tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45333519295924422882024-03-13T04:04:27.849-07:00Adventures in MFA Landliterary, and not so literary, thoughts from Melissa Ford LuckenMelissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-84300687125912121152024-01-04T10:12:00.000-08:002024-01-04T10:12:00.139-08:00Louisville Book Festival, 2023<p> <br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7NtRNPtTMSMMHJxBtlE2WlLcTX9Golz8GF9rbz0RycXmisM-Ye3RbtWxGNdmmw6yaLWg6j9QrNbR9LM81oEFlo4u1a7bGSmru9bCP96WLpPLkNF5UhKxpn1kBQ3zNCRKidE4oCwpyZ58wLUWheg7I0erE2AnxrDtOWeNZXVX-FZ9pAO6h-2BVYSOuhTsx" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="736" data-original-width="1284" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg7NtRNPtTMSMMHJxBtlE2WlLcTX9Golz8GF9rbz0RycXmisM-Ye3RbtWxGNdmmw6yaLWg6j9QrNbR9LM81oEFlo4u1a7bGSmru9bCP96WLpPLkNF5UhKxpn1kBQ3zNCRKidE4oCwpyZ58wLUWheg7I0erE2AnxrDtOWeNZXVX-FZ9pAO6h-2BVYSOuhTsx" width="320" /></a></div>The unique feature of the he <a href="https://www.louisvillebookfestival.com/" target="_blank">Louisville Book Festival </a>is that the event supports young readers and authors of children's and YA books. In October, I attended both days of the event and had a great time chatting with the bus loads of middle and high schoolers who attended the event. <p></p>Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-54126111844710372482023-12-14T10:00:00.000-08:002023-12-14T10:00:07.049-08:00 Path to Publishing: 3 Steps, how easy is that!<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The very first thing is to write the entire first draft. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Step 1<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">While polishing up that first draft, get a subscription to <a href="https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/">Publisher's Marketplace</a>. Make
a list of agents/editors who are selling/buying a manuscript similar to yours. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Continue examining the market. Occasionally skim <a href="https://www.publishersmarketplace.com/">Publisher's Marketplace</a>. Make a list of <a href="https://authornews.penguinrandomhouse.com/comp-titles-an-elevator-pitch-for-your-book/" target="_blank">"comp" titles</a>. </span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Step 2<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Prepare the query. If you’d like a template to get you
started: <a href="https://isabelledrake.blogspot.com/2014/11/killer-query-quick-madlibs-style.html">check
out this template</a>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Using the list from step 1, start submitting. You can get agent/editor submission
information from Publisher's Marketplace (above). <a href="Agentquery.com">Agentquery.com</a>
is a good source for agent information.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Keep track of the queries. I’m old school so used paper. I
used 3x5 cards because they are big enough and small enough. If you’re more of
a spreadsheet person, do that.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Send the submissions. Keep track of those as well. Include
what you sent, etc. At the time you send them, you may think you would never
forget, but consider the possibility that you will forget. There is a good
chance you will want the information later. For example, what if you want to
query that same person again in the future? In that case, it would be good to
know what you had sent before.</span></p></blockquote><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Meanwhile, start working on something else. It will make the waiting
easier.</span></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Step 3<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">“Find” an agent and/or sell the book.</span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YmcUzjPlFAVxsNwrxqO9Ha6-qjjS_XKW2m2CSsLMenSGpyq6TTZxYsI6Yrmv_gEgCIun5SS_L6Q2FhZ4FMe7-4uvgqiDY19Ot2uSqeVWmJHJQ4pynTvjZbOdRkC8sQALwbMPnCy-e0kwl3_xnnwMmwgTrRuyAOP3VqOh0s0fqAlDNjHwT1UhgYprxUQU/s794/il_794xN.4034285009_67q2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="794" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_YmcUzjPlFAVxsNwrxqO9Ha6-qjjS_XKW2m2CSsLMenSGpyq6TTZxYsI6Yrmv_gEgCIun5SS_L6Q2FhZ4FMe7-4uvgqiDY19Ot2uSqeVWmJHJQ4pynTvjZbOdRkC8sQALwbMPnCy-e0kwl3_xnnwMmwgTrRuyAOP3VqOh0s0fqAlDNjHwT1UhgYprxUQU/w235-h235/il_794xN.4034285009_67q2.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Want to stay in touch? <a href="https://www.subscribepage.com/IsabelleDrakeNewsletter">To subscribe to my Isabelle Drake newsletter</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Other related resources:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://youtu.be/y2yXFFSP_VM?si=0wkcE3GO5XIS3Ffv">A
podcast interview about scene structure. It is focused on romance, but the
theory applies to all genres</a>.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://isabelledrake.blogspot.com/2020/11/scene-structure-101-chart.html">Scene
structure chart</a>.</span></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Blog post I wrote for workshopping groups: </span></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://isabelledrake.blogspot.com/2022/01/workshop-questions-for-author-and-reader.html"><span style="font-family: inherit;">WORKSHOP
QUESTIONS - FOR THE AUTHOR AND READER</span></a></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Blog posts I wrote about using social media:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://isabelledrake.blogspot.com/2018/03/got-trolls-understanding-and-evaluating_28.html"><span style="font-family: inherit;">GOT
TROLLS?: UNDERSTANDING AND EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF YOUR VIRTUAL BRAND</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://mfaland.blogspot.com/2013/10/social-media-what-it-should-do-for.html"><span style="font-family: inherit;">SOCIAL
MEDIA, WHAT IT SHOULD DO FOR AUTHORS, WRITING PROGRAMS AND SOME #RANDOM
#THOUGHTS</span></a></p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br />Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-82719154606444753632023-05-30T11:36:00.002-07:002023-05-30T11:39:06.718-07:00Three Times the Victim: The Unique Traumatic Terror of the Child Victim in 'Guilty Mom' Horror<p>I'll be presenting at the Ann Radcliffe Academic Conference taking place in Pittsburgh during the middle of June. Here's my abstract: </p><p>
Attention has been paid to the role of mothers in horror
film yet a deconstructing analysis of the types of horror film mothers and how
the actions of those types impact their child victims is lacking. Consequently,
the relationship and circumstance of the fictional horror mother and her
fictional horror child victim is often generalized as simply dysfunctional.
This broad interpretation of dysfunctional prevents an understanding of the
child victim’s experience and role. A frequent type of child victim is the
child of a ‘guilty’ mother. Often, her guilt arises from her inability to
assist her child and is further complicated by her relationships with those
around her. Her guilt impacts her actions and attitudes and as a result impacts
her child. While, both the ‘guilty’ mother and the tormented child are victims,
their torment is experienced individually. The evil does not pull them
together. It pushes them apart. Within the context of a horror film, the
resulting tensional dynamic highlights the unique vulnerabilities of the child
with a ‘guilty’ mother. The terror and trauma is focused and amplified.
Additionally, the resulting story circumstances highlight society’s unjust
treatment of those who are outside the mainstream, vulnerable, and in need of
assistance.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4YULuf58FL737owxbn7UPtngp1m7Og3n5eFh1tyFunr_6j9dAn91EEUQB7j7jQAjh54Q0btBBTloySfYnrEKzJFQZNLxoJnlcteqVspxSjkq6RIFw7r-NILzhxX7uGK2R7a_BzPYZUVPuegYMOdLhnNNTBLDWs6fVymIlWGVEZLEZZCcs7UtaMMVqQ/s800/c%20mom.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="800" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4YULuf58FL737owxbn7UPtngp1m7Og3n5eFh1tyFunr_6j9dAn91EEUQB7j7jQAjh54Q0btBBTloySfYnrEKzJFQZNLxoJnlcteqVspxSjkq6RIFw7r-NILzhxX7uGK2R7a_BzPYZUVPuegYMOdLhnNNTBLDWs6fVymIlWGVEZLEZZCcs7UtaMMVqQ/s320/c%20mom.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Carrie's mom, not guilty. Just bad.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />This paper differentiates the types of horror film mothers,
specifically the ‘bad’ mother from the ‘guilty’ mother, in order to focus on a
unique type of child victim. After isolating the unique circumstances of the
‘guilty’ horror film mother this paper asserts that this specific child victim
is more than a placeholder for the target audience’s viewing experience. This
unique victim functions as a prompt to consider the role of society, and
consequently that of the target audience members, in perpetuating evil by
rejecting and silencing marginalized persons.<o:p></o:p><p></p>Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-27270128957571152042023-02-07T13:33:00.002-08:002023-02-07T13:33:00.176-08:00Washington Square Review - submissions open <p>The Washington Square Review seeks submissions for the 2023 edition. We publish fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry.</p><p>Submissions are open until Feb 21, 2023. <a href="https://washingtonsquarereviewlcc.submittable.com/submit/251244/washington-square-review-2023-edition" target="_blank">Submit on Submittable.</a></p><p><b>Fiction</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Submissions should not exceed 5,000 words. One piece per submission and one piece per submission period.</li></ul><p></p><p><b>Creative Nonfiction</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Submissions should not exceed 3,000 words. One piece per submission and one piece per submission period.</li></ul><p></p><p><b>Poetry</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Submissions should not exceed five poems. Five poems per submission and five poems per submission period.</li></ul><p></p><p><b>Additional Guidelines & Note</b></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>All submissions must be primarily written in English and must be the original, unpublished work of the author.</li><li>Contributors receive one copy of the issue in which they are published. </li></ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUBDEDrMmDoRvsVAKtFuQ0iwEz3dMJTgxvOmOx5kRdnSBRe9fSV5EcbUvRo-yXDwvhd5khk3SQBxTsZjh-WTE1I2XzcEII5JugxdPNdJaQGYj1oqeuxVJBN0jjBoyBdgBNb6aAcLqWOtQxLp44gLkxGVaYHN37iIKkIewAUQSgfFf-n13FSesL0k_lQ/s499/WSR%20cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHUBDEDrMmDoRvsVAKtFuQ0iwEz3dMJTgxvOmOx5kRdnSBRe9fSV5EcbUvRo-yXDwvhd5khk3SQBxTsZjh-WTE1I2XzcEII5JugxdPNdJaQGYj1oqeuxVJBN0jjBoyBdgBNb6aAcLqWOtQxLp44gLkxGVaYHN37iIKkIewAUQSgfFf-n13FSesL0k_lQ/s320/WSR%20cover.jpg" width="224" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><p></p>Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-43593840256968820902023-02-04T13:30:00.023-08:002023-02-04T13:39:57.330-08:00Accelerated Learning Pedagogy & Politics<p>Have First Year Writing Courses Become the New Frontline of Two-Year Institutions? </p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lansing Community College, among first community colleges to embrace
accelerated learning, is an open-enrollment institution that serves urban,
rural, and suburban communities. Since adopting the approach in 2012, the
institution has employed both ALP and co-requisite course designs.<br />
<br />
We will provide and analyze data that chronicles our institution's ten-year
