Sewanee: The University of the South
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"Celebrating Black Church Identity in Post-Pandemic Recovery: A Case Study of Historic Saint Luke's Episcopal Church New Orleans"
No full textThis case study focuses on the post-pandemic recovery process from 2021-2024 at Historic Saint Luke's Episcopal Church in New Orleans, Lousiana. Its parish history is detailed beginning in 1855 through the multiple 21st century disasters that have affected the church. The navigation of the relationship with the diocese is included. St. Luke's unique historical connection with and devotion to the educator, evangelist, and juvenile justice advocate Blessed Frances Joseph Gaudet is highlighted. St. Luke's identity as a Black Episcopal church living into an extended season of Pentecost with its multiethnic, multiracial, multicultural congregation is explored. The sanctuary's physical depictions of the dignity of Black lives through Biblical sacred art are decribed in detail as an antidote to Black erasure. An action-reflection model of methodology engaging in trauma-informed pastoral care and leadership is offered.
The church's current post-pandemic state is at a crossroads with potential for further recovery as well as continued financial obstacles. It is showing signs of congregational growth as an increase of individuals joining who are specifically looking for a vocally anti-racist church and an authentic experience of Jesus Christ that is not aligned with white supremacy and Christian Nationalism. St. Luke's model of distinctly celebrating it Black identity in liturgy, cultural celebrations, and newcomer integration support is post-pandemic and post-traumatic growth. Changes in the wider Episcopal Church, U.S. Census Data, and postcolonial Angelicanism, and their connections to Historic St.Luke's, are explored
"Am I My Brother's Keeper?": Some Roots of the Nineteenth Century Battle Between Evangelical and High Church Episcopalians.
No full textThe Episcopal Church began with a compromise between disparate parties; one that supported the traditional office of bishop and its power, and one that wanted something entirely new and republican. The compromise led to fifty years of détente. In the middle of the nineteenth century the détente broke down, leading to an internecine war between Evangelical Episcopalians and their High Church brethren. This thesis explores the root causes of that war by examining the rise of Evangelical influence in the United States, the breakdown of that influence, and the effect of that loss on Evangelicals. The social, political, and religious pressures exerted by the loss of influence caused American Evangelicals to launch an anti- Catholic crusade of pamphlets, literature, and political machinations. Evangelical Episcopalians launched a similar crusade, but focused it internally at High Church Episcopalians rather than Roman Catholics. The public nature of that battle defined the antebellum Episcopal Church and has influenced the relationship between high and low church Episcopalians into the present
Aeldred’s Wandering Tales: Writ of a Mind Between Here and There
Full text linkThis thesis is a collection of short stories framed as the work of a fictional character within a fantasy world called Odium. Aeldred Gundry suffers from a gradual mental decline at the end of his life due to a curse. He creates this collection of stories as a way to remember where he went and who he met in his youth. Every story documents the many lives and cultures of Odium, drawn from Aeldred’s own adventures.
The collection is structured around seven short stories and smaller interview-style segments that precede each of the stories. Each one explores one of the distinct races that inhabit Odium and significant events in their histories. The interviews serve not only to introduce the cultural lens through which the following story unfolds but also to tell their own story. As the interviews progress, two distinct parts of Aeldred’s life intertwine into a mystery he is not sure he can solve. The stories connect with each other and with the interviews, and the collection as a whole is linked to a larger work in progress. Many characters featured here make a reappearance in a novel setting.
This collection draws from many traditions of high fantasy and speculative fiction from authors like Garth Nix, R.A. Salvatore, H.P. Lovecraft, and J.R.R. Tolkien. Video games such as Kingdoms of Amalur, Dragons Dogma: Dark Arisen, and The Elder Scrolls series also play a large role in inspiring my writing. This influence often manifests with each story acting as a narrative “quest,” highlighting cultural and existential conflicts that connect between stories in the collection.
