1. Wendy Buchanan, English 302 October 19, 2011 1
Word Count: 826
3fifty5
Everything we see, every place that we go, and all that we experience in our
everyday lives may seem ordinary, but these things will inevitably impact who
we are and who we will become. As I think over the many events that have
by:wendy buchanan
occurred throughout my almost thirty-three years, it is hard to narrow them
down to just one important time in my life. Since all of the other significant events in my life would not have even
been possible without my birth, that seems to be a logical place to start.
My parents were living in Kentucky in 1978 and experiencing one of the worst winters they had ever seen.
That winter season had days so cold that no space heater, vegetable soup and cornbread, hot chocolate or extra
layers of clothing could chase away the chill that had permanently seeped into their bones. Mailboxes and car
doors were frozen shut as if someone had super-glued them in place, and of course it had to be on a frigid night
like this that I would alert my mother of my imminent arrival.
I was born on the three hundred and fifty-fifth day of that year. My birthdate typically marks Winter
Solstice. On this day in 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the world’s first full-length animated feature,
premiered. “Word-Cross,” the first crossword puzzle, was published in New York World in 1913. The first manned
mission to the moon, Apollo 8, was launched from the Kennedy Space Center. My birth date was made significant
in other years by exploding bombs, erupting volcanoes (volcanoes that had been dormant for fifty years, no less),
and the outbreak of wars and conflicts. December 21, 2012 is now being predicted as the end of the world as we
know it.
All of that feels significant, somehow, to who I am today. My skin is pale like Snow White’s skin, and while I do
not have seven little men at my beck and call, I do feel that my growth was stunted. (How else do I explain my
parents, sister and half-brother all being at least six feet tall while I am a glorious five foot three inches?) Word
games are one of my most favorite past-times, and my uncle has worked for NASA since 1973. I can say with
complete certainty that I have never lived in the midst of a war or felt the effects of a volcano upchucking hot
molten lava anywhere near my home, but I always feel like I have been through some kind of battle or natural
disaster after a family gathering.
Even my parents still recognize the significance of the day I was born. When I asked my mother what
detail she best remembered from the day I was born she replied, “Your dad left me at the hospital, alone, and
went to his company’s Christmas party. Then, the next day he rode in the Christmas parade with people from our
2. Wendy Buchanan, English 302 October 19, 2011 2
Word Count: 826
church.” I will admit that my vainglorious side was expecting something about beautiful blue eyes or sweet little
hands, but I didn’t let Momma’s response worry me too much because a father remembers everything about the
birth of his princess. I asked him, “Daddy, what do you remember about the day I was born?” (I would like to confess
that at this point in the interview process I was being all kinds of sinful with my pride, knowing Daddy was going to
go on and on about me being the most beautiful baby girl he had ever seen.) “Well,” he said, “Farrah Fawcett was
on the cover of Playboy at that time.” As you can imagine, things suddenly became awkward between my daddy
and me.
My parents may not have said anything earth-moving about my birth, but it really isn’t that big of a deal.
Their commentary, or lack thereof, does not make the event any less significant. I mean, of course my birth is
significant to my parents. Momma and Daddy have just gotten older and forgotten some things over the years.
(Yes, I realize that I have just admitted that Christmas parties and models on magazines are easier for my parents
to recall than the birth of their own child, but I have accepted the whole ordeal and moved on. Perhaps I should
say kind of moved on. Okay, I haven’t moved on from it at all, but that is another topic for another memoir.) Really,
their memories just prove my original point that everything in life is significant. Dates, events, and people -- they all
mean something. I feel like Momma and Daddy’s memories -“about my birth”- are even significant because they
are like billboards showing me the direction in which my career should go: FICTION WRITING! At least then my sense
of self-respect would still be intact and I could make up an elaborate tale about the significance of December 21,
1978.
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose
under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to
plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-2
3. Western Carolina University
PROFESSIONAL
WRITING
Eng lish.WCU.edu
Western Carolina University Alumni David Joy graduated with with a BA in
Your Classes
English Literature and an MA in Professional Writing. Joy was a featured artist
at the tenth annual Spring Literary Festival and is seen here reading from his
Standards for Educators: first published book Growing Gills: A Fly Fisherman’s Journey.
