ScholarWorks @ SeattleU (Seattle University)

The purpose of this paper is to present recommendations in order to dismantle barriers to a population of students who have often been forgotten and left behind in the dominant structures and paradigms of K-12 education as well as higher education. Opportunity Youth are a population between the ages of 16 and 24 who are no longer in school and are also not currently employed. The majority of this population are People of Color which consequently begs the question: who is served and supported in the K-20 educational system as it currently stands, and who is not (Danziger & Ratner, 2010; United Way King County, 2008)? This paper aims to answer this question through the research of existing structures that cause students to leave education and furthermore, suggest recommendations pertaining to what courses of action can be taken from a systemic level in order to prevent students from leaving education, reach youth who already have, and support youth who want to re-engage the education system again

Fisher, Christy L

Dyer Gordon, Annie M

Head-Corliss, Maya K

Rodriguez, Afton E

English

Subverting The Narrative: Reconnecting Opportunity Youth

MAGIS, Editors of

MAGIS 
Volume 17 Issue 1 Article 3 
2023 
Mission of MAGIS 
Editors of MAGIS 
Seattle University 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/magis 
Recommended Citation 
MAGIS, Editors of (2023) "Mission of MAGIS," MAGIS: Vol. 17: Iss. 1, Article 3. 
Available at: https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/magis/vol17/iss1/3 
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Seattle University Journals at ScholarWorks @ 
SeattleU. It has been accepted for inclusion in MAGIS by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks @ SeattleU. 
MAGIS: A STUDENT DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION, VOLUME 17  3 
 
MISSION 
 
MAGIS: A Student Development Journal is the peer-reviewed academic journal for the Student 
Development Administration (SDA) program at Seattle University. Published annually and 
entirely student run, the journal showcases scholarly, reflective, and creative work by SDA 
students, alumnx, faculty, and student affairs professionals. Following the Jesuit tradition of 
academic inquiry, MAGIS: A Student Development Journal is committed to creating the premier 
forum within Jesuit higher education for dialogue on the theory and practice of student affairs. 
 
VISION 
 
The vision of MAGIS: A Student Development Journal is to represent the Seattle University  
College of Education and Student Development Administration program as a scholarly and 
reflective resource for student affairs graduate students and professionals in Jesuit higher 
education. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
1
MAGIS: Mission of MAGIS
Published by ScholarWorks @ SeattleU, 2023


Mission of MAGIS

This independent study reflects the author\u27s journey as a first-year DEI practitioner, rooted in love, healing, and accountabilit

Lopez Bactol, Sofia

(Re)member in Love and Healing

Creson, Fern

Seattle University 
ScholarWorks @ SeattleU 
The Spectator Online Newspapers 
1-22-2025 
2025-01-22 Dormiliciouse: Crispy Curry Potatoes 
Fern Creson 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/spectator-online 
The Spectator • January 22, 2025 • https://seattlespectator.com/2025/01/22/dormiliciouse-crispy-
curry-potatoes/
Dormiliciouse: Crispy Curry
Potatoes
Fern Creson, Volunteer Reporter
Now that I live off campus and no longer have dining
dollars, it’s necessary for me to meal prep every night
before class. My strategy for this is simply to double or
triple whatever I’m whipping up for dinner. The other day I
went to visit a family friend, a retired English professor
from Seattle University, and returned with a generous
amount of pantry items. Among these items were black
beans, garlic and potatoes. Potatoes are a beloved staple
food, but recently I realized I had no idea how to make
them. It became my mission to learn to make the crispy
cubed potatoes my mom makes. Luckily, it proved to be a
very simple mission. This recipe is extremely adaptable, as
you can really pop whatever seasoning you like on them,
from fresh rosemary to my favorite flavor and today’s
recipe: curry.
Ingredients:
Potatoes 
Olive Oil
Curry Powder
Cumin
Onion and/or Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper
Tools:
Large Pot
Streigner 
Baking Tray
Oven and Oven Mitts
Spatula 
Recipe:
Fern Creson
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Celsius. 
Place a large pot of water on the stove, turning it on medium high to reach a rolling boil.
Cube as many potatoes as you’d like, I did three. For small cubes, cut each potato into thirds both on its side and down its front.
Chop each long, thin stick of potato into your desired cube size. The larger the cube, the longer you’ll boil them. 
Once your water has come to a boil, add a dash of salt and plop your cubed potatoes into the water. Set a timer for 5 minutes if
you’re doing small pieces like I am. I ended up cooking mine for 7 minutes, and they came out super soft. 
Once your potatoes have been going for 5-10 minutes and are fork-tender, gently dump them over a strainer, draining the water
into the sink. Immediately run cold water over them until steam no longer rises. This is half-assed ‘blanching,’ stopping the potatoes
from cooking further in their residual heat. 
Once your potatoes are completely drained, gently pour them onto a baking tray. 
Drizzle a hefty amount of olive oil over your cubes before seasoning with whatever you like! Evenly sprinkle the pan with your
seasonings. This batch I used curry powder, onion powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Gently move the cubes around the pan to mix the
seasoning around. Potatoes on the softer side will be more delicate and less easy to handle.) 
Pop your potatoes into the preheated oven and bake them until they start to brown. (This is where the crispness happens y’all.) I
ended up baking mine for 30 minutes, rotating them with a spatula every ten. 
After your potatoes are at your desired crisp and toast, take them out of the oven and you’re set!
Roasted potatoes are great alongside a classic breakfast spread, but today I featured mine in a rice bowl paired with sauteed
veggies and black beans. Ooh! Ahh! Dormiliciouse. 