history with accelerated learning. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;">TYCA presentation will be on February 15, 2023 in Chicago at the annual conference.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuPUPYmS_pbA3_DuZa1oFSPhIg4n-Pw3XtoHI5eBhItz07fezxb_EOnIr1d4qx9CDEVl9cPTSPvQNUDzhhQFlDSEBNsKOg2l6WnkKFuiKf9-VK9qWInf69GSLY2p2cPjuzQpY802huYEWMl9aPcpiWSdQcuYisUvUNj_Ju8STt9Cf3IaTh7_93FtKZww/s1200/0.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuPUPYmS_pbA3_DuZa1oFSPhIg4n-Pw3XtoHI5eBhItz07fezxb_EOnIr1d4qx9CDEVl9cPTSPvQNUDzhhQFlDSEBNsKOg2l6WnkKFuiKf9-VK9qWInf69GSLY2p2cPjuzQpY802huYEWMl9aPcpiWSdQcuYisUvUNj_Ju8STt9Cf3IaTh7_93FtKZww/s320/0.png" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">In assessing the importance and efficacy of community college first year composition curriculum, an essential area of discussion is the extent to which writing programs find themselves subordinated to other institutional imperatives. In many cases, the priorities of a writing program are determined externally, either directly by administration or indirectly by forces which may be beyond the institution. For one example of this discussion, is found in Sharon Crowley's Composition in the University. At the community college level, however, we this effect is even more pronounced, and writing instructors and administrators often exercise even less control over their own priorities and imperatives. In recent years, developmental writing programs have been tasked with the responsibility of teaching more content in less time.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">Our two-year institution is an open-enrollment institution that serves urban, rural, and suburban communities. Our population includes health science, trade, and transfer students and includes a substantial refugee population. Our institution was among the first community colleges to embrace the ALP model, drawn from Peter Adams' Community College of Baltimore County's 2012 ALP workshops. Since adopting the accelerated learning approach in 2012, the institution has employed both ALP and co-requisite course designs. Our current co-requisite model reached scale in 2018 and draws from ALP components as well as our own institutional research in its design. Our 2021-2022 enrollment for freshman composition was approximately 3,000; one-third of those students were enrolled in our co-requisite course.</p><div><br /></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">
Our co-requisite courses are designed to meet students at their current skill
level while enabling access to first-year composition. Students of color are
overrepresented in this program. Our qualitative research suggests many
students of color and reduced means do not trust public institutions. Their
experiences with social service agencies, underfunded schools, welfare
programs, law enforcement, and the foster care system introduce them to
institutional racism and elitism from a young age. Colleges are no different.
Too often, college faculty and administrators dictate policies that privilege
middle and upper-middle-class white students. The pandemic provided more
privilege to the privileged and further deprived the underprivileged while
revealing more issues of inequity and exclusion. Observations and data make
evident faculty teaching underprepared students remain on the front lines.<br />
<br />
In an open-door institution, composition faculty are among the students' first
instructional contact. Prior to recent developmental education reform, faculty
with related educational experience taught high risk students. Currently, in
the era of accelerated learning, professors with literature or rhetoric Ph.D.s
and creative writing MFAs teach this vulnerable population. Moreover, these
professors do so under the microscope of the entire institution as well as the
entire state. As community college "frontliners", first-year writing
faculty at our two-year institution are, like many similar institutions across
the United States, expected to both retain, encourage, motivate, and move
students toward success despite the supposed failure of developmental educators
in the previous decade. Moreover, because of institutional changes in response
to the pandemic, faculty are expected to deliver ALP first-year composition
asynchronously, synchronously, via hyflex, and in hybrid models as well as
focus on resilient teaching and institutional data to evaluate implications for
the future to a group that has undergone an exceptional, collective trauma. </span><p></p><br /><p></p>Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-64722852116080649232022-11-06T13:30:00.002-08:002022-11-29T08:55:29.867-08:00Washington Square Review, summer 2022, out now<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0f1111;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kqgJb1_3ktOWAM0POztw1Yp51Ia8XMekZPqZv7b7yU_HgtiZUVzpHxL2HcvMF7Gh5bwpexP7_G5BTf6n-G56TXp5N4h3aVuWujqi6es_szoAQg7bdfehZ6sWluC6X5kMSdjjjSeTaRJ0OTpc34wL7beUKqDOUvMKaV0QUmiuwRxVAMDBpwwGPwY6/s499/WSR%20cover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="350" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0kqgJb1_3ktOWAM0POztw1Yp51Ia8XMekZPqZv7b7yU_HgtiZUVzpHxL2HcvMF7Gh5bwpexP7_G5BTf6n-G56TXp5N4h3aVuWujqi6es_szoAQg7bdfehZ6sWluC6X5kMSdjjjSeTaRJ0OTpc34wL7beUKqDOUvMKaV0QUmiuwRxVAMDBpwwGPwY6/s320/WSR%20cover.jpg" width="224" /></a></span></div><p></p></blockquote><p>A town square is an open, public space, conceptualized to be the heart of a community. Here at the Washington Square Review, we see our name as a signpost that unifies location and purpose: a literary journal to serve as a meeting point for the many different people, ideas and artistic expressions that make up our community. In the Washington Square Review, we come together to explore and understand the words and worlds we can share when we value creative expression as a commons for us all.</p><p class="ContentPasted0">Last year, Lansing Community College's ENGL department relaunched the Washington Square Review, LCC’s own literary journal. The journal is available on Amazon as both a paperback and an ebook. <span class="ContentPasted1" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; display: inline !important; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">We are again accepting submissions and planning the </span><span class="ContentPasted1" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">publication of our second issue. </span></p><p class="ContentPasted0"><span class="ContentPasted1" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">In the past, the journal was limited to the LCC community. We have expanded submissions to include writers and artists beyond that limited community and are accepting submissions from all writers and artists. Expanding in this way serves LCC’s Guiding Principles and gives us the opportunity to provide voices to those not yet among us, those who don’t yet have a voice in a formal artistic community, and those typically left out or silenced by formal artistic communities.<span class="ContentPasted1" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></p><p class="ContentPasted0">The journal hosts an annual public reading, Washington Square Reads, featuring authors from the journal and is also developing a radio segment, Washington Square On Air. </p><p class="ContentPasted0">For more information, contact the journal editors, Melissa Ford Lucken, via the contact info on this site or visit the website: <span style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://washingtonsquarereview.openlcc.net/" id="LPlnk164822" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">https://washingtonsquarereview.openlcc.net</a> </span></p><p class="ContentPasted0"><span class="ContentPasted2" style="border: 0px; color: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If you'd like to purchase a copy, visit Amazon: <a href="https://a.co/d/1bGZgM0" id="LPNoLPOWALinkPreview" style="border: 0px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">https://a.co/d/1bGZgM0</a> </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p>Melissa Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394142164644029517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-10130845976170208772022-07-14T07:30:00.002-07:002022-07-14T07:30:28.397-07:00using creative writing theory to inform the narrative structure in the film Jaws<p>Here we are in the middle of the summer: barbeques, day
trips, family trips, and hopefully-some extra time for reading. This summer,
I'm rereading Servant of the Undead and Mistress of the Undead, the first 2
books in my Tribe of the Undead dark, erotic horror/urban fantasy series. Why
am I rereading my own stuff? I'm working on book 3 in the series, Disciple of
the Undead. Wow are these books dark! The last fiction book I wrote was the
very fun, upbeat and romantic, Not Home for the Holidays. Writing something so
different is both challenging and fun. One piece of writer advice that is out
in the world is that authors should stick to one genre so that readers will
know what to expect from you and your work. Since you're reading this
newsletter, you already know I don't follow that advice. My fiction falls in
several genres. I also write academic articles and chapters and non-fiction
books.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">In July 2019, I attended the Popular Culture Association's
Research Institute at Bowling Green State University. I attended to do research
for my book chapter, Gothic Girls Gone Wild. By research I mean reading stack
after stack of Archie comics. It was fun, but also tough because there was a
point when I was sitting in front those stacks of comics wondering what the
heck I was going to 'say' about them. I'm happy to say I eventually did figure
that out and that chapter is off and on its way to publication. Stay tuned for
that.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While I was there, I found out about another call for
papers, one on the film Jaws. I liked the movies Jaws, I'd seen the actual fake
shark when I went to Hollywood, and hey, I'm always willing to add to my
already overflowing to do list. I watched the movie and was instantly stuck by
the idea of narratives and how each of the main characters has a shark
narrative. I did some research on transmediation (one media to another) and
evaluated the three narratives: Hooper and Quint, and the main character
Brody.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My chapter, "Struggling Against the Tide: Narrative
Structure and the Human Connection in Jaws," examines the narrative
structure, the character's journey, and the postmodern era of the 1970's. A
couple sections are below. In true academic style, I use big hefty paragraphs
to explain and prove. To establish and support. If churning through all that
is...well...not your thing, skip to the final line of each paragraph. Then,
check out that video, it contains the famous scene in which Hooper and Quint
bond together and we, the audience, see Brody pushed out. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">********<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Excerpt From My Chapter:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIo6IVpMiYMPc0k_BkbrBzID-eDppsmOX9Df_lWdYBeNL1vMEjrPMk-eqgcYgEVWxs12dD_y9SmlIRmvytfCxDzkBtRK-bbmXuAfEyOuhkTqoWOu5hZ5cLR2oe4Y60kcLoeH_gTlyVAy4dQlb5fw_Jlf22AyvbwseWTKhutEL-IELVwbY316MizLZs-w/s750/Jaws.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIo6IVpMiYMPc0k_BkbrBzID-eDppsmOX9Df_lWdYBeNL1vMEjrPMk-eqgcYgEVWxs12dD_y9SmlIRmvytfCxDzkBtRK-bbmXuAfEyOuhkTqoWOu5hZ5cLR2oe4Y60kcLoeH_gTlyVAy4dQlb5fw_Jlf22AyvbwseWTKhutEL-IELVwbY316MizLZs-w/s320/Jaws.png" width="213" /></a></div><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">"Struggling Against the Tide: Narrative Structure and
the Human Connection in Jaws"<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Hooper and Quint, the two halves of Brody’s whole, are opposites
of each other in all regards with one exception—their personal relationship to
sharks. Both Brody and Quint have self-defining shark narratives. Hooper’s
shark story is revealed at the Brody’s dinner table when Ellen, Brody’s wife,
awkwardly says to the just arrived Hooper she’s been told he’s “in sharks.” He
