2022 Edition
A Note From the Editors
Emma Alex Carlson ’23, Mattie Francis ’23, Gabrielle Anderson ’22
Welcome to the 42nd edition of The Writing Anthology. Founded in 1981 by now-retired Central College professor Dr. Walter Cannon, The Writing Anthology presents an annual collection of remarkable student work that spans a wide variety of academic disciplines.
Read MoreAnd It Was a Loop
Sarah Linde ’24
There is a forest behind my house, just north of Pella. It is not so much deep, as it is wide. A gentle circle of embrace curled around the homes of my neighbors and myself.
Read MoreAxolotl: The Aliens of Mexico
Leslie Delgado
Alien Salamanders exist in Mexico. Curious? Well, this “alien salamander” is named the axolotl, or Ambystoma dumerilii, and has been a prized Mexican icon for centuries, but they are on the bridge to extinction.
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Dido, Compulsory Heterosexuality, and the Lesbian Continuum
Anika Faro ’23
Strong warrior women and regal queens are the epitome of strong female characters. In the Aeneid, Dido is a powerful queen who has fought for her people. Dido is the queen of Carthage who ends up falling so in love with Aeneus that she commits suicide at the end of Book 4. Adrienne Rich’s theory of the lesbian continuum and compulsory heterosexuality is useful in providing a new feminist analysis of Dido’s story in Book 4.
Read MoreRemembering American Slavery: Learning From Germany’s Eradication of Antisemitism
Quinn Deahl ’23
America is unlike Germany in its response to atrocity given that Germany has made significant efforts to acknowledge its responsibilities for the Holocaust and build a culture of remembrance, subsequently becoming a welcoming and inclusive place for the Jewish people that were once victimized while America has largely repressed its human rights violations against African Americans.
Read MoreDon’t Bury My Bones
Sarah Linde ’24
When I die / Don’t bury my bones Let my body rest, / Let it gently decompose / …
Read MoreI Hope You Feel No Pain
Kayla Lindquist ’25
My poem, “I Hope You Feel No Pain” is about a ten-thousand-year-old prairie that is at the risk of being destroyed. It is located about thirty minutes from my home so it’s something that stirs up a lot of emotion in me.
Read MoreTo My Core
Sarah Smith ’25
This poem is a dramatized version of a real event that happened in my life. I lost my serious boyfriend last year to suicide.
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