Ode to a Nightingale” by John Keats

IV……………………………………………………………………………Zoe Grout

“I saw pale kings and Princes too,/ Pale warriors, death pale were they all;/ They cried ‘La belle dame sans merci/ Thee hath in thrall.’” from “La Belle Dame Sans Merci” by John Keats

V…………………………………………………………………………….Zoe Grout

“Nor suffer thy pale forehead to be kiss’d/ By nightshade, ruby grape of Proserpine” from “Ode on Melancholy” by John Keats

VI……………………………………………………………………………Zoe Grout

“Full on this casement shone the wintry moon,/ And threw warm gules on Madeline’s fair breast,/ As down she knelt for Heaven’s grace and boon;/ Rose-bloom fell on her hands, together prest” from “The Eve of St. Agnes” by John Keats

VII…………………………………………………………………………..Zoe Grout

“With duller steel than the Persean sword/ They cut away no formless monster’s head… She wrapp’d it up; and for its tomb did choose/ A garden-pot” from “Isabella; or, The Pot of Basil” by John Keats

VIII…………………………………………………………………………..Zoe Grout

“Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?” from “To Autumn” by John Keats

Seagulls flying above Galveston Beach……………………Taylor Lucas

Seagulls flying above Galveston Beach

Pleasure Pier on Galveston Island…………………………..Taylor Lucas

Pleasure Pier on Galveston Island

Poetry

Siena, Italy……………………………………………………….Matthew Barton

A poem titled, “Siena, Italy”, written for my Poetry and Gender class with Professor Jenny Browne this semester. Details from the poem are drawn from a random postcard handed out during class.

Beware the Puddles………………………………………….Amanda Bratton

Eyes of the Texas Storm……………………………………Amanda Bratton

Neurological Necropolis…………………………………………Lily Brennan

This is a poem inspired by the book Do No Harm by Henry Marsh.

Ducks in the San Pedro Creek………………………..Nathaniel Bronson

An homage to the ducks and waterfowl that have enriched and blessed my life in a studio apartment.

Chasing My Butterflies………………………………………….Rose Cherayil

Behave………………………………………………………………….Rachel Curtis

Sometimes we try too hard only to fail. It would be easier to do only what is needed and nothing more.

A piece written to depict the highs and lows of the wandering mind.

Challenger Deep……………………………………………………Rachel Curtis

We are constantly bombarded with tasks, with objects, and with stimulation. What if there was nothing?

Erosion…………………………………………………………………Rachel Curtis

What does it mean to leave? What does it mean to stay?

Final Frontier………………………………………………………..Rachel Curtis

There is a final frontier within us all.

Water Coloring………………………………………………………Rachel Curtis

For slow mornings, shadows soft as silk, and the wish to freeze time in the moment after words are spoken before they reach another’s ears.

Better Nights………………………………………………Jessica Garcia-Tejeda

reflections of my life

Explosions………………………………………………….Jessica Garcia-Tejeda

reflections of my life

Little Poem………………………………………………….Jessica Garcia-Tejeda

reflections of my life

Unlocked……………………………………………………..Jessica Garcia-Tejeda

reflections of my life

Dancing Butterflies…………………………………………………Natalie Intihar

Dancing Butterflies is about the feeling you have in your stomach looking at the person you love the most.

Red Lights at 2:05am……………………………………………….Natalie Intihar

Red Lights at 2:05am is about the cars you see on the road late at night, and where those people are going.

Response to “i love you to the moon &”……………………..Natalie Intihar

Response to “i love you to the moon &” is about loving someone from afar, and how complicated love is even when the person is right in front of you.

He Brought Me Daises on the Back of His Motorcycle..Norie Marshall

“He Brought Me Daises on the Back of His Motorcycle” is a poem I wrote last semester in Professor Browne’s poetry class as a midterm and as a reflection of how one may experience and express feelings of love and appreciation.

A Brief Commentary…………………………………………………..Haniel Neves

This poem I wrote one early morning last October, in a short 40 minutes. Even though it is suffused with an accusatory nature, it never once singles out a particular group to be the focus of the work. Indeed, it is as vague yet descriptive as can be in response to recent world events.