confirms that he loves sharks then relates a childhood experience in which a
baby thresher shark wrecked the boat he’d been in. He swam to shore and watched
the fish finish destroying his boat (0.41.43–0.42.26). This story explains his
very personal and emotional connection to sharks. Quint’s story comes later, at
night, while the three of them are aboard the Orca, preparing to face the
shark. The captain tells of his time aboard the USS Indianapolis and how, after
their ship was hit by a Japanese sub, sharks devoured many of his shipmates
(1.29.28–1.33.15). This famous monologue, another product of the script
collaboration as the scene was initially created by Sackler, then expanded by
John Milius, only to be later condensed by Quint actor Robert Shaw, explains
Quint’s relationship to sharks. As the two men bond over their harrowing
experiences, Brody stays physically away from them, showing that he doesn’t
share the experience or have a personal defining story to offer. Brody is
pushed out of their converging narrative. In this way, Brody’s internal
conflict is externalized. The union of Quint and Hooper adds tension as it
highlights Brody’s aloneness. This isolation is emphasized through character
wardrobe. On the day when they battle the shark, Quint and Brody both wear
light shirts. Brody wears black. He is a man alone, on a personal journey, and
not yet whole.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xO60RohuARY" width="320" youtube-src-id="xO60RohuARY"></iframe></div>
<p class="MsoNormal">An individual narrative is self-defining and reflective. It
comes from within. A self-centered, self-created narrative can be powerful. An
introspective, self-defining, self-centered narrative juxtaposed against a
master narrative that seeks to control and silence is formidable. Formidable
enough to be the big story Spielberg sought to create. Jaws is the story of a
man battling the collective status-quo, expressed through the master narrative,
resolving his own inner conflicts, action vs. intellect and past vs. future,
and gaining his new identity, his own reflective self-defining narrative. At
the start of the screenplay, Brody is new to the island of Amity and has no
experience with sharks. To make his situation worse, due to a near-drowning
experience, he is terrified of the water. This childhood trauma holds him
tightly in the past; he is anxious to build his future. He strives to make a
difference in his new town and knows it is his responsibility to protect the
people of his community, yet he also wants to be accepted by the locals. He’s
an insecure outsider, unsure of how he fits into the tight knit, traditional,
tourist town, a town that embodies mainstream American culture and all its
desired trappings. Going against the leaders could mean losing
everything—including those all-America ideals. After his own son suffers the
consequences of his inaction, he is propelled into his future. The final scene
of the film shows someone very different from the one who struggles to answer
the right phone in his own home. It shows a man who has faced death from a
shark and survived, a confident man who has just delivered safety to the
community that opposed him. Jaws is the story of a man gaining his story.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/This-shark-swallow-you-whole/dp/147667745X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=KX5X3B13DG74&keywords=this+shark+swallow+you+whole&qid=1657808966&s=books&sprefix=this+shark+swallow+you+whole%2Cstripbooks%2C78&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Get your copy on Amazon.</a></p>Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-31731220269645354082021-09-28T14:32:00.004-07:002021-09-28T14:32:47.814-07:00Workshop Questions - for the author and reader<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Questions for the author:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Answer these questions in general:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How do you make yourself want to write?</span></span></li><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How do you create authentic characters instead of
generic ones?</span></span></li><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How do you keep readers reading?</span></span></li></ul><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Answer this specifically in regard to the workshop
manuscript:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What are you looking for feedback/help on?</span></span></li><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What story/message/etc are you trying to tell? </span></span></li><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What are you hoping the reader gets from your story?</span></span></li><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Who do you think your audience would be?</span></span></li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Questions for the reader:<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p><div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Overall story experience:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How does the title contribute to the story experience?</span></span></li><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Does the movement of the story feel organic?</span></span></li><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How does the transformation depict the 5 story
elements?</span></span></li><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is the story being told or revealed?</span></span></li><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">How does the setting contribute to the overall
experience?</span></span></li></ul><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Character:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What do the characters in this story want?</span></span></li><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Does the story have life such as a transformation in
the life of the character?</span></span></li><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What makes the characters relatable? If not relatable,
how does that impact the story?</span></span></li><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Was there anything that seemed out of place/character?</span></span></li><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What does the character learn/change? If not, why not?</span></span></li></ul><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Plot<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Where does the story tension come from?</span></span></li><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Is story pacing intention? Effective?</span></span></li><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Consider the end. What about it satisfying? Is anything
missing?</span></span></li><li><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why does the story matter?</span></span></li></ul><p></p>
</div>
Melissa Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394142164644029517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-12042470372929299912021-07-26T05:30:00.010-07:002021-07-26T05:30:00.174-07:00Risky Writing, When Profs are Reading<p>A last blast of summer heat floats in through the open
windows, ruffling the multi-colored papers scattered across the narrow
conference table. Outside, fire-red leaves rustle. One floats downward. Farther
away, students amble past, their chatter slow and quiet because for them the
workday is over. Professor New Hire leans forward and pulls their papers closer
in, taking another look at the essay printed on green, Essay #3. They’ve
already read the piece at least five times, but the grade calibration
discussion has stalled so another look is warranted.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Directly across the table, Professor X sets an unbitten
chocolate cookie on a napkin, taps the table, and glances around. “Would you
pass it? Or not?” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">His question is for everyone. There are seven people around
the table. No one replies.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Outside a car horn blasts, distant yells and laughter
follow. Inside, there are no smiles or laughter, just the click of keyboards
and the whisper of pages turning.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3sgjpDbObW8/YMt5iMyTwTI/AAAAAAAAAmc/qFIP26Fx0eksI2eEYhAnaUk3TSBVcK3NQCLcBGAsYHQ/s300/b1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3sgjpDbObW8/YMt5iMyTwTI/AAAAAAAAAmc/qFIP26Fx0eksI2eEYhAnaUk3TSBVcK3NQCLcBGAsYHQ/s0/b1.jpg" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">At the end of the table, Prof Y reaches for one of the
grading rubrics, printed on white paper and featuring orderly rows of boxes
beneath the title Freshman Comp Semester 1. The neat grid promises to answer
all grading questions, no matter how complicated or heart-breaking. Professor
New Hire focuses on their own copy of the rubric, positioned beside a mug of
still warm mint tea, and wishes the rubric could actually fulfill that promise.
With only five weeks on the job, making a good impression on colleagues and
knowing the right things to say mattered. To Professor New Hire, those things
mattered a lot. The tightening in their throat was a constant reminder of the
stakes. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Prof Y lowers the screen of her laptop and shrugs. “The
research is pretty solid. The source use includes the Journal of Organizational
Behavior and American Journal of Health Behavior.”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Yep.” Professor X drums the tabletop now, the constant
rhythm of his fingers matching the thrumming of Professor New Hire’s heart.
“Good sources,” he says, still drumming. “The writer did some digging. I can
tell the student had something to say. But beyond those quotes, do you see much
evidence of reading the entire articles? Have they engaged with the
conversation beyond these sources?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Do we teach reading or writing?” Professor Z asks. “I’d pass
it. This student made a good effort. You can see they didn’t just write about
the safe and easy topic, like the social impacts of COVID, the way everyone
else did last year. They took a chance and tried to tackle a tough issue .”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“I know. I hear what you’re saying. They took a chance and
that’s great. I encourage my students to read and write outside their comfort
zones too, but…” Professor X picks up the still unbitten cookie, and continues,
“But the paragraphing. It’s a mess. How can we blame them for choosing to stay
safe, when…?” He gestures to the packet of green pages, now dotted with cookie
crumbs. “Look what happens?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W_Xg4vNELVc/YMt5zUeCg9I/AAAAAAAAAmk/FAikYBPR-5kMIO1nIWgI_RIQccABlHMHACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/b2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1152" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W_Xg4vNELVc/YMt5zUeCg9I/AAAAAAAAAmk/FAikYBPR-5kMIO1nIWgI_RIQccABlHMHACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/b2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Professor New Hire nods. The organization is, well,
disorganized. Also true is that the student took a risk with the topic. Some of
the analysis is intriguing and complex, but there are spots where the key
points fall apart and thus the, for lack of a better word, lumpy approach. <o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Yeah, the paragraphing is not good.” Professor Z’s
attention is drawn to the window. A blue jay has perched on the ledge and
appears to be admiring itself in the reflection. It spins and flies off. “But
would you rather read another one of those perfect, tidy—boring—essays…”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">“Okay.” Professor Z turns his full attention to the group.