On a different level, the collection examines the role of the storyteller as both creator and interpreter. The fictional character writing these stories to himself becomes a surrogate for the author and blurs the lines between fiction and creation. Since Aeldred is losing his grip on reality, readers are invited to question the authenticity and reliability of the stories themselves. How much of the text reflects the truth, and how much is creative embellishment? What details are made up by Aeldred’s deteriorating mind? This tension between truth and fiction mirrors the real-world ways history, culture, and identity can be preserved and distorted through storytelling.
One of the primary goals in writing about the world of Odium is to create an accessible experience for readers who may not typically engage with fantasy fiction. I have often heard that fantasy feels too complicated or foreign to be relatable or enjoyable. Fantasy, at times, can create a sense of distance, and this work aims to bridge that gap.
Ultimately, this work seeks to immerse readers in a world as vivid and complex as its inhabitants. It challenges readers to reflect on what it means to preserve knowledge in a world where everything is constantly changing, especially our own minds
The Ornithology of Enough
Full text linkThe thesis itself, which I have titled The Ornithology of Enough, started with an idea I had when I began the program, and I have been writing toward it over my years on The Mountain. First, it is a hybrid piece: non-fiction prose, poetry, and a mix of both. Sewanee did not make me choose between the two, so I have taken advantage of both genres. I thought it would be a memoir that would cover the time from when my grandparents were killed when I was nine all the way through my divorce in my thirties, an exploration of memory, and it does do that, but over the years that I
have been writing, into this space, it has grown and changed. Birds have become a major motif in my writing as has my exploration of what it means to be enough. This idea of “enough” started in the questions about my marriage: Why wasn’t I good enough? What else could I have done? How could I have been different? These questions extended back into my childhood and then forward into now, as a mother, a daughter, a teacher, a friend and really as a human being in this world. I have discovered that that is the question one of the major questions I explore in my writing, and this thesis has brought it into focus for me
Madelyn Smith Oral History Interview Records
No full textMadelyn Smythia of Sewanee, Tennessee was interviewed by Kendoll Hayes, Sewanee student, on February 15th, 2024 in person/on Zoom. While their conversation was primarily on the Black Lives Matter Movement, other topics included: Smythia’s experiences with racism during her childhood and history education in Tennessee Public Schools. We hope that this conversation will assist scholars with a further understanding of race in the United States during the early twenty-first century. Please click on the link to see the full interview.Dr. Andrew Maginn, Visiting Assistant Professo
Comparison of Two Gears for Measuring Abundance of Triangleclaw Crayfish in Headwater Streams on the Domain of the University of the South
Full text linkCambarus sphenoides (Triangleclaw Crayfish) is endemic to the Cumberland Plateau of Kentucky and Tennessee. There is a paucity of ecological and life history information about this crayfish species. The lack of basic biological information guides the need for an effective and efficient sampling gear for Triangleclaw Crayfish. In this study, we compared kick seining and electrofishing methods in four 100-m reaches in four streams on the Domain: Abbo’s Alley, Barnes Branch, Depot Creek, and an unnamed tributary of Mud Creek. We observed higher catch rates from the backpack electrofishing unit. Sampling for crayfishes with a backpack electrofishing unit is the best method, based on our results, for rocky, shallow headwater streams on the Cumberland Plateau ecoregion
Butterfly Dinner Party
Full text linkCreative writing thesis for the school of letters. This includes a lot of play with form, tenses, and big ideas ("you" taking care of your elderly self/ Men with too much money/ ask your MIL permission to remarry/ life in hindsight/ retelling of the first woman/ and a portrait of family and personal experiences)
Lexi Gordon Oral History Interview Records
No full textLexi Gordon of Greensboro, North Carolina was interviewed by Bailey Pezzella, Sewanee student, on February 15th, 2024 on Zoom. While their conversation was primarily on the Black Lives Matter Movement, other topics included: discussing the response of their student body of the college preparatory school they attended to the Black Lives Matter movement. We hope that this conversation will assist scholars with a further understanding of race in the United States during the early twenty-first century. Please click on the link to see the full interview.Dr. Andrew Maginn, Visiting Assistant Professor of Histor