Acquisitions and Literary Research
Welcome to my Acquisitions and Literary Research page! Below you can explore some of my past acquisitions projects, where I have developed my knowledge of what makes a good piece of work within its particular genre and audience as well as what constitutes an impactful, important message within the broader culture. Under my two acquisitions projects, you can explore some of the past literary research I've done across a myriad of categories and genres, and how that research has broadened my ability to truly see a story's potential.
Collection Development
Mirror Lake Community Library
During my work in libraries, I participated in many collection development initiatives across six branches to improve the selection we offer to patrons. As a member of the teen department, I was head of the collection development for the young adult section. This involved understanding the current trends of young adult literature and recommending additions to be made to our collection as well as looking at the circulation statistics for each current title we hold and deciding whether to keep or discard it. I also helped in the juvenile fiction and adult fiction collection development.
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As a result, I have a clear idea of the life span of a text depending on the genre, audience, themes, and age of of the work as well as the cycling fads and interest trends of different reading groups. I've also done extensive research into what makes a text popular in its specific niche and what ends up not resonating with intended audiences.
Editorial Board
Stylus
As a member of the Editorial Review Board for Stylus, I looked through submissions and decided which ones were fitting for our publication. To do so, I graded them based off of the publications criteria as well as the uniqueness of the topic or message. This allowed me to refine my skills in understanding what constitutes good writing and how to choose works that will impact and appeal to a particular audience.
You can explore some of the comments and grades I gave submissions by clicking the buttons in this section.
Early Modern Medicine in Renaissance Poetry
Renaissance Poetry
This essay explores the Early Modern medicine that came to prominence in the Renaissance and how it affected the literature written at the time. Concepts such as the Four Humours Theory had profound impacts on theology and the broader humanities due to the level of interdisciplinary studies that were common in this era. As a result, famous works such as Milton's Paradise Lost, Shakespeare's King Lear, John Donne's The Flea, and more had clear references to these medical theories as it relates to their understanding of the soul, free will, melancholy, and sin.
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Research such as this has given me the ability to synthesize and understand the many works of different literary eras and what influenced them. It's important to know the history of literature to understand the influences and impacts of today's literature.
The Importance of The Aeneid
Daily Life of Ancient Romans
What allows a work to reach beyond its time and place, to reach millions of people far into the future? In this essay, I explore one of the timeless Roman classics, The Aeneid, and why it still is an important text today. Critically analyzing ancient texts like The Aeneid teach the world about the past, which inevitably informs the present and the future beyond us. But what has allowed The Aeneid to resonate for so long is its ability to reflect and question the Roman culture during its creation.
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A story's ability to take the pulse of current anxieties, trends, cultural phenomenon, and events and add to the broader discussion allows it to have a message that stands the test of time.
The Yin and Yang of The Nickel Boys
Introduction to Literature
This is a character piece about the dichotomy between Elwood and Turner in Colson Whitehead's The Nickel Boys and how it relates to the broader historic civil rights movement. Elwood is an optimist, believing wholeheartedly in Martin Luther King Jr.'s message of peace and the change it will bring. On the other hand, Turner is a realist, understanding the complex and often unfair world, especially for two young black boys during the Jim Crow era. They meet at an abusive reform school, and their two opposing perspectives weaves together to eventually change both of them.
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Character pieces like this one are important to understanding how to formulate complex, dynamic characters and how to weave their arcs into the broader themes and messages of the novel. I also furthered my understanding of the influence of literature on the broader culture and what types of pieces make an important, resonating impact on their audience.
Rooted Community
Climate Fiction
In Rooted Community, I explore the symbolism of acorns and seeds in Octavia Butler's famous Afrofuturism novel, Parable of the Sower. Throughout her novel, Butler strings the imagery if Oak trees and acorn seeds to reflect the main character, Lauren, and her attempts at starting her own community based in a religion she created. They are meant to represent adaptability, strength in community, and survival against all odds.
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Having an understanding literary analysis such as this essay has given me the ability to parse out good use of literary devices and good plotting, structuring, and writing as a whole.