“The student took a risk. Tried. Did some good stuff with the research.
Supported their thesis, sort of. Maybe the question we need to think about,
before deciding whether or not its a pass is, are they ready? Are they
prepared?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Prof Y sets her tidy rubric over her closed laptop, searching
it as she asks, “Ready for what? Prepared for what?”<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thick silence returns to the table. The sidewalk is so empty
now, the early evening chatter of the birds has replaced the quiet laughter of
students. Professor New Hire eyes the stack of napkins in the center of the
table. Just one of those patted in the right spot would get rid of the dampness
on the back of their neck. Instead of grabbing a napkin, they flip over the
white sheet of paper. On the back side is the rubric for Freshman Comp Semester
2. They wave their hand over it. “We’re preparing the students for the next
class.” <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">All gazes converge and Professor New Hire feels the weight
of all 12 eyes. They’d meant the comment as a joke, sort of. A darkly humorous
way to bring up a point well-accepted but never spoken. But now, with the very
people they’d wanted to impress staring silently, the point wasn’t seeming so
funny and the goal of making a good impression was now very far off.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then, a wry smile softened Professor Z’s face. Others chuckle.
Professor X bites into his cookie. “Point well made,” Prof Y says as she opens
her laptop. “So, we’re moving on to Essay #4.”<o:p></o:p></p>Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-89804792882404602032021-06-30T09:23:00.001-07:002021-06-30T09:23:00.173-07:00Veronica Lodge, Riverdale's Male Gothic<p>corruption and conflict</p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Veronica Lodge, in her Riverdale comic universe, is an easy
to anger, spoiled, competitive, ‘daddy’s girl.’ Many Archie comic stories
feature her wealthy lifestyle, showing her shopping compulsively or buying her
way to success. Her wealth comes through her father, and she does not hesitate
to use her charms to get material possessions or access to privilege. In her
depiction in the show Riverdale, this dependency on her father forces her to
operate within his criminal world. Repeatedly, she attempts to use her
understanding of the corrupt world to thwart her father. This cycle can be seen
in the manipulations she performs to gain control of businesses such as Pop’s
Chock’lit Shoppe and La Bonne Nuit.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gRMGM-bM1s8/YMt3e1HbjsI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/jMZAE7vH89w4HjimJ8sPv3KBB4QPwHqiACLcBGAsYHQ/s542/Picture3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="305" data-original-width="542" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gRMGM-bM1s8/YMt3e1HbjsI/AAAAAAAAAmQ/jMZAE7vH89w4HjimJ8sPv3KBB4QPwHqiACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Picture3.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">Veronica’s father, Hiram, is an ambitious criminal. Using
his money, connections with the local government, and his ties to the mafia, he
strives to control Riverdale. His ultimate goal is to monopolize the entire
town by purchasing and closing key businesses, such as Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe.
Even while using the underhanded tactics she learned from him to force him to
pass ownership of the popular afterschool hangout to her, Veronica strives to
define herself as different from her father, thus clarifying her own identity
as someone who helps rather than hurts. Despite being female, Veronica’s
character embodies the common male Gothic struggle which Punter notes,
“primarily focuses on questions of identity, and on the…protagonist’s
transgression of social taboos. It involves the confrontation of some isolated
overreacher with various social institutions, including the law, the church and
the family”. She continually takes action to prevent her ambitious and
well-connected father from taking over the town and controlling all the local
institutions.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I2nU58GVvmY/YMt3kMOJm4I/AAAAAAAAAmU/yeVQhxEF9LYEbIWUyFEZqIrUs8Nr7HqHQCLcBGAsYHQ/s544/Picture4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="544" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-I2nU58GVvmY/YMt3kMOJm4I/AAAAAAAAAmU/yeVQhxEF9LYEbIWUyFEZqIrUs8Nr7HqHQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Picture4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal">After coercing her father into granting her ownership of
Pop’s, Veronica embraces her criminal family history by reopening the speakeasy
in the basement of the diner. Although she sees the establishment as a
positive, a place where the quarrelling Northsiders and Southsiders can enjoy
themselves, it is nonetheless an establishment that glorifies criminal activity
of the past, the very lifestyle Veronica claims to reject. Toward the
conclusion of Season 3, after discovering her father lied to her and that his
name is still on the property deed of Pop’s, she intentionally sets up an
illegal boxing match in the club, lets the authorities know, and gets her
father arrested. Consistent with her characterization carried over from the
comic series, Veronica is assertive and goal-oriented, struggling to
distinguish herself. Corruption and conflict, elements created by the Gothic
setting of Riverdale and evident in the plotlines involving Pop’s Chock’lit
Shoppe and La Bonne Nuit, pull her away from her friend Betty.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-15348542627115762812021-06-17T09:22:00.004-07:002021-06-17T09:22:39.325-07:00Betty Cooper, Riverdale's Female Gothic<p><i>confinement, abuse, escape</i></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Betty Cooper, in the earlier Riverdale comic universe, is
characterized as the sweet, hard-working, girl next door. Many Archie comic
stories feature her “tom-boy” side, showing her to be a talented athlete or
skilled car mechanic, but most often the circumstances reveal that she is a
compassionate girl who puts the needs of others before her own. In her
depiction on the show Riverdale, this caring side, a personality trait that is
typically admired, is exploited, transformed into a weakness, and used to cause
her downfall.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CYzQAG3KgJs/YMt2T7pVbgI/AAAAAAAAAl8/TzpQsnPFDIE4dG9BgT8LvryihMTPe_T9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s406/Picture1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="406" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CYzQAG3KgJs/YMt2T7pVbgI/AAAAAAAAAl8/TzpQsnPFDIE4dG9BgT8LvryihMTPe_T9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Picture1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">This exploitation is emphasized through The Sisters of Quiet
Mercy plotline. Until its closure in the middle of Season 3, The Sisters of
Quiet Mercy was a residential institution dedicated to reforming the troubled
youths of Riverdale. While claiming to aspire to honest and good values, such
as hard-work and spiritual devotion, the so-called ‘Sisters’ ran an illegal
distillery, used conversion therapy, and gave the resident teens Fizzle Rocks,
a drug that induces hallucinations. In a plan to rescue local teenagers being
abused at the corrupt institution, Betty sneaks in. She is discovered and
confined. Ultimately, she escapes, taking the residents with her. Once out, she
learns that her mother was once a resident of the institution and remains
connected to the self-serving and cruel ‘Sisters’ running the estate. This
pattern of confinement, abuse, and escape is at the core of the female Gothic.
David Punter, in his description of the female Gothic, observes that “Critics
[theorized the] female Gothic through psychoanalytical readings of the female
protagonist. These critics read the typical plot of confinement and escape as
representing the daughter’s struggle towards psychic individuation”. Betty’s
struggle to break free from her mother’s influence and control continues with
her interactions with The Farm, a cult that purchases the estate after The
Sisters of Quiet Mercy is forced to close.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CdH-SOGH2oc/YMt2ez1ux8I/AAAAAAAAAmE/MVBTjN4o6GsP-0rhPqq9ayAOmniAKNJ-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s538/Picture2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="304" data-original-width="538" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CdH-SOGH2oc/YMt2ez1ux8I/AAAAAAAAAmE/MVBTjN4o6GsP-0rhPqq9ayAOmniAKNJ-wCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Picture2.png" width="320" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal">The Farm, led by a controlling and crooked leader, takes
advantage of the secluded location, using it as a place to covertly harvest the
organs of those who come looking for healing and spiritual guidance. Betty,
seeking to save those being harmed by brainwashing and the undisclosed removal
of their organs, works her way into the group and uncovers the leader’s
treachery. Consistent with her characterization carried over from the comic
series, Betty prioritizes the needs of others before her own. In Riverdale, she
puts herself at risk both physically and mentally. These two plotlines, The
Sisters of Quiet Mercy and The Farm, are examples of how the Gothic cycle of
confinement, abuse and escape, shape and energize her individual plotline,
pulling her away from her friend Veronica.<o:p></o:p></p><br /><p></p>Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-36396174388161801992021-05-13T12:20:00.004-07:002021-05-13T12:21:18.926-07:00I know what we did last semester<p class="MsoNormal"><b>Research and source use:<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">Research assignments and citations start early in the semester.
These assignments include source location and evaluation, summary and response.
We write annotations (works cited entry, summary, response).<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">In text citations are introduced before attempting integration.
<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">We don’t integrate the sources until the middle of the
semester.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Work on effective research, source evaluation, and integration
continues throughout the semester. For sources, we begin with peer-reviewed and
other traditional sources then move to non-traditional sources.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-18nrRyoTYag/YJ18Hs8diRI/AAAAAAAAAlY/RAX6fYwEh4Axt0n-5nWZT8b_XsitfRmZACLcBGAsYHQ/download.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="284" height="124" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-18nrRyoTYag/YJ18Hs8diRI/AAAAAAAAAlY/RAX6fYwEh4Axt0n-5nWZT8b_XsitfRmZACLcBGAsYHQ/w200-h124/download.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Writings:<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal">First essay is personal in nature and does not require sources.
