Marina Bravo
Arts Editor
Faculty and classmates of senior creative writing majors, Giselle Morales, Elizabeth Hansen and Janira Hernandez, gathered at noon on Wednesday in the Quay Davis Executive Board Room for their senior project presentations.
More than 40 guests in all were engaged for each of the presented works of each presenter.
Under the guidance of Sean Brenard, professor of creative writing, each student was able to pick certain works that they’ve written throughout their time here at the University. Some of these pieces that were shared even dating back to their sophomore year.
“The first assignment of the senior project class is doing a comprehensive review of all the work they’ve done in all their creative writing classes,” Brenard said. “I encourage them to choose things that they want to make better or something they think is really good already.”
The first presentation was by Hernandez who presented her two pieces titled, “Cinema” and “Mask.” She explained how she is influenced by music and how it immerses her into her creative outlet of writing.
Hernandez shared that for the two particular pieces she presented, she was heavily inspired by the album “Cinema” by the band The Marías.
Hernandez explained how these works were a reflection of her experience listening to the album and how the music connected to her and made her feel.
“It was a lot of reflecting,” Hernandez said. “Remembering and looking at experiences that I tie to the specific songs.”
Her two pieces had themes of grief and the universal experience of heartbreak.
“I have been working on ‘Cinema’ since my freshman year and ‘Mask’ since my junior year,” Hernandez said. “I picked that album because it has so many memories for me.”
The album was released back in June 2022; a year in which Hernandez shared that she experienced a lot of hardship and heartbreak.
Giselle Morales presented three pieces that she had worked on which explored themes of innocence, family and oppression. She drew her inspiration from the people and experiences around her and how they reflect a lot in her writings.
The three pieces she presented were titled, “Fireflies,” “Pearl” and “Bodily Autonomy” each with their own powerful message.
“They all have some themes in correspondence to control,” Morales said. “Some have themes of oppression, grief, violence innocence and some even a reflection of political issues.”
In “Pearl,” Morales shared how she was inspired by the love of her family and the innocence of being a kid. She explained how children have this way of thinking because of their curiosity and innocence which inspired her.
“Bodily Autonomy” was a piece that really got the audience thinking. The piece told the story of a woman who was escaping a government breeding ground and how she planned on giving herself an abortion. In the action of doing so she is hallucinating her baby eating her from the inside.
“I wrote this piece about two years ago, when they began denying women the right to an abortion in the Southern States,” Morales said. “In my life, I am constantly thinking of these systemic issues.”
Hansen presented a total of six poems with different imagery and influences from American poet Jean Valentine. Her works explored themes of romanization.
“Refrigerator Waltz” was the title of one of her pieces that had a lot of visual imagery for the audience in the form of writing. She explained how her goal was to create a tangible image from a sensation.
After the presentations, each student was open for a Q&A where audience members would be able to ask questions about specific works or their experiences in their writing processes.
“I think that they’re leaning into the things that they’re passionate about,” Brenard said. “Whether it be music, relationships, body horror– these are some really mature writers.”
The next senior project presentations will feature students, Giselle Morales, Natalia Rodriguez, Gonzalo Felix and Richard Becerra. They will take place at noon, Nov. 6, in the Ludwick Sacred Space.
Marina Bravo can be reached at marina.bravo@laverne.edu.
Marina Bravo is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations. She is arts editor and a staff photographer for the Campus Times, and has previously served as a staff writer and photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine. She enjoys going to live shows and everything spooky.