2025-01-22 Dormiliciouse: Crispy Curry Potatoes

Scott, Tristan

Seattle University 
ScholarWorks @ SeattleU 
The Spectator Online Newspapers 
1-29-2025 
2025-01-29 TIMBER! Artist James Hartunian Provides a Look Into 
the Future of the Natural World 
Tristan Scott 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/spectator-online 
The Spectator • January 29, 2025 • https://seattlespectator.com/2025/01/29/timber-artist-james-
hartunian-provides-a-look-into-the-future-of-the-natural-world/
TIMBER! Artist James Hartunian
Provides a Look Into the Future
of the Natural World
Tristan Scott, Staff Reporter
Walking through the heart of Pioneer Square, pedestrian
eyes may be drawn to the bright, colorful lighting of Gallery
4Culture’s current exhibit “TIMBER!” by Seattle-based
artist James Hartunian. Upon entry, visitors are
transported into a futuristic world combining nature and
technology. Exposed wires trail from the ceiling and travel
across the floor connecting each piece to each other and
the building around them.
“People have been really curious from off the street in a
different way than other shows we’ve done, just because
they enjoy the lights and everything like that,” 4Culture
Front Desk Receptionist and Local Artist Ana Sneed said. “I
feel like it catches a lot of attention just because it’s such a
sensitive show.”
Positioned near the entrance are two eye-catching pieces that set
the tone for the rest of the exhibit. Two piles of dirt and grass sit on
the gallery floor covered by complex, mandala-esque wire shapes
forming a cage above them. These cages hang centimeters from the
floor, suspended by thick electrical cords coming from the ceiling.
As the cages float and slowly spin, harsh LED lighting shines down
on the grass revealing moldy roots and sparse green blades fighting
against a sea of beige and brown.
These themes of artificiality continue throughout the exhibit. One
wall at the back of the gallery invites the viewer to sit on a park
bench made of plastic grass and watch the measured, robotic
movement of electric candles on motorized tracks. From a distance,
these lights resemble fireflies.
“There came a point where I was looking at the Firefly exhibit and
noticed this, like, whirring noise. The sound was almost eerie, and I was like, is this what our future’s gonna be like?”  Via Tay, a first-
year accounting major said. 
Noelle Lee
Domes on display in the gallery.
A tree moved up and down by machinery. (Noelle Lee)
The final piece in the gallery serves as the exhibit’s namesake and begins with interaction from the viewer. A large, neon green
button with the words “Press Button To Activate” sits at the center of the exhibit. No context or warnings are present, and it’s
unclear what the button is connected to.
“It was a giant, glowy, green button that said “Press me” in a big ol’ bold font,” Third-year Psychology Major Anai Quintanilla
described. “I didn’t really think much about what it would do exactly, I was just hoping it would be cool or entertaining.”
After Quintanilla pressed the button, a machine in the corner of the
gallery whirred to life. A pine tree, similar to what one would find at a
Christmas tree lot, rose from where it lay prone on the ground until it
stood upright as it would in nature. Then, it was lowered slowly back
to the ground. Over and over again the tree rose and fell, the process
moving at a torturously slow pace. Each time the tree rose it revealed
how flattened half of its branches had become from the month it had
spent being smashed repeatedly into the ground.
“At first I was disappointed that all it did was move the tree,”
Quintanilla said. “Then, when it kept going, it just made me sad.”
Quintanilla and the other visitors they were with attempted to stop
the process by pressing the button again, but to no avail. The
repetitive thumping of the tree falling echoed throughout the gallery
as long as there were visitors inside, perhaps even longer.
“At first, I didn’t even notice that there was a button,” Tay said. “I was like, ‘Oh, what caused this?’ And then, looking at it, I was just
like, whoa. It really clicked for me that this is our fault. We are the reason why this tree is going down. The more the whole group
played around, the more discussion we did, the more it made sense. It feels more relevant than ever, because so many people are
just apathetic about nature.”
TIMBER! aims to spark conversation around the interaction of nature and technology, a common theme in Hartunian’s work. It
serves as one of Hartunian’s largest physical exhibits.
“The artist is showing in a larger way than what he’s communicated he’s used to, so it’s exciting to see him expand,” Sneed said. 
Providing opportunities for expansion to local artists is one of the core ideals of 4Culture. 
“Our goal is essentially to put money in the hands of arts or heritage preservation science orgs and individuals that are just creating
a rich and vibrant culture for people here,” Sneed elaborated.
James Hartunian’s exhibit TIMBER! can be seen for free at Gallery 4Culture in Pioneer Square until Jan. 30.
Perspective from the top of the dome. (Noelle Lee)