<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Skill focus: audience and rhetoric situation. </li><li>Topic focus: subculture or social issue.</li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Second requires source use, databases, and scholarly articles.
<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Skill focus: audience rhetoric situation, structure, and
thesis.</li><li>Topic focus: local, state or regional issue.</li></ul><o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Third requires sources both databases and “non-traditional” sources.
New emphasis on <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Skill focus: audience rhetoric situation, structure
(paragraphing), thesis and entering/contributing to ongoing conversation.</li><li>Topic focus: popular culture or current event.</li></ul><o:p></o:p><p></p><p>
</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc">
</ul>Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-75654153287369548042021-04-18T07:49:00.000-07:002021-04-18T07:49:10.179-07:00Romance Daily News, my Interview<p> <b>What's the story
behind your latest book?</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">One of my earliest
memories is of a cereal box—Super Sugar Crisp, now called Golden Crisp—with an
actual, playable cardboard ‘flexi record’ printed on the backside. My mom had
just taken the box from the grocery bag, and it sat on the kitchen table,
waiting to get stored. At age 4, I was already a music fan and pop culture
scholar in the making, so I was both fascinated and excited. Still a
preschooler, and so not great with scissors, I enlisted by big sister’s help in
cutting the record from the package. I’m guessing the box, missing most of its
backside, ended up in the cupboard.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B2ESIkQC37Y/YHxGf7Xi6RI/AAAAAAAAAlA/EWrcX-yO1AMTK5l8_zs1bX2P6YdnfdQfwCLcBGAsYHQ/R-2270571-1275511855.jpeg.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="298" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-B2ESIkQC37Y/YHxGf7Xi6RI/AAAAAAAAAlA/EWrcX-yO1AMTK5l8_zs1bX2P6YdnfdQfwCLcBGAsYHQ/R-2270571-1275511855.jpeg.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The small album,
featuring brightly colored images of Archie and the gang, played at 33 1/3
speed and had 4 songs from cartoon band, The Archies, including one of my
favorites, the mega-hit, <i>Sugar, Sugar</i>. The flexi-record stayed on
my family’s turntable for at least a day. Which, in little kid time, is
forever.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Fast forward about
two decades, and I have a son who reads, collects, and studies comics and comic
culture. As we strolled through garage sales, flea markets, and used bookstores
for old issues of <i>Batman</i> and other superhero comics, he’d encourage me
to find some for myself. Just like that, comics, specifically Betty and
Veronica, were back in my life.<br /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Fast forward a few
more years, and I’ve become a fiction writer and a college professor. As I
scroll through TV shows, waiting for something to catch my attention, I spot an
ad for Riverdale. I’m intrigued. They’ve created something new yet still
familiar. I’m curious and wondering what is similar and what is different.
Soon, I’m tuning in to the show on a regular basis and using my fiction writing
experience to analyze the storyline and the characters. What works? What
doesn’t? Why did the creators make the decisions they did? Eventually, I was so
far down the Riverdale rabbit hole that I began to do more formal research.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What is the greatest
joy of writing for you?</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Two things: telling stories and growing as a writer. Each
story is unique because of the characters. So telling stories is a way of
giving someone a voice. I know, the characters aren’t real people, but they
represent real struggles, difficulties and motivations.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Growing as a writer matters to me; I constantly test
boundaries and give myself opportunities for growth. Expanding into
non-fiction, after years of writing fiction, gave me a new challenge.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What do you read for
pleasure?</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Like most writers, I read everything. Most recently, I read <i>Tender
is the Flesh</i> by Agustina Bazterrica and <i>The Sanatorium</i> by Sarah
Pearse. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Describe your desk</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My desk is a beautiful antique, a gift from my mom. She used
it for many years in her law office, then retired and passed it on to me. It’s
a dark walnut stain, handmade in the mid-1800’s in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It
has super deep drawers, so I have plenty of room for my postcards, extra pens,
post-it notes…</p><p class="MsoNormal"><b>Where did you grow
up, and how did this influence your writing?</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yqkA_aOF8ho/YHxGxIOQbTI/AAAAAAAAAlI/1Kh9KBm5CN4Uuy3Qs3iYj64V9tlC3wMWQCLcBGAsYHQ/iStock-Cinci_685610414_super-scaled-e1577733413747-1996x998.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="998" data-original-width="1996" height="160" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yqkA_aOF8ho/YHxGxIOQbTI/AAAAAAAAAlI/1Kh9KBm5CN4Uuy3Qs3iYj64V9tlC3wMWQCLcBGAsYHQ/iStock-Cinci_685610414_super-scaled-e1577733413747-1996x998.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio which is sometimes referred to
as the gateway of the south. There is a tradition of story-telling that is unique
to the South and it continues to influence me. I see it in the way I connect
characters back to their families and my love of small details.<p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What are you
currently working on?</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I’m working on a science fiction novel and an article about
creative writing theory. I usually work on more than one project at a time.
That way, if one needs to sit for a minute while I sort something out, I can
continue writing the other.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What drives you to
keep on writing?</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Readers! They are the best. Their excitement for the next
book is so appreciated and always keeps me excited too. They love reading as
much as I do! And, of course, the above mentioned challenge that comes with
writing.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If you could tell your
younger writing self anything, what would it be?</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Having fun matters. Writing what you love matters. So–if it
isn’t fun and writing it doesn’t make you excited, move on.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What is the one thing
you want your readers to know about your books?</b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I switch genres and subgenres to nurture my love of writing.
I love a challenge. As soon as someone tells me something can’t be done…I’m off
to try and do it. <o:p></o:p></p>Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-55673134626163472602021-04-07T09:57:00.001-07:002021-04-07T09:57:48.726-07:00Solstice MFA Graduate Melissa Ford Lucken Publishes Her First Nonfiction Book<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k1VMN3tG2aM/YG3jv7iplnI/AAAAAAAAAko/OzGb1vpZ_xM5W75tZyLalJypEBXKncw-QCLcBGAsYHQ/s788/Academics_MFA-min.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="332" data-original-width="788" height="187" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k1VMN3tG2aM/YG3jv7iplnI/AAAAAAAAAko/OzGb1vpZ_xM5W75tZyLalJypEBXKncw-QCLcBGAsYHQ/w444-h187/Academics_MFA-min.jpg" width="444" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The <a href="https://www.pmc.edu/academics/mfa/" target="_blank">Solstice Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing Program of Pine Manor College</a> celebrates the publication of graduate Melissa Ford Lucken's newest book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Binge-Watchers-Guide-Riverdale-Unofficial-ebook/dp/B091HZY73P/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=" target="_blank">The Binge Watcher's Guide to Riverdale: An Unofficial Companion</a> from Riverdale Avenue Books. Melissa, as her alias <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Isabelle-Drake/e/B002TD2YPK?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1&qid=1617814609&sr=1-1" target="_blank">Isabelle Drake</a>, has released many fiction titles, such as Everglades Wildfire, The Invitations Series, Satisfaction Guaranteed, Finally Right, Unfinished Business, and many more. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">This title is her first nonfiction book. In a world where binge watching television shows is almost a cultural expectation, it can be difficult to keep track of which character did what five episodes—and seven hours—ago. The online resources don't cut it (spoiler alert!), and your viewing buddies are of no help to you; they're just as lost as you are. Never fear! The Binge Watcher's Guide has got you covered. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Enjoy the first four seasons of CW's hit gothic horror show Riverdale with this book as your unofficial companion for trivia, quotes, episode commentaries, literary analysis, and even connections to the comics that inspired the show. This fun and interactive experience will keep you informed and entertained throughout the entirety of your viewing journey.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 15.75pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><span style="color: #505050;">ABOUT SOLSTICE &
PINE MANOR COLLEGE</span></b><span style="color: #505050;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #505050; line-height: 107%;">As an undergraduate
institution consistently ranked among the most diverse in the country, Pine
Manor College emphasizes an inclusive, community-building approach to liberal
arts education. The Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program reflects the
College’s overall mission by creating a supportive, welcoming environment in
which writers of all backgrounds are encouraged to take creative risks. We
strive to instill in our students an appreciation for the value of
community-building and community service, and see engagement with the literary
arts not only as a means to personal fulfillment but also as an instrument for
social justice and real cultural change.<br />
<br />
Directions to Pine Manor College, complete bios of our authors, and more
information about the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program can be found
at </span><span style="line-height: 107%;"><a href="http://www.pmc.edu/mfa"><span style="color: #336699; line-height: 107%;">www.pmc.edu/mfa</span></a></span><span style="color: #505050; line-height: 107%;">.<br />
<br />
###<br />
<br />
MEDIA CONTACT<br />
Quintin Collins<br />
Solstice MFA Assistant Director<br />
qcollins@pmc.edu </span></span></p>Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-26679956748875805352021-03-23T10:17:00.003-07:002021-04-02T09:08:33.004-07:00Binge Watcher's Guide to Riverdale, out now<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WxqMokYdxqQ/YFoiMiqmJAI/AAAAAAAAAkY/--AO5IIZvW46c-P57PRkXjZZjtWYFcDuACLcBGAsYHQ/BWG_Riverdale300.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WxqMokYdxqQ/YFoiMiqmJAI/AAAAAAAAAkY/--AO5IIZvW46c-P57PRkXjZZjtWYFcDuACLcBGAsYHQ/BWG_Riverdale300.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Busted families, broken hearts, secrets and corruption are the
lifeblood of The CW’s gothic horror series <i>Riverdale</i>. The show is based
on the original <i>Archie</i> comics, but this sinister town is a far cry from
the wholesome, anyplace USA depicted in 80 years of the teen adventures
featuring Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, and the rest of the gang. This
Riverdale is an other-worldly, ominous place where enigmatic parents and cunning
town leaders hide wicked secrets while teens struggle to survive.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">The Riverdale gang face the definitive dilemma: good vs. evil. They
fight ghouls, a cult leader, a serial killer, and each other—all while sporting
inspiring outfits and photo-ready hair. Great music, the occasional Vixens
cheer dance-off, and too-steamy-for-high-school sex scenes add an undeniable
layer of watchability to the fan-favorite show.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">This Binge Watcher’s Guide will get you through the first four seasons.