Agony…………………………………………………………………………Haniel Neves

This short poem I wrote sometime last semester, in my attempt to write at least a poem a day. I was successful for some time, but simply gave up after a while, realizing that short poems are far more difficult to compose than lengthy ones. This work is about the hardships which arise with love.

A Tale for Two…………………………………………………………….Haniel Neves

Ghost…………………………………………………………………………Faith Padgett

The piece is about the poet’s personal experience at attempting reconciliation between mourning a loved one and moving on. The poet struggles with the ephemerality of life and legacy, competing with a world that continues even in the face of her own immense grief.

Canto XXXII: Ring 2 – Antenora…………………………………Adam Rinaldi

This piece is a reimagined canto from Dante’s Inferno with American historical figures. The piece consists of 47 stanzas that all conform to the terza rima rhyme scheme that Dante employs in his Divine Comedy.

Fallen………………………………………………………………..Shivani Selladurai

Fallen is about the multiple paths that seem to await for us, and the anxiety it produces, as explored through the metaphor of fallen pieces of hair, each strand that falls is a reality that formerly existed for us and how we feel the need to grasp on to every possibility that seems to exist for us in this lifetime. It is also a poem of identity, and how we place our sense of identity onto realities that aren’t always ours, we place our values of identity onto passions and dreams but don’t seem to see the present as the only true identity.

The midnight children………………………………………Shivani Selladurai

The title is inspired by the book Midnight Children by Salman Rushdie, which portrays a post colonial India and it’s transition. My poem heavily explored themes of history and origin, and how we should look back to our roots and our ancestry within our motherlands to fill in the gaps within us, the gaps that crave for representation and an anxiety for belonging. History and the past is seen through a maternal lens, although there are aspects that are jarring and violent, the Before has led, or possibly nurtured the world into what it is today, and the Before is constantly being rewritten everyday.

self diagnosis…………………………………………………………Caroline Wolff

“self diagnosis” is an erasure poem born from over 40 pages of my own medical history. I challenged myself to transform a barrage of medical jargon into a montage of moments from my own childhood and adolescence centering around mental health, body image, prejudice, and internalized ableism. The title of this poem, as well as its contents, reflects a reclaiming of my diagnosis, a freedom to describe my identity in my own terms instead of the terms that have been prescribed to me all my life by doctors and other medical personnel.

March Bullet Journal Spread…………………………………….Thao Dinh

My Bullet Journal spreads March theme: Women’s Appreciation Month in line art

Rebirth…………………………………………………………………….Thao Dinh

“Butterflies are beautiful symbols of death and rebirth, from cocoons they shed their old selves to reincarnate into something breathtaking. In this acrylic painting, I tried the splashing method, something completely new to me that I was scared of trying. But I did anyway. The result was beyond my expectations. I realized that transformation can be scary and overwhelming, but it will be worth it in the end.”

Infinitesimal…………………………………………………….Phoebe Murphy

Oil on hand-stretched canvas. Drawing from artistic depictions of black holes, Infinitesimal aims to capture the feeling of our smallness in the universe.

Running on Empty…………………………………………….Phoebe Murphy

Vargas…………………………………………………………………….Lila Steffan

“Vargas” is inspired by weather patterns in northern New Mexico. The piece responds to the phenomenon of vargas rain, rain which never reaches the ground due to aridity. This type of rain is extremely common in the southern Rockies, where desertification is prominent.

The Only Rule………………………………………………………..Eyan Absar

I originally wrote this for my FYE but I’ve revisited it several times because I knew improvements could be made. Clover is a young girl who feels she has to ask one question every day, and she lets Abe decide what counts as a “good” or “bad” question

Emani………………………………………………………….Nathaniel Bronson

This is a recollection of some brief interactions I had with the White Mountain School community when I entered the cafeteria for the first time.

Lovesync.………………………………………………………………Eva Buergler

“Lovesync” is a story set in a not-so distant future (or alternate reality?) where a social media platform, Lifesync, dominates the web. In Lifesync, Artificial Intelligence-optimized avatars take on their user’s personality and appearance, becoming an ever-available friend to anyone who wishes to speak to them. Ellie has recently been rejected by her friend Lydia and seeks answers through Lydia’s AI, resulting in a revealing conversation.

