Browsing by Department "Department of Creative Writing"
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Item Critical, Ethical and Informed Poetic Observation: A Study on the Craft of Documentary Poetry(2021-08-10) Bouillon, Carlee AnneI entered my research venture with the idea that I was going to synthesize a definition of documentary poetry. But because it is a young genre, documentary poetry is highly fluid and impressionable: each time an artist adds to its canon, the genre grows and changes. It shares fundamentals with several other foundational art forms, but it also extends past each of them. To consider a “definition”—which must be fundamentally non-comprehensive, as it evolves alongside the canon—I first had to think about what documentary poetry is not, and what it is more than.Item Dance-water blue(1988) Connolly, JayDinosaurs are extinct, right? Wrong -- not in the tiny, half-deserted mining town of Stuart's Landing on Okanagan Lake. Naitaka -- an ancient and deteriorating plesiosaur, known popularly as "Ogopogo" -- has visited this dwindling community several times over the years. Brady Stuart was fifteen the first time he saw Naitaka, and the experience touched him so deeply that the creature's subsequent fifty-year absence has left Brady a dislocated man. Despite evidence that Naitaka is less than benevolent, Brady has done what he can to protect the creature from fortune hunters; he has even closed the mine above the Landing because he believes that the inexplicable shaft of water at the end of one of the tunnels might be Naitaka's secret home. Because of the mine-closure and the consequent economic strife, however, the people of Stuart's Landing want Naitaka for t heir own. Benton Williams, hardware king and ex-MLA, has lured the mysterious Bar Cranston and his company, Voyageur Expeditions, to the Landing to look for the creature. If they find Naitaka, they plan to put him in a n aquarium-like tank on the south side of the Landing, thereby providing themselves with a remarkable tourist-draw -- a phenomenal attraction that will bring Stuart's Landing back to life. Both in spite of and because of his wife's intense fear of Naitaka, Brady commits himself to fighting Voyageur Expeditions. On their side, Bar Cranston and the town have a fleet of high-tech search-boats and a sonar-equipped mini-submarine. On Brady's side is Roy Silverheels, a spirited young Indian who cannot seem to keep himself out of trouble but will not, for his own reasons, abandon Brady and his fight. Through Roy's allegiance to Brady and his own determination to discover some form of truth about his Indian culture, Roy teaches his father, a disgruntled alcoholic with a fierce belief in the irrelevance of his own people, something about the dignity of their shared past. If home is the emotional/psychological state where we feel comfortable with our circumstances and our histories, then these characters -- Naitaka included -- are homeless; but each of them is searching for a way out of isolation. When Brady finds Naitaka, sick and apparently half-starved, at the desolate north end of the lake, he decides on a plan. Using a fibreglass decoy they have built in Brady's workshop, Brady and Roy stage an attack - a bloody and presumably fatal mauling -- at one of the busiest beaches in the valley's biggest city. But part of the plan back-fires, and Brady finds himself naked, alone, amnesiac and trapped in a cave by Naitaka. Later, after being driven into another cave, Brady discovers both his father's bones and an entirely new perspective on Naitaka. Finally, at the end of his life-long search for this strange, pre-historic creature, Brady is forced to admit that his view of Naitaka has been naive and narrow, and he decides to turn him over to Bar Cranston. Dance-water Blue explores the relationships between these individuals and the relationships between these individuals and Naitaka, the extraordinary aspect of their private and collective realities. There may not be answers, the novel tells us, but there are ways of approaching home, or, at least, there are ways of coming to, or making, a new home.Item Des vies Noires florissantes à Winnipeg, Manitoba(University of Victoria, 2025) Wilson, ShawndaThriving Black Lives: Winnipeg, Manitoba Des vies Noires florissantes à Winnipeg (Manitoba) This research explores the vibrant yet underrepresented Black history of Winnipeg, Manitoba, which embodies resilience, creativity, and community-building despite historical marginalization. It traces the journey of Black individuals and collectives who have significantly shaped the city’s cultural, artistic, and social landscape. Beginning with early figures like William S. Beal and his dedication to community-building in the early 20th century, the narrative shifts to transformative leaders such as Henry Bibb, whose pioneering efforts in publishing and refugee aid laid the