Keep the book beside you while binge; the trivia, quotes and episode commentaries
will inform and entertain. Want more? The literary analysis, connection to the
comics, and resources have you covered.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri;">Get your copy on <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1626015791/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">Amazon </a>or the <a href="https://riverdaleavebooks.com/books/5460/the-binge-watchers-guide-to-riverdale-an-unofficial-companion" target="_blank">publishers website</a>.</span></p>Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-10032042065648429102021-03-16T06:00:00.014-07:002021-03-16T06:00:00.122-07:00Expression and Inquiry: An OER Nuts 'n Bolts Academic Writing Text<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rnf1IX8Jq48/YCyAaKT7vKI/AAAAAAAAAi4/24GXqzdF-Usv2VA_nSowJ5mWnL6tTjDQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s497/1gqjeykq-front-shortedge-384.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="497" data-original-width="384" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rnf1IX8Jq48/YCyAaKT7vKI/AAAAAAAAAi4/24GXqzdF-Usv2VA_nSowJ5mWnL6tTjDQQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/1gqjeykq-front-shortedge-384.jpg" /></a></div><p style="color: rgba(10, 16, 26, 0.7); font-family: interface, sans-serif;"><span color="rgba(10, 16, 26, 0.7)" face="interface, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><span style="font-family: inherit;">This is a college text that focuses on the nuts and bolts of academic writing including research, textual analysis, narrative and other inquiry methods as well as analysis. This is an ideal text for first year composition courses.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">An OER, paperback 5.89, <a href="https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/christopher-manning-and-sally-pierce-and-melissa-lucken/expression-and-inquiry/paperback/product-1gqjeykq.html?page=1&pageSize=4" target="_blank">available on Lulu.com.</a></span></p><p><br /></p>Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-75569296960221909462021-03-13T11:30:00.009-08:002021-04-11T15:09:51.109-07:00Gothic as All Get Out: Riverdale<p>When a show is titled after the setting, viewers know the setting counts big time. In Riverdale, the place is everything.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">That wasn’t the case in the classic comic world of Riverdale. That pleasant anyplace serves mainly as a background for the antics and events of Archie and his light-hearted high school gang. It is so unimportant that the writers could create an ever-changing town with museums, airports, and other landmarks that came and went over the decades as the stories needed. As a result, there was no reason for creating a local history to impact the storylines, and the town of Riverdale did little to influence the actions of the characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Riverdale of Riverdale couldn’t be more opposite.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The setting of Riverdale itself is the character most changed from the classic comics. This new place is more than a backdrop, it complicates the plotline and motivates the characters. The Gothic setting gives the show a dark edge. Broken families, hearts, and spirits replace the humor and happiness of the comic Riverdale of the past. It is from the setting that the darker elements and some transgressions result. Riverdale’s storyline is built around the misdeeds, lies, and subversive connections of the adults. The teens struggle against the adults’ actions, trying to return their town to normalcy and safety. Intergenerational family dysfunction, secret societies, and local superstitions are classic elements of Gothic fiction and all present in CW’s Riverdale.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LkcHM386flo/YE0QiL29VPI/AAAAAAAADnQ/pXc8wIOvZnY-9B5vbroEVdVWX2Ksd27_wCNcBGAsYHQ/Cheryl-Blossom-Riverdale-768x570.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="768" height="238" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-LkcHM386flo/YE0QiL29VPI/AAAAAAAADnQ/pXc8wIOvZnY-9B5vbroEVdVWX2Ksd27_wCNcBGAsYHQ/Cheryl-Blossom-Riverdale-768x570.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><span style="text-align: left;"><div>Fred Botting, one of the go-to academic folks on what exactly is Gothic, in his go-to book <i>Gothic</i>, describes how the otherworldly setting, such as the one seen in Riverdale, provides an effective backdrop for</div></span></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p class="MsoNormal">movement from and back to a rational present: more than a flight of nostalgic retrospection or an escape from the dullness of a present without chivalry, magic or adventure, the movement does not long for terrifying and arbitrary aristocratic power, religious superstition or supernatural events but juxtaposes terrors of the negative with an order authorized by reason and morality.</p></blockquote><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-94G1GzQGsfw/YE0Qv1KC_eI/AAAAAAAADnY/tbW2BunyJsYDQdD-6_Xwc4gU7py835H7gCNcBGAsYHQ/riverdale-sign.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="333" data-original-width="588" height="181" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-94G1GzQGsfw/YE0Qv1KC_eI/AAAAAAAADnY/tbW2BunyJsYDQdD-6_Xwc4gU7py835H7gCNcBGAsYHQ/riverdale-sign.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Not sure what all that means? No worries. You will by the end of the first episode. Academics who study Gothics are intrigued by how this genre is transgressive in terms of social norms; they explore the world of vice. Botting observes that “Gothic texts are, overtly but ambiguously, not rational, depicting disturbances of sanity and security…displays of uncontrolled passion, violent emotion or flights of fancy to portrayals of perversion and obsession.” All these characteristics are visible from the start of Riverdale. When you watch the first episode, note that all these traits are encapsulated in unscrupulous teacher Ms. Grundy. The corrupt femme fatale, a sexual predator who represents the Gothic tropes of abuse of power and eroticism, coerces an underage student, Archie, into a sexual relationship. Her depiction sets the tone for the new version of Riverdale and paves the way for other disruptive and disturbing adult behavior.<o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The parents of Riverdale generate much of that screen-gluing tension mentioned above. Disruptions of sanity and security are visible in Betty Cooper’s parents, Hal and Alice Cooper. No spoilers here, but keep an eye on these two and observe how they manipulate others, their children in particular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you spot their controlling actions, examine the tension created, and observe how their control harms those around them. Portrayals of perversion and obsession are accomplished through Veronica Lodge’s parents, Hiram and Hermione Lodge. These unapologetic criminals take advantage of their wealth and power to manipulate Riverdale’s citizens, including their own daughter. Again, watch how the parents’ actions contribute to the plot and force those around them, specifically the teens, to struggle.<o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lGQ88vKhivw/YE0RIVv5VvI/AAAAAAAADng/Nd-MWHpblloNEZiHmXUYtU9yTlC0xzgiwCNcBGAsYHQ/riverdale-alice-the-farm.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="856" data-original-width="1284" height="213" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-lGQ88vKhivw/YE0RIVv5VvI/AAAAAAAADng/Nd-MWHpblloNEZiHmXUYtU9yTlC0xzgiwCNcBGAsYHQ/riverdale-alice-the-farm.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">Collectively, the characteristics and actions of the parents and other adults in Riverdale represent and create Gothic tropes, including aristocracy, corruption, isolation, madness, and family secrets. The antagonists, the adults, generate the story conflicts and produce the tension; the teenagers, the protagonists, respond to the evil, chaos, and threats created by the adults’ attitudes and actions. This dynamic is the essence of the Gothic and the essence that defines the newly envisioned characters and shapes the overall storyline of Riverdale.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="text-align: left;">_______________________________________________</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kZj6zTLaL7s/YE0R2qKvBQI/AAAAAAAADno/Ctito2344186KRMaZbhuOMX2dlxUOlCjwCNcBGAsYHQ/BWG_Riverdale300.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-kZj6zTLaL7s/YE0R2qKvBQI/AAAAAAAADno/Ctito2344186KRMaZbhuOMX2dlxUOlCjwCNcBGAsYHQ/BWG_Riverdale300.jpg" width="160" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">This excerpt from The Binge Watcher's Guide to Riverdale.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B091HZY73P?pf_rd_r=PFXFWYBG93QDQCXDWJTN&pf_rd_p=5ae2c7f8-e0c6-4f35-9071-dc3240e894a8&pd_rd_r=073bd44a-496d-4cac-abd3-fc005a31521e&pd_rd_w=IWhBf&pd_rd_wg=Ze69J&ref_=pd_gw_unk" target="_blank">Get your copy.</a></div></span></div></div>Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-20816810753313265692021-02-25T07:51:00.002-08:002021-03-13T15:00:15.737-08:00Jaws: Hooper and Quint: Two Halves of Brody's whole<p> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Hooper
and Quint are opposites of each other in all
regards with one exception—their </span><a name="_Hlk60077784" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">personal relationship
to sharks. Both Brody and Quint have self-defining shark narratives. </a></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y9KXw7sy-Ts/YCakrfCE28I/AAAAAAAAAik/Of9i4lQzJe44eZlyuGXMWWKbIKdL6begQCLcBGAsYHQ/s366/wide.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="138" data-original-width="366" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-y9KXw7sy-Ts/YCakrfCE28I/AAAAAAAAAik/Of9i4lQzJe44eZlyuGXMWWKbIKdL6begQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/wide.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><a name="_Hlk60077784" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Hooper’s
shark story is revealed at the Brody’s dinner table when Ellen, Brody’s wife,
awkwardly says to the just arrived Hooper she’s been told he’s “in sharks.” He confirms
that he loves sharks then relates a childhood experience in which a baby thresher
shark wrecked the boat he’d been in. He swam to shore and watched the fish finish
destroying his boat (0.41.43–0.42.26). This story explains his very personal
and emotional connection to sharks. </a></p><p><a name="_Hlk60077784" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Quint’s story comes later, at night, while
the three of them are aboard the Orca, preparing to face the shark. The captain
tells of his time aboard the USS Indianapolis and how, after their ship was hit
by a Japanese sub, sharks devoured many of his shipmates </a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">(1.29.28–1.33.15). </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">This famous monologue, another product of the script collaboration as the scene
was initially created by Sackler, then expanded by John Milius, only to be