WCU’s Professional Writing program
offers a unique combination of creative
Your Colleagues
writing and real- First-Rate Faculty:
world writing Writing Experience: The English Department consists of accomplished teachers who will
courses. • Poems give you the best educational experience possible. The creative writing
• Creative Nonfiction instructors are excellent teachers and also award-winning authors who
Career • Short Stories have published more than twelve volumes of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
Preparation: • Novels The technical writing faculty have published technical writing manuals
• Technical Documents and stay up-to-date on the
Students take
courses that latest technology so that English students
focus on editing, publishing, writing on the students graduate with • Design and edit web sites
cutting edge experience. • Write and edit for public and
web, technical writing, business writing.
private organizations
Dynamic Peers: • Study abroad
Your Careers • Hold exciting student internships
English students are
Sought-After Graduates: winning prizes for their
More employers ask for good writing, including a prestigious national award from the Association of
writing than almost any other skill! Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) for a short story by an English
major. Additionally, one English class wrote, edited, and named
Other Western’s first magazine,Imagine. Recent interns and alumni have written
Careers with this degree: documentation for Volvo, written for C-SPAN, published creative work in
Choices: • Editor national literary journals, and been admitted into prestigious graduate
• Technical Writer Creative Writing programs.
Many
• Journalist
professional
writers
• Poet Spring Literary Festival:
• Web Designer
enter the Our annual Spring Literary Festival had been bringing local and national
• Museum Curator
business writers to the campus since 2003. Distinguished authors, such as Jim
• Speechwriter
profession Harrison, Leslie Silko, Mazine Kumin, Sherman Alexie, Silas House,
or go on to Elizabeth Kostova, Brett Lott, and Kathryn Stripling Byer have all been
graduate featured artists at the Spring Literary Festival. Members of the English
programs, including law and faculty, such as Catherine Carter, Ron Rash, Deidre Elliott, Pamela
other professions. Duncan, and Mary Adams, have also performed in past festival events.
English Deparment * 305 Coulter Building * Cullowhee, NC 28723 * 828.227.7264
4. Western Carolina University
MOTION PICTURE
STUDIES
Eng lish.WCU.edu
Your Classes
Standards for Educators:
Your Colleagues
Motion Picture Studies is a combination of First-Rate Faculty:
verbal and written skills with media literacy.
Students will take courses that explore The Motion Picture Studies faculty has advanded degrees in
visual media and the their fields, are active scholars, and attend and present
will develop an Film Studies in: their research at national academic conferences. Students
understanding of • Theory in this major can take courses with Hollywood professionals,
visual culture. • Genres including a director, screenwriter, and cinematographer.
• Screenwriting
Career • Adaptation Dynamic Peers:
Preparation: • History
A university-wide competition recently selected a group of
Students gain students
experience through film screenings, classes who were
with visiting filmmakers, senior seminar, and majoring in
internships. this program English students
to attend the • Compete in poetry slams
Full Frame • Design and edit web sites
Your Careers Film Festival
in Durham,
• Write and edit for public and
private organizations
Sought-After Graduates: NC. Students • Hold exciting student internships
have met fiml
English students possess the communication, and television
writing, and production
critical thinking Careers with this degree: professionals and documentary filmmakers, giving students a
skills that • Lawyer unique variety of interdisciplinary educational opportunities.
employers • Technical Writer
want in their • Editor Spring Literary Festival:
employees. • Journalist
• Web Designer Our annual Spring Literary Festival had been bringing local
Other • Reporter and national writers to the campus since 2003. Distinguished
authors, such as Jim Harrison, Leslie Silko, Mazine Kumin,
Choices: • Broadcaster
Sherman Alexie, Silas House, Elizabeth Kostova, Brett Lott,
Many and Kathryn Stripling Byer have all been featured artists at
undergraduates go to graduate and the Spring Literary Festival. Members of the English faculty,
professional schools to continue their English such as Catherine Carter, Ron Rash, Deidre Elliott, Pamela
studies or to pursue new areas, such as law, Duncan, and Mary Adams, have also performed in past
art, or communication. festival events.
English Deparment * 305 Coulter Building * Cullowhee, NC 28723 * 828.227.7264
5. Western Carolina University
LITERATURE
E n g l i s h . W C U. e d u
Your Classes English students can join the English Club or choose
Standards for Educators: to work on WCU’s literary magazine, The Nomad.
Upper-level students may be invited to join Sigma
Program includes courses that focus on the
works of Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Tau Delta, the international honor society for English
Dickinson, and students.
Faulkner. Study Literature
Career
•
•
British
American Your Colleagues
Preparation: • Eco/ First-Rate Faculty:
Environmental
English Majors • Appalachian WCU’s English faculty are focused on providing the very best learning
concentrating in • Southern experience to students through small classes, cutting edge content,
literature gain rich • Native American technology, discussion formats, and experiential learning. Several
exposure to literary
English professors have won the most prestigious teaching awards at
history, texts,
WCU and in the UNC system. They can offer students such engaging
movements, and authors.
teaching because they are also active scholars who publish articles
Students will: and books in their fields, as well as present their research at national
academic conferences.