2025-01-29 TIMBER! Artist James Hartunian Provides a Look Into the Future of the Natural World

Johnson, Naja

Seattle University 
ScholarWorks @ SeattleU 
The Spectator Online Newspapers 
2-5-2025 
2025-02-05 What Does Student Healthcare Look Like? 
Naja Johnson 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/spectator-online 
The Spectator • February 5, 2025 • https://seattlespectator.com/2025/02/05/what-does-student-
healthcare-look-like/
What Does Student Healthcare
Look Like?
Naja Johnson, News Editor
In the United States, healthcare coverage is a necessity for
many everyday Americans, but for college students on a
budget, it is more often viewed as a luxury. Health
insurance is a key element in improving the quality of life
for students in higher education. From resource awareness 
to financial hurdles, Seattle University students are facing
the reality of accessing healthcare. 
Director of Wellness and Health Promotion at Seattle U
Chris Fiorello, discussed the resources that are offered on
campus for students. 
“The Student Health Center is a fairly comprehensive in-
house clinic that is staffed by nurse practitioners and also a
psychiatric nurse practitioner who also works at the Student Health Center,” Fiorello said. 
Fiorello explained that the cost for all students to use the Student Health Center (SHC) is $5.
“One of the things I think students assume is that our student health center cannot provide contraception, that’s not true. That is
available through the nurse practitioners,” Fiorello said. 
Many students may shy away from seeking medical attention, due to a lack of insurance. Fiorello addressed concerns about who is
eligible to receive treatment on campus. 
“The Student Health Center is open to students whether they have insurance or not. If students have insurance, SHC may bill
insurance depending on the type of visit and insurance,” he said.
On the other hand, some students think the university has a long way to go in terms of fully supporting students and their
healthcare needs. 
Kai Schnitzius, a third-year political science and international studies major, provided a perspective on the reality of being a student
and dealing with the healthcare system. He explained how students dealing with health issues are not given a lot of leniency when it
comes to assignments. 
“Some professors will give extensions because of mental health issues, but some require doctor notes to prove that a student is
struggling in order to get an extension,” Schnitzius said. 
Eve Labriola
Schnitzius opened up about how procedures such as requiring documentation for sick students add to the divide between students
and professors.
“While I understand some professors may be worrying about students lying to get more time, not everyone can easily get access to
seeing a doctor. [Seattle] U professors shouldn’t require proof to give extensions,” Schnitzius said. “I think it’s better to give students
the benefit of the doubt when it comes to asking for extensions, rather than withholding them from students who really need them
in times of crises.”
When asked about his thoughts about the resources on campus including the Student Health Center, Schnitzius opened up about
the disconnect between students and the resources on campus.
“I’ve heard my friends who have used the on-campus medical center say that sometimes it can be difficult to get adequate treatment
there or that finding time to visit isn’t the easiest, so maybe making that more accessible?” Schnitzius said. 
Schnitzius also talked about the issues some have with the online mental health resources provided by the school, such as
TimelyCare, an app that provides mental health resources.
“Not everyone is a fan of receiving mental health resources in the online format the school provides. Having an in-person counselor
could be helpful,” Schnitzius said. 
Other students at Seattle U look elsewhere when it comes to healthcare. Clara McDanniel, a third-year communication and media
major, talked about her own healthcare situation in comparison to others.
“I get healthcare through my dad’s companies. I am lucky because my parents are involved and support me financially in a lot of
ways. It’s less scary for me than it could be,” McDanniel said. 
McDanniel described how navigating the healthcare scene is stressful for her counterparts in Seattle and Americans in general.
“People are either hyper-aware of it because it is so stressful to navigate or they’re lucky like me and their parents manage it. There
is not a lot of in-between,” McDanniel said. 
McDanniel expressed her displeasure with the healthcare system in the United States. 
“I think healthcare is kind of stressful for a lot of Americans, generally people try to avoid the healthcare system because it’s so
crazy here.”
Healthcare remains a crucial issue for college students, particularly those balancing their financial and academic responsibilities.
While Seattle U provides accessible on-campus resources through the Student Health Center, students still face challenges in
obtaining care. 


