Synaptic

By 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.

By 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.

By 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.

By Mattie Francis ’23

I’m shocked awake. The siren blares with its high-pitched morning scream. Red lights at the corners of our small apartment whir, casting bloodstained splotches on the bare white walls. I groan. The nights are never long enough.

By 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.

By 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.

By Sarah Linde ’24

When I die / Don’t bury my bones Let my body rest, / Let it gently decompose / …

By 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.

By 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.

By Various Artists

A showcase of exceptional art chosen by professors of the Art Department.