• Study literacy criticism and theory
• Participate in senior seminar Dynamic Peers: English students
• Develop writing and critical thinking skills • Compete in poetry slams
English students give • Design and edit web sites
Your Careers presentations about their
research at NCUR, the
• Write and edit for public and
Sought-After Graduates: private organizations
National Conference on • Hold exciting student internships
English students possess the communication, Undergraduate Research.
writing, and Students are also studying
critical thinking abroad, winning awards
Careers with this degree: for their writing, taking part in local service projects and participating
skills that
• Editor in various English clubs and events.
employers
• Technical Writer
want in their
employees.
• Journalist Spring Literary Festival:
• Web Designer
Other • Speechwriter Our annual Spring Literary Festival had been bringing local and national
• Novelist writers to the campus since 2003. Distinguished authors, such as Jim
Choices: Harrison, Leslie Silko, Mazine Kumin, Sherman Alexie, Silas House,
Elizabeth Kostova, Brett Lott, and Kathryn Stripling Byer have all been
Many undergraduates go to graduate and
featured artists at the Spring Literary Festival. Members of the English
professional schools to continue their English
faculty, such as Catherine Carter, Ron Rash, Deidre Elliott, Pamela
studies or to pursue new areas, such as law,
Duncan, and Mary Adams, have also performed in past festival events.
art, or communication.
English Deparment * 305 Coulter Building * Cullowhee, NC 28723 * 828.227.7264
6. Western Carolina University
ENGLISH
EDUCATION
Eng lish.WCU.edu
Your Classes
Standards for Educators:
Program includes literature courses that focus on
Fairy Tale, Post-Colonial, African-American, and
Appalachian studies. English Education students
also take courses in
TESOL, Teaching
English to Speakers of Study Literature:
Other Languages. • Milton
Career
• Chaucer
• Shakespeare
Your Colleagues
Preparation: First-Rate Faculty:
Students gain a variety of field experiences The English Department consists of accomplished teachers who will
throughout the four-year program. give you the best educational experience possible. Your teachers
• Methods in Teaching English have published award-winning books and journal essays and have
• Methods in Teaching Writing written content for television and film. They bring their own real-life
• Intern I experiences to class and
• Intern II (You are the teacher for 12 weeks!) use these to help you grow English students
in your student teaching, • Compete in poetry slams
Your Careers ultimately preparing you for • Design and edit web sites
a successful career. • Write and edit for public and
Sought-After Graduates: private organizations
Dynamic Peers: • Volunteer in public schools
Program conveniently places students in and • Hold exciting student internships
Peer support is one of your
beyond the region. Recent graduates are greatest resources as a
currently teaching at Smoky Mountain, South student majoring in an English program. Many of these hardworking
Iredell, Cherokee, Lake Norman and Pisgah high students are North Carolina Teaching Fellows who present their
schools. essays at regional and national conferences and actively participate
in community service projects.
Other Choices:
Spring Literary Festival:
Teachers wanting to teach in higher education may
choose to go on to graduate work for their Masters Our annual Spring Literary Festival had been bringing local and
of Arts in Education or for a Doctorate in Education. national writers to the campus since 2003. Distinguished authors,
such as Jim Harrison, Leslie Silko, Mazine Kumin, Sherman Alexie,
Advanced Opportunities: Silas House, Elizabeth Kostova, Brett Lott, and Kathryn Stripling
• Administration at local or state level Byer have all been featured artists at the Spring Literary Festival.
• Private Schools Members of the English faculty, such as Catherine Carter, Ron
• Testing and Assesments for the state Rash, Deidre Elliott, Pamela Duncan, and Mary Adams, have also
performed in past festival events.
English Deparment * 305 Coulter Building * Cullowhee, NC 28723 * 828.227.7264
8. Men’s Neckties
They’re power nooses choking off
brains from bodies, just enough
to prove a man is something more
than some bright rooster. His top drawer
is civilized and affluent,
in charge, his status bought and spent
on silk, the wormspun ornament.
And yet, the swinging way they hang’s...
suggestive, don’t you think? The things
ties say are all expressed aslant,
but their glance is toward knife-creased pants:
silk arrows pointing down at cocks
that crow through wire and fence and lock.
It’s Y, not X, that marks the spot.
Catherine Carter, The Swamp Monster at Home
9.
10. he
T
intimidator
Terrifying student workers since 2011