2025-02-05 What Does Student Healthcare Look Like?

Ahmed, Hadia Noor

Seattle University 
ScholarWorks @ SeattleU 
The Spectator Online Newspapers 
2-12-2025 
2025-02-12 Seattle U Committee Fights Against Banned Books 
Hadia Noor Ahmed 
Naja Johnson 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/spectator-online 
The Spectator • February 12, 2025 • https://seattlespectator.com/2025/02/12/seattle-u-committee-
fights-against-banned-books/
Seattle U Committee Fights
Against Banned Books
Hadia Noor Ahmed and Naja Johnson
Here at Seattle University, the Leadership Committee on
Intersectionality and Justice (LCIJ) through the College of
Arts and Sciences has incorporated bringing awareness to
titles and authors of banned books. 
Recently, book bans have been a topic of controversy in
American society. People constantly debate the acceptable
material in literature in relation to freedom of expression,
free speech, morality and virtues. Over the last two years,
book banning has been on the rise and increased
significantly. From 2023-2024, 10,046 books were banned
in the U.S. 
The LCIJ, a longstanding committee of over 10 years, is
made up of staff, faculty and most recently students, whose
mission is to constantly improve the institutional structure
regarding issues of immigration, race, religious bigotry and
much more. Working specifically within the College of Arts
and Sciences, the committee works to ensure the integration of
these values into course curriculums as well as just generally
creating a more inclusive environment. 
Every year the committee creates a new agenda of issues they
would like to tackle, document and share. This year the committee
acknowledged that book bannings have been increasingly frequent
in recent years, though America’s history reflects that banning
books is not a new endeavor. 
As part of the current agenda, the committee has a “banned books
of the week” email that goes out weekly to faculty and students in
the College of Arts and Sciences. Every week the email includes two
book titles, one fiction and one nonfiction that, somewhere in the U.S., is considered a “banned” or “censored book” whether that’s
at a public library, public school, etc. The American Library Association and PEN America are two nonpartisan organizations that
record and track bans on books in America and it is through these organizations that the LCIJ chooses book titles to share. 
Joseph DeFilippis is an associate professor at Seattle U as well as the co-chair for the LCIJ. He has long-standing roots in community
work and shared his thoughts on the LCIJ’s banned books of the week initiative. 
Noelle Lee
Line of books sitting on a shelf.
“We’ve seen this conflation of actors across the country working together to get books banned in schools so that young people can’t
access them and in public libraries so that even adults can’t access them,” DeFilippis said. 
DeFilippis expressed the connection he saw between larger culture wars occurring specifically in the U.S. following Obama’s
presidency and books becoming banned or censored. The larger culture wars have been campaigns negatively going after Diversity,
Equity, Inclusion (DEI) and critical race theory while most books being censored are centered around the same diverse topics of
inclusion, anti-government messages, transgender journeys, etc. 
Furthermore speaking to the LCIJ’s initiative, DeFilippis discussed how the committee wanted to highlight books such as classics
that are winners of the Pulitzer Prize or Tony Award as well as books by brand new authors whose voices are unable to reach
audiences because they are being silenced. 
Julius Moss, the second co-chair for the LCIJ, wrote to The Spectator in an email that history is a cycle that people need to learn
from; the banning of books is in direct conflict with that idea. 
“By not having access to inclusive writings and diversity of thought, our collective destination is conformity and obedience, both
originating from ignorance,” Moss wrote. 
Moss further wrote on the impact of the LCIJ’s newsletter. 
“Grassroots communication tools like the newsletter allow you to connect directly with people. The message is directed to the