House of Sweet Memories……………………………….Alexandra Cortez

A short story about the warm community found in my grandparents’ home.

About Flowers and Fireworks………………………………Rachel Curtis

I wrote this essay after experiencing the 2020 Arboretum Oaks Apartments shooting. The violence that I heard and the aftermath of such a tragedy affected me in ways I didn’t understand until later. There is one detail that I did not get to include in this paper. On a whim, I looked up the meaning of the name Alyssa. It means noble. Maybe flower metaphors aren’t always that bad.

Cherie, Dear…………………………………………………………..Thao Dinh

Take a glimpse at the life of a homeless, orphaned French cyborg girl and her dog in my first precisely 300-word flash fiction.

Race……………………………………………………………………….Thao Dinh

Award-winning series of fiction short story about the life of a Vietnamese girl.

When the Snow Falls……………………………………………….Thao Dinh

A story about Snow and how she lost her innocence.

Raining Red……………………………………………………….Madeline Freeman

I wrote this story for my Fiction Writing course with Dr. Porter. The only requirement was that it had to be exactly 300 words, no more and no less. In such a short amount of time, I immediately knew I wanted my story to cut deep and to present some kind of a shock, so I had this image in my mind of people sneaking around until they stumble upon something horrifying. It leads to this super intense moment, but readers can still imagine a background for these characters and what happens after this scene. I really fell in love with this story concept, so I’m looking forward to developing it further in longer forms of writing.

This is Wonder………………………………………..Jessica Garcia-Tejeda

Romanticizing existential crisis; Outlet.

Cowboy Casanova.…………………………………………….Natalie Intihar

Cowboy Casanova is a story about missed timing, and the power of reconnecting at the right moment. It speaks about how it feels to love and lose someone, and what it feels like to open your heart up again after heartbreak.

Spun Gold…………………………………………………………Kennice Leisk

This is a story about a girl with gold hair and the old woman who teaches her to knit.

Straying From The Path……………………………………..Kennice Leisk

This piece is inspired by all the times I’ve walked on a wilderness trail and wondered what lurked in the woods around me.

The Castle by The Sea…………………………………………Joshua Morgan

This is a short story from an assignment for the Fiction Writing class. I had to write a short story in exactly 300 words.

The Ending………………………………………………………..Elizabeth Motes

“The Ending” is a short story about the consequences of giving everything for your passion and leaving nothing for yourself.

The Nesting Doll……………………………………………………….Elena Negron

This piece is short fiction exploring the life and identity of a teenaged girl whose father, that she never knew, was found murdered. It follows her in the few days after she is asked to identify the body.

Infinity…………………………………………………………………..Elena Ramirez

A 300-word, micro fiction story about a college student who learns how to be content with their past and current self.

A Facade………………………………………………………Samantha Rodriguez

It’s a flash fiction piece about the duality of social media vs real life for an influencer.

The Grove……………………………………………………………..Gabriella Stein

A 300 word short story.

AYCEB……………………………………………………………………….Dean Zach

I first started writing this piece on the night of Wednesday, Feb. 23, a couple hours before I got an email from the New York Times stating that Russia had begun a “special military operation” in Ukraine (not that the war really has anything to do with this piece, I just felt like I had to mention it). It was mainly inspired by the fact that I thought “AYCEB” sounded funny, but it was also kind of inspired by something I heard in a political science class last year, which was that there are some things that are so taboo that it’s hard to even bring yourself to think about them.

The Iguana…………………………………………………………………Dean Zach

I started writing this piece during the early phases of the pandemic, and it was definitely inspired a lot by isolation, boredom, and the warped way time seemed to work that spring. I hope it’s not too soon to start writing about it, but I definitely feel like, as time goes on, it’s harder for me to capture how it felt back then at the beginning of the pandemic, and so I felt that I had to write this sooner rather than later. Also, obviously I’ve been working on this one for a while, and so it’s taken a lot of different forms; I hope this form is the final one.