groundwork for collective resistance. La présente étude explore l’histoire des personnes noires à Winnipeg au Manitoba; une histoire à la fois vibrante et sous-représentée qui incarne la persévérance, la créativité et le développement d’un sentiment d’appartenance à une communauté malgré sa marginalisation historique. Cette étude retrace les parcours de personnes et collectivités noires qui ont marqué de façon significative les scènes culturelle et artistique et le tissu social de la ville. Notre narration débute avec des protagonistes tels que William S. Beal, dévoué à la création et au développement d’une communauté dès le début du 20ème siècle; viennent ensuite des chefs de file audacieux tels que Henry Bibb qui a préparé le terrain de la résistance collective grâce à ses efforts novateurs dans le domaine de la publication et de l’aide aux réfugiés. Contemporary Black voices in Winnipeg, including artists like Xavier Mutshipayi, community organizers like Yisa Akinbolaji, and poets such as Chimwemwe Undi, enrich the city’s cultural fabric. Through organizations like Canadian Black Artists United and Black Space Winnipeg, they challenge systemic inequities, nurture inclusivity, and inspire resilience. Furthermore, the contributions of authors like Marie-Aliette Forges underscore the vital importance of representation in literature and media. Parmi les voies noires contemporaines qui enrichissent le patrimoine culturel winnipegois, nous pouvons citer l’artiste Xavier Mutshipayi, l’organisateur communautaire Yisa Akinbolaji et la poète Chimwemwe Undi. Les organisations Canadian Black Artists United et Black Space Winnipeg, par exemple, contestent les injustices systémiques, encouragent l’inclusivité et insufflent la persévérance. De plus, les auteurs comme Marie-Aliette Forges soulignent l’importance vitale de la représentation de la communauté dans la littérature et les médias. This study also highlights the intersection of art, activism, and identity, exploring how spoken word, visual arts, and community initiatives create platforms for dialogue and societal change. Through these contributions, Winnipeg’s Black community continues to shape a dynamic narrative of pride, resistance, and belonging. Cette étude met aussi l’accent sur l’entrecroisement des arts, de l’activisme et de l’identité, et explore la façon dont la parole, les arts visuels et les initiatives communautaires mettent en place des plateformes pour le dialogue et le changement social. Par l’entremise de ces contributions, la communauté noire winnipegoise continue de façonner son histoire dynamique, emplie de fierté, de résistance et d’appartenance.Item The bleating lamb(University Of Victoria, 2025) Kraleva, YoannaThe Bleating Lamb is a material investigation of form, structure, and visual language. My research is rooted in an artistic process of experimentation and exploration, utilizing different methods of creation. The sculpture presented is a manifestation of my research of traditional forms and techniques in poetry, specifically the Ghazal. I use the repeating motif of a cloth throughout the structure as a way to indicate intention, or rhyme, while each individual structure functions similarly to a closed couplet in the ghazal form. Part of my research was being in conversation with my sculpture professor Daniel Laskarin, and poetry professor Marita Daschel. Abstract is expanded in Artist Statement, and accompanying poem to sculpture.Item The Glass House: Creating and Maintaining Investment in Stories through Interactive Narrative(University of Victoria, 2024) Pettyjohn, DayneThe Glass House is a board game built with the focus of researching how to create and maintain investment in stories through interactive narrative. There are several elements of effective interactive narratives including theme, mechanics, meaningful choices, balance, and motivation. Interactive narratives should have a strong and cohesive theme, with mechanics that align with that theme. The narrative should contain meaningful choices so that players feel like their impact on the world matters. The challenges within the game should not actually be balanced, but instead contain the correct amount of imbalance to ensure a rewarding experience. The narrative must also compel players to care about the story to motivate them to move forward in the game. Furthermore, successful interactive narratives must employ transportation immersion, which is the process of figuratively transporting players into another world. Players must buy into the world of the narrative, and therefore become invested in the story. The Glass House also involved playtests. Participants played through an Alpha version of the game and gave feedback, which then had to be translated into actionable steps to improve player experience and investment. Those next steps include art, simplified mechanics, and narrowed themes for replayability.