later condensed by Quint actor Robert Shaw, explains Quint’s relationship to
sharks. As the two men bond over their harrowing experiences, Brody stays physically
away from them, showing that he doesn’t share the experience or have a personal
defining story to offer. Brody is pushed out of their converging narrative. In
this way, Brody’s internal conflict is externalized. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UcYNuCLFCts/YCakw_tHxjI/AAAAAAAAAio/fMdP6WGGbrYS_F3nzV3qHTQZO8P_KTBBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/shirtts.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1473" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UcYNuCLFCts/YCakw_tHxjI/AAAAAAAAAio/fMdP6WGGbrYS_F3nzV3qHTQZO8P_KTBBQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/shirtts.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left; text-indent: 0.5in;">The union of Quint and
Hooper adds tension as it highlights Brody’s aloneness. This isolation is emphasized
through character wardrobe. On the day when they battle the shark, Quint and
Brody both wear light shirts. Brody wears black. He is a man alone, on a
personal journey, and not yet whole.</span></div><p></p>Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-20368282511196311862021-02-12T07:49:00.007-08:002021-02-12T07:56:09.435-08:00Binge Watchers Guide to Riverdale <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sss1BM9ZB6A/YCajQxpz6eI/AAAAAAAAAiY/ot88INySnvAJVmPMIH8yaVgGXCmfa5kOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/BWG_Riverdale300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sss1BM9ZB6A/YCajQxpz6eI/AAAAAAAAAiY/ot88INySnvAJVmPMIH8yaVgGXCmfa5kOQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/BWG_Riverdale300.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">A book of sassy episode summaries, quizzes, trivia, fun and resources. Out April 2021.</p>Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-21498931903075080682021-01-01T06:26:00.005-08:002021-03-13T14:04:17.167-08:00Why not a question for a thesis?<span face=""Calibri",sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">When
you ask a question, you engage the reader but you cannot control or guide their
thinking. The goal of the essay is to control and guide their thinking. I
suggest you not use questions. Instead, make statements expressing your points and provide evidence to support them.</span>Melissa Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14394142164644029517noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-23282689276589257872019-06-18T06:21:00.001-07:002020-03-30T12:14:04.281-07:00Gothic Girls Gone Wild: Riverdale’s Recrafting of Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Abstract...for work in progress. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Doing research at Bowling Green State
University's <a href="https://www.bgsu.edu/library/pcl.html" target="_blank">Ray & Pat Browne Library for Popular Culture Studies</a>.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zAw93XuP_qQ/XoJE5Y0BSGI/AAAAAAAAAf0/pu9lY1v0bP8uRUYhygO4e1FeR3EST9y3ACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_8282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1580" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zAw93XuP_qQ/XoJE5Y0BSGI/AAAAAAAAAf0/pu9lY1v0bP8uRUYhygO4e1FeR3EST9y3ACLcBGAsYHQ/s200/IMG_8282.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>
For
decades, the <i>Archie</i> comics have
depicted the fictional world of Riverdale and while doing so explicitly and
implicitly addressed era-relevant social issues. Two characters have consistently
been at the forefront of transgressive interests since their first appearances
in 1941 and 1942: Betty Cooper, sweet girl-next-door, and Veronica Lodge, privileged
debutante. These characters have been reinvented and freshly envisioned in the CW’s
series, <i>Riverdale</i>. The world
surrounding Archie Andrews, already dynamic as it has been developed over an
extended period of time via multiplatform storytelling, has been updated, intensified,
and othered. This multilayered amplification of setting provides an effective
backdrop for the revitalized <i>Archie</i> characters
but also complicates the understanding of the degree to which Betty and
Veronica have been recrafted in a way that makes them currently relevant when
situated in the conversations and politics of this #metoo era.</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yObZb_XoppE/XQjjVT-_bLI/AAAAAAAAAeY/oFeFe0zXCe4ejS0PxOfBNU4wBwrStkGpgCEwYBhgL/s1600/c05f70fc480027a31cad26f407d7d2e68ce2e097.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="794" height="112" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yObZb_XoppE/XQjjVT-_bLI/AAAAAAAAAeY/oFeFe0zXCe4ejS0PxOfBNU4wBwrStkGpgCEwYBhgL/s200/c05f70fc480027a31cad26f407d7d2e68ce2e097.jpg" width="200" /></a>Intergenerational
family dysfunction, secret societies, predatory men, marginalized women—all are
<i>Riverdale</i>. Deconstructing the strategic
and central role of setting in <i>Riverdale</i>
provides a fuller opportunity to evaluate the influence of these tropes on the
characterizations of Betty and Veronica. Have the characters truly been
recrafted in ways that acknowledge the changing roles of heroines in present popular
culture? Or has their potential been undervalued and are used as tropes
themselves? Once the impact of the gothic setting is identified and
disconnected from the overall narrative, an isolated assessment of the
depictions of Betty and Veronica is accomplished.</div>
classic elements of gothic fiction and all are present in CW’s.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ffICsHu1pRQ/XQjiuOCqopI/AAAAAAAAAeM/gSgSn471MiQpg484wKPWCoeKRSTDuyFSgCLcBGAs/s1600/8-7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="418" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ffICsHu1pRQ/XQjiuOCqopI/AAAAAAAAAeM/gSgSn471MiQpg484wKPWCoeKRSTDuyFSgCLcBGAs/s200/8-7.jpg" width="138" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Throughout
the decades, Betty and Veronica have been central characters and social activists
involved in gender politics. Their new depiction honors that tradition. Despite,
or perhaps because of, being a broadcast television show, <i>Riverdale</i> intersects with mainstream popular culture. As part of
that culture, the series represents the interests and concerns of its audience.
Are the CW’s modernized versions of Betty and Veronica fully actualized
meaningfully transgressive characters? Or are they foils to showcase the
boundary-crossing actions and attitudes of others? This chapter provides an analysis
of the translations of Betty and Veronica and examines the ways in which they
have and have not been recrafted to reflect and inform on present attitudes of
gender politics, such as commodification of sexuality and gender performativity,
as well as considers to what degree these heroines have been fully respected as
individuals with unique voices. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-26230736419782278312019-06-12T12:38:00.000-07:002019-06-18T06:05:23.628-07:00Author’s Quick Guide to Decoding Social Media ‘Silence’<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Authors dream of social media pages filled with comments and
interaction. Likes are lovely, but writers long to stir up the chatter with
their clever posts. They want noise, but often experience virtual silence.
Interpreting that silence for audience disinterest is a mistake. Fiction readers who consistently comment are more rare than might be expected.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Social media is about you—it isn’t actually you.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As an author, you want your social media to promote a
representation of you and your work. This fragmented version isn’t your true
self, but an intentional, crafted version of yourself. You
aren’t self-promoting, you’re presenting and interacting in a public space in a
consistent and participatory way.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i7lre5Y5TFw/XPAxOOANNoI/AAAAAAAAAds/5znWlp7-mIQS4HuRLcAgOF4C6h_fr6WQQCLcBGAs/s1600/socialmedia1-900px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="550" data-original-width="900" height="195" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i7lre5Y5TFw/XPAxOOANNoI/AAAAAAAAAds/5znWlp7-mIQS4HuRLcAgOF4C6h_fr6WQQCLcBGAs/s320/socialmedia1-900px.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You’re providing people with an understanding of who you
are, what you do, and what you stand for, but you are also bringing others
together. Its your party; you’re the host, so the event is bigger
than you and again, its not about you. It’s about the common
interests of those present. Just like a party it’s your task to bring
people together and if its been a good time, they will talk about you
and your work behind your back. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: -1.0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: -1.0in;">
That’s a good
thing. Talking <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">to you</i> and talking <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">about</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i> (and your work) are different things. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: -1.0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: -1.0in;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Look Whose (not) Talking<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Characteristics of non-commenters:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Roughly 40% of all online users fall into the
silent category.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Are more likely to be introverts.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Are more likely to be women.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Characteristics of commenters:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Roughly 60% of social media users fall
into this category.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">24 % of commenters prefer to debate
issues. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "symbol"; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">21% prefer chatting.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "cambria math" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Spend on average</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> 1 hour a
day commenting.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "cambria math" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Are more</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> likely to express ‘dark’
personality traits.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "cambria math" , serif; text-indent: -0.25in;">Are more </span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">likely to be a troll than
non-commenters.</span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Commenting is a slower, reflective, more cognitive
process than liking, which is intuitive and reflexive. Additionally,
commenting patterns will be influenced by the presence of other comments as
well as the types of other comments. Therefore, commenting requires a decoding
of the post but also a decoding of the contextual (other) comments.
