Hope and Wonder in Children\u27s Literature

This M.F.A. thesis project includes three illustrated picture book manuscripts and a scholarly essay about hope and wonder found within children’s literature. Within this essay, it expands on the need for hope in children’s literature contrasted against the modern backdrop of global war and climate change. The stories and essay reflects on artistic and creative process from ideas developed around these specific themes and also includes illustrated artwork. While writing on the need for hope and wonder as literary themes, the backdrop of writing on societal disruption was found within mentor texts, Dear Milli by Wilhelm Grimm, illustrated by Maurice Sendak and The Golem by David Wisniewski. For an example of wonder, also included is the Velveteen Rabbit by Margary Williams. For mentor texts involving creative non-fiction climate change stories, “Our Planet! There’s no Place like Earth” by Stacy McAnulty, illustrated by David Litchfield is explored. Within this essay, wonder as a means to develop hope and resilience is explored, and an examination of essays by fantasy writers, J.R.R. Tolkein and C.S. Lewis. It delves into how hope builds resilience, which includes research on children’s literature about the Shoah, Blitz fiction and other war related stories. The author / illustrator also discusses her own three manuscripts, Little Dove, Flowers of the Etz Chayim and River in the Sky: Journey of an Atmospheric River and what inspired them. A discussion of experiencing climate change related storms in California as inspiration for a creative-nonfiction story is also included. For the other two stories, there is an emphasis on Jewish folk and fairy tales containing elements of wonder, the tree of life and hope for peace within the land of Israel. The essay also includes illustrated examples of how war, climate change and pogroms from the mentor texts have been previously portrayed within children’s literature and the author/illustrator’s own illustrations of hope within this context

Dr. Lanita Jefferson, \u2707, Ph.D., LPC, LPCS

Dr. Lanita Jefferson, Ph.D., LPC, LPCS is an assistant professor for South University Columbia SC campus. Dr. Jefferson also co-owns a mental health private practice in downtown Columbia SC. Dr Jefferson holds a Doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision from the University of South Carolina, a Masters in Rehabilitation Counseling from USC School of Medicine. Dr. Jefferson specializes in working with persons who have trauma, depression, and anxiety. Dr. Jefferson also specializes in clinical supervision to enhance the professional development in counselors in training. Her research interest includes implementing the use of hip hop in clinical counseling and single-case research in counseling

Revolutionizing Uterine Fibroid Care: Modern Minimally Invasive Treatments

Under the direction of Dr. Brian Gentry Uterine fibroids are the most common benign tumors that grow in the muscle tissue of the uterus. There are seven types of fibroids, with three major ones, categorized by where they form: intramural (within the wall), submucosal (in the uterine cavity), and sub serosal (outside the uterus). The Dual Wavelength Diode Laser System (DWLS) and transcervical radiofrequency ablation (TRA) demonstrate recent advancements made in uterine treatment technology. DWLS reduces the size of fibroids with better results than prior laser treatments like CO2 and Nd-YAG lasers. An ex-vivo study evaluating DWLS achieved a substantial 46.6% reduction in fibroid volume across all types (D’Alterio et al., 2021). TRA utilizes radiofrequency energy to safely shrink myomas. Findings from SAGE, a registry focused on the long-term effects of TRA, demonstrated favorable outcomes from 160 women in the preliminary results. These minimally invasive approaches offer a compelling alternative to more invasive procedures due to their enhanced safety, precision, and shorter recovery times, signifying notable progress in uterine fibroid treatment

Ashley Solcher ‘98, D.B. Cooper

Ashley Solcher ‘98 on Holly Crenshaw’s D.B. COOPERhttps://digitalcommons.hollins.edu/riding/1035/thumbnail.jp

Teaching Counterstorytelling with Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone

The fantasy genre continues to lack cultural and racial diversity in many of its stories which can lead to problematic depictions of marginalized characters. When BIPOC characters do not appear as full and complex individuals, they often remain marginal to the story. Counterstorytelling, a tenet of Critical Race Theory (CRT), can re-center BIPOC experiences and even help teachers develop assignments that de-center Eurocentrism in writing. Counternarratives, or stories that center marginalized people’s experiences, are useful tools for engaging students in English classes. Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone (2018) serves as a great example of a Counterstory and represents one approach to helping students engage with stories that feature Black protagonists who fight for equity and justice. This presentation will highlight useful strategies, such as assignment prompts, handouts, and a rubric, to introduce students to Counterstorytelling as a theoretical concept. Additionally, it will discuss how teachers can use Children of Blood and Bone to support antiracist pedagogy in high school literature classes

MaxEnt Model of Belted Kingfisher Nests Along the Tennessee River Gorge Largely Determined by Soil Type

The Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon, is a species of bird in the order Coraciiformes known for having burrow-style nests on the borders of rivers, creeks, and lakes. Using data from the Tennessee River Gorge Trust collected via in-person scouting, we mapped documented Belted Kingfisher nesting sites and tested them against a collection of variables, including NCLD 2019 land cover data, bioclimatic factors from WorldClim, and soil type. This was done using ArcGIS, a web mapping service from ESRI. We found based on a series of significance tests that BEKI prefer to nest along bodies of water that are bordered by sandy clay soil. This map suggests various sites that are ripe for further investigation by the Tennessee River Gorge Trust, within their surveyed land we found hot spots for possible BEKI activity on Elder Mountain, and in Falling Water Nature Preserve, all within the city of Chattanooga, TN

Join SCBWI Mid-Atlantic for a Draw-In/Write-in Session

Have a chance to flex your drawing or writing muscles in timed sprints and meet members of the SCBWI Mid-Atlantic team

Beacon IHLL

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Barbara Caler ‘64, Lamplighter

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Cindy Brink ‘81, Turning Point

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