When I was a sophomore in High School, I signed up for a Creative Writing class, eager to begin my writing journey with fictional characters and curious about how to do world-building; but as I got my schedule for the upcoming year, the name had changed to “Creative Non-Fiction”. Disappointed and confused, I went to the counselor to see if they had made a mistake. What I hadn’t known was that the creative writing teacher had been switched to one of the English teachers, eager to teach the upper-level students in a new and interesting way. The definition of Non-Fiction…

Background

The Renaissance was an intriguing and meaningful time period in European history as artists collaborated and competed to create masterpieces that we still revel at today. Between the 14th and 17th centuries, artists were commissioned to paint for powerful patrons among leaders, lords, and established courts. One of the major patrons was the catholic church, where popes, cardinals, and convents hired the painters to decorate the churches or baptisteries as a way to illustrate Bible scenes for the uneducated public, as well as a demonstration to exhibit their power and wealth. Much of the artwork created during the Renaissance were…

That summer in the warmest heat of the state,
where the hills roll with sunburnt grass and a few speckled bushes.
I remember the pools that glistened in the day,
a blue so clear it was as if we were swimming in the topaz sky.
Hot cement burned the soles of my delicate feet, and quick steps to the pool avoided the sting of pain.
I wore a blue dress over my bikini that swayed in the wind,
which I gently removed before plunging into the blue. …

When anger comes to you as a viper,

Feel as it wakes from the bottom of your stomach,

Curling in your throat, and feeling its heart beating on your tongue.

Wait for its burning venom to flick from your open mouth.

It prefers pained hands and a wrecked chair to sleep on,

But remember to put it to sleep inside of you.

It prefers the warmth of the blood pumping and shallow breaths,

Feeding and growing off the shadowy thought of retaliation.

What would happen, if you obeyed?

It’s best to nourish it with a ticking watch, and maybe a…

The mother’s nurturing curves at the warm springs,

As I grow too old to be held at night.

Slick against the rocks, the guiding force carries me.

Shallow slides and an unknown trail of clouds gaze down.

Each leaf titters like fairy’s wings,

hard at work at the soothing brook.

Each silky ripple brushes my skin with the same love of a moon’s light,

And I blossom with open hands and eager faces,

Alongside the flowers that nod on the water’s shakey surface;

Sojourners guided by the ocean’s pull, drawing us nearer to the unknown.

Wanderers that allow the day…

TW: Rape and Sexual Assault

A girl arrives at a party, dressed in her best clothes, excited to have fun with her friends. She moves from room to room in the frat house, drinking, and dancing, talking to everyone she knows. The guy that has been talking to her notices when she becomes too incapacitated and leads her up to her room. At this point, she is too intoxicated to consent to any sexual activities, but he engages anyways.

This scenario occurs many times, and I have heard many excuses from men, as well as blaming the survivors, as to…