On Sept. 29 through Oct. 1, John Brown University’s Humanities wing hosted the annual Southwest Conference on Christianity and Literature. The theme for this year’s conference drew inspiration from artist Mary Cassatt’s paintings of girls and mothers with books, inviting conversations about women writers as well as how women are portrayed creatively, especially in religious paintings, films and literature. Other genres of creative pieces were welcome as well. There were several panels to attend, all free for the public. Among several academic scholars from different universities, the University featured five student presenters as well as one alumnus and two faculty members.
For the Creative Writing panel, senior English major Leah Dolloff read her creative nonfiction, “Duck Eggs.” English professor Patty Kirk also presented her piece, “Birds in the Back Bay.” Junior integrated marketing major Abigail Lawler offered her creative nonfiction, “Curve Ball.” Lawler expressed her gratitude for the opportunity and what the experience was like for her: “It’s a mix of some of the happiest moments and hardest moments of my childhood. Finding effective ways to express that part of me was really exciting and rewarding.” Lawler is an integrated marketing communications major and felt that this conference gave her a unique opportunity she might not have otherwise had. She was able to take Professor Kirk’s creative nonfiction workshop, revise and present a piece that was especially important to her. “There were parts in my piece that I wanted to emphasize, but they required some vulnerability and boldness to present. I would definitely present again. It was an outlet that I don’t get very often, and it was such a joy to be a part of it,” Lawler said.
Junior criminal justice major Diego Flores read his paper, “The Not So Much Fairy Tale: How Charles Perrault’s ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ Changes the Story” on the “Other Genres: Science Fiction, Fairy Tales, Paintings” panel. Flores enjoyed this opportunity, as he felt he enhanced his presentation skills as well as perfected his ability to listen to these academic conversations. “Overall, it was a great opportunity to present a piece of my work that I put in a lot effort to complete and being able to share that with others is just a great sense of accomplishment.” Flores said, “It was also an incredible opportunity to be associated with other writers who are some of the best at what they do and just being able to present in the same panel as them is a great experience.”
Senior English major Meggie Duncan read her creative nonfiction piece, “Learning Distance.” She recommended presenting at a conference to other students who are interested. She advised anyone considering submitting to “make sure your piece fits with the parameters and that you’re proud of it.” Duncan continued about Professor Kirk’s guidance throughout the process of editing and submitting, “I think it’s really helpful to have someone here with such high standards and with experience in publishing.” She appreciated the opportunity to speak at the conference as well as the skills she has sharpened through presenting. “Public speaking is still not a favorite thing of mine, but I think it’s worth it to share worthwhile art and ideas,” Duncan said.
Sophomore English major Ellie Nelson was featured on the panel, “Is Dungeons and Dragons Good for your Soul?” and read her own paper, “Roll for Initiative: The Emergence, Resistance, and Significance of the Role-playing Game Dungeons and Dragons.” English professor Dr. Jonathan Himes read his work, “Sitting Clothed and in Our Right Minds: Casting out Devils from D&D.” Recent graduate Madison Hatfield also presented her work, “’Tis Pity She’s a Multidimensional, Realistic Human Being: An Analysis of Female Autonomy and Patriarchal Authority in The Duchess of Malfi, The White Devil and ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore,” on the “Critical Approaches to Drama” panel.