If your followers are too busy to read the comments of others, they are less
likely to comment themselves.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Silence (can be)
Golden<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Characteristics of all social media users:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Extraversion and openness to new situations
are the most common of the personality traits among users.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">People who are emotionally
stable use social media less frequently.</span></li>
</ul>
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It’s significant to note that visible online interactions
are performed by a specific group of people who express a specific set of
personality traits. Thus, much of what occurs visibly is limited to
and dominated by a specific group. For example, emotionally stable,
introverted women are less likely to comment than extroverted men. And so,
many of the people who are out there, reading and engaging with
your brand, you won’t hear from and many of those you do hear from come from a probably
smaller, specific group.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Keep in mind, your social media isn’t about you personally. It’s about the community you
are creating. Your approach should be fun, sustainable and incorporate all your
work or areas of interest. Do what you like, what seems right, not what people tell
you. In fact, I’d say if someone tells you not to do it—do it. And
if your virtual ‘people’ are on the quiet side, it probably means you’re being
followed by hard-working, introverted women who are interested in what you’re
about but don’t feel the need to debate things—probably because they’re busy
reading a book.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-14577500717594154902019-06-04T06:00:00.000-07:002019-06-04T06:00:06.005-07:00Battling Trolls and Cyberbullies as an Author<div class="font_8" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: 0px 0px; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #050505; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; pointer-events: auto; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">There are times when being ‘out there’ isn’t so great. Recently, I’ve been talking with fellow writers about their online experiences and repeatedly heard tales of two online creatures that are at minimum annoying and at worst traumatizing. What are these virtual animals? Trolls and cyberbullies. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">These invisible beasts aren’t the same. They’re motivated by different goals and appear in the writer’s virtual life for different reasons. Unchecked, virtual attacks can do more than soak up chunks of time and patience. They can damage an author’s reputation, spirit, and creativity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Troll attacks aren’t personal. The troll seeks to disrupt an online community or ongoing conversation. The more positive or meaningful the troll perceives the online environment to be; the more motivated they are to damage it. Ironically, it’s for this reason that the presence of a troll in an author’s online community is an indicator that the author has created a cohesive, vital online community.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Trolls</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Most everyone agrees that trolls exist. Authors I spoke with were comfortable discussing trolls and the consequence of trolling behavior. Even the self-proclaimed trolls were willing to discuss their behavior. “I love to make people dance,” said one, laughing, when describing the enjoyment she got out of tormenting strangers online. “It’s hilarious how upset they get.” </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When I asked another what she got out of disrupting people’s conversations, she told me about her fake profile, giggling as said she didn’t really know. “They don’t have to stay there (in the online community),” she reasoned. “Whatever I do to them is their own fault.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Arguing with a troll is not likely to be successful. The committed troll operates under a cloak of deception and truth is irrelevant. In fact, truth and openness are contrary to the troll’s persona and goals. Arguing with a troll gives them additional satisfaction because the argument is proof of their success. What to do? Delete their comments and move on. Followers in your online community will recognize the troll for what they are and generally, the troll’s long-term effect is minimal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cyberbullies</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">For authors, trolls are a hassle, but not as harmful as cyberbullies. Cyberbully attacks are personal. The cyberbully engages in intentional, targeted harassment and seeks to cause direct psychological pain. Authors who’ve been cyberbullied don’t need to be told the emotional pain caused by virtual harassment is equal to ‘real life’ bullying. For the working writer, who must be online 24/7, it may be an even greater source of distress. The cyberbully can attack any time and through multiple channels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Authors I spoke with told me about being anxious in the morning because they were afraid to see what chaos had been created overnight. Those with day jobs spoke about day-long anxiety as they worried about what they’d find when they logged in at lunch or during breaks. Knowing that this constant damage was being done by someone they knew, a so-called friend or relative, complicated things. If they rebuffed them, asked for support from others who also knew the bully or blocked the disrupter, other so-called friends and relatives connected to the bully would minimize the victim’s pain and professional damage and step in to ‘resolve’ the ‘misunderstanding.’ </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cyberbullying is one of those things that happens but nobody wants to talk about. Writers I spoke with were hesitant to admit it’d happened to them, and those who did share their experiences were reluctant to talk about the details. It became clear to me that the harm done to the writer’s reputation is easier to deal than the personal pain caused by toxic shame. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Toxic Shame</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">‘Toxic’ shame isn’t the same as guilt that comes from choosing to do something later regretted. Toxic shame occurs when a person has been exposed in a way they weren’t prepared for or in a way that’s too intimate. In this case, the so-called friend or relative has invaded an author’s public space in a way that intentionally humiliates and crosses boundaries. This isn’t the same as basic stress. Toxic shames creates feelings of inadequacy and lack of emotional and intellectual safety. This combination of mental wounds not only weakness confidence but also stunts creativity. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">My sense, if it feels like bullying it probably is. Trust yourself. Don’t try to reason with the bully. They know they’re causing harm. Don’t waste time trying to figure why the person is doing it. Why they’re doing it doesn’t matter. What does matter is that they’re intentionally hurting you. Talk about how the situation with one or two close friends and silently block the bully on all social media. Be patient with yourself and understand healing from the attack may take time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">These virtual beasts aren’t going to do anyone the favor of staying in their invisible liars. Acknowledging what these creatures are, understanding what they want, and having a plan of action for when battling with them can be a useful tool in an author’s kit.</span></div>
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Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-83768891336337556152019-05-28T07:38:00.000-07:002019-05-28T07:38:00.276-07:00What’s in a Font?<br />
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...a guest post from Roberta M Gubbins.</div>
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You’ve spent time researching and writing your latest blog post
but have you given thought to the font you use for display? Visual elements are
just as important to the success of your blog as the words you selected so
carefully. The font you use helps transmit the message you want to impart to
your readers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">What is a font?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Font is design term for a set of characters which include
lower and uppercase letters, numbers, punctuation marks and symbols. A font is
the combination of typeface and other qualities, such as size, pitch, and
spacing. For example, Times New Roman is the name of a typeface that defines
the shape of each character. (Webopedia)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Originally the term “font” referred to a size and style of
typeface. In recent years, however, the terms have been used interchangeably
with companies like Apple, Microsoft and Google using the term font to describe
a typeface. Thus, it’s acceptable to refer to a typeface as a font.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>Serif fonts </u></i>are
fonts that have small extensions on the edges of the letters such as a
horizontal line at the end of a<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> t</b>.
Examples of fonts in the serif font include this font, Times New Roman, or <span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif;">Georgia.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>Sans-Serif </u></i>fonts
don’t have the little lines. Examples include <span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif;">Arial
or </span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Helvetica. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Script</span></u></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> fonts are meant to mimic human
handwriting. </span><span style="font-family: "Lucida Calligraphy"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lucinda Calligraphi or</span><span style="font-family: "Comic Sans MS"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Comic Sans </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">are examples of script fonts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Do fonts convey emotion and
personality?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In
2006, Wichita State University’s Software Usability Research Lab conducted a
study of fonts to determine if they had different emotions and personalities.
Based on a survey of more than 500 participants it was found:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Serif
fonts were rated as “stable, practical and mature,”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">San-serif
fonts didn’t have a particular personality, and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Script
fonts were perceived as “feminine, funny and casual.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Other
studies show that certain fonts cause specific emotions. For example, a study
in 2014, medical patients received care instructions in different fonts; where
the fonts were difficult to read, the patients perceived the tasks as harder to
accomplish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
semantic memory associated with fonts is said to influence how readers feel
about the content they’re reading. The IRS uses Helvetica on its forms which
influences how we feel about the font depending on our experiences with taxes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What should you consider when
choosing a font?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Is it
serif or san-serif? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Serifs</span></u><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> are considered better for large
bodies of text because they tie words and sentences together for an easier
reading experience. Serifs also have character dating back to their historical
beginnings which give them authority and a certain gravitas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<u><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">San-serif</span></u><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> first emerged in the 19<sup>th</sup>
century for use in advertisements. It conveys a clean modernity that could
appeal to a certain audience and to those reading digitally.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Regardless
of what you decide to use, make sure your call to action and contact information
are in fonts that are bold, clear and motivate site visitors to act.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
display of your content is as important as the message you’re sending so try
different fonts to find the one that sends the right message; make sure it’s a
font the elicits the emotions you’re seeking from your readers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">*****</span></div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OfhIaVCdyCw/XORFqQLbknI/AAAAAAAAAdg/NoQviVirKksMbManVnqkMFYsrcSccBXmgCK4BGAYYCw/s1600/thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OfhIaVCdyCw/XORFqQLbknI/AAAAAAAAAdg/NoQviVirKksMbManVnqkMFYsrcSccBXmgCK4BGAYYCw/s320/thumbnail.jpg" width="320" /></a>After years practicing law, Roberta Gubbins served as editor
of the Ingham County Legal News. Since leaving the paper, she provides legal
content writing for lawyers. She is editor of The Mentor, the SBM Master
Lawyers newsletter. Writing as Alexandra Hawthorne, she published a cozy mystery,
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=alexandra+hawthorne">Murder
One in Midvale Corners.</a> <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4533351929592442288.post-19346221868060356592019-05-21T11:34:00.002-07:002021-03-13T14:05:13.914-08:00‘Guilty Mom’ Horror Film -- Watch List<br />
<div class="WordSection1">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">A partial list of films watched
before, during, and after the creation of my paper, Scary Vulnerability:
Considering the ‘Guilty Mom’ Horror Film Through the Lens of Lacan’s the Real,
presented Popular Culture Association 2019 National Conference.</span><span style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond",serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br clear="all" style="mso-break-type: section-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span></i>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Exorcist ‘</i>73<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Babadoook ‘</i>14<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hereditary ‘</i>18<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mama</i> ‘13<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">We Need to Talk About Kevin</i> ‘11<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Child’s Play</i> ‘88<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Candyman</i> ‘92<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Repulsion</i> ‘65<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Tenant</i> ‘76<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Sabbath</i> ‘63<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carrie</i> ‘76<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Night of the Hunter</i> ‘55<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Other</i> ‘72<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rosemary’s Baby</i> ‘68<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Psycho</i> ‘60<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Friday the 13<sup>th</sup></i><sup> </sup>‘80<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Tin Drum</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">‘79</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Omen </i>‘76<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Others </i>‘01<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Goodnight Mommy </i>‘14<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dark Water </i>‘02<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Society </i>‘89<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-left: .5in; text-indent: -.5in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mother </i>‘17</span><i style="font-family: Garamond, serif;"> <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<br />Melissa Ford Luckenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01960897119457484567noreply@blogger.com0