masses and allows them to form their own opinions about the information rather than being encouraged to take one side or the
other based solely on second-hand interpretations crafted by others,” Moss said. 
Abby Wells is a fourth-year psychology major at Seattle U. Wells has researched and monitored the legislation across states to ban
literature in public schools over the years. 
“I wrote a script and did a podcast about banned books. I talked about the historical context of banned books, laws, and specific
books that were being banned. I talked about ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ and other Shakespeare works that were being banned in high
school,” Wells said.
Wells expressed her sentiments on banning books in the U.S. specifically, the precedent that it will set for authors and artistic
expression. 
“I don’t like banning books, I feel like it infringes on freedom of speech and the right to publish,” Wells said.
Wells then described the process of banning books across the nation. 
“The process of banning books varies, the most present group is the Moms For Liberty Group, which is a conservative party that has
been trying to ban books that they deem to be radical on topics that include race, sexuality and gender. They are the same people
who are trying to keep certain parts of history redacted,” Wells said. 
Wells concluded that banning books has had a devastating impact on the literature scene for minority authors and writers. 
“Authors of color are banned three times more than white authors, also queer authors or topics of queerness. All of those topics are
considered hot topics in the presence of literature,” Wells said. 
Darozyl Touch is the assistant dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice at the College of Arts and Sciences here at Seattle U
as well as the dean’s office liaison for the LCIJ. 
In an email to The Spectator, Touch emphasized the importance of educator’s positions to uplift marginalized voices. For reference,
the dean chose to include an excerpt from the faculty handbook. 
“Seattle University is committed to fostering an environment of academic freedom, intellectual curiosity, and academic excellence…
Upholding academic freedom and providing opportunities for free expression and inquiry is fundamental to the University’s role as
a Jesuit and Catholic institution,” Touch said.
Commenting on this, Touch stressed that the current tensions are stemming from a transition of political power and an uprising in
censorship. 
“The repression of information is a tenet of authoritarianism designed to miseducate and perpetuate false and harmful narratives
that become normalized in our society. It is precisely the literature, the art, the music, and multidisciplinary expressions of these
truths that are being repressed, that allow us to think critically about the world and interrogate fact from propaganda. As a college
that houses the social sciences, humanities, and arts, we will continue to advocate for and uplift these truths,” Touch wrote. 
This effort to highlight the censorship of books and authors by the LCIJ is a focus on the current battle against the voice of literature
but also freedom of expression for writers. The LCIJ is a leading example of institutions using their position to allow intellectual
minds to grow, nourish our values and combat the fight against creative freedom in academia. 


2025-02-12 Seattle U Committee Fights Against Banned Books

Berman, Dylan

Seattle University 
ScholarWorks @ SeattleU 
The Spectator Online Newspapers 
2-19-2025 
2025-02-19 Seattle U Students Survive Another Quarter Of 
Midterms 
Dylan Berman 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/spectator-online 
The Spectator • February 19, 2025 • https://seattlespectator.com/2025/02/19/seattle-u-students-
survive-another-quarter-of-midterms/
Seattle U Students Survive
Another Quarter Of Midterms
Dylan Berman, News Editor
Winter quarter has arrived at Seattle University, and with week six already nearly past, many students have just come out on the
other side of midterm season. Be it tests, essays, group projects or presentations, many students have spent the past few weeks
cramming in the hours to protect a large percentage of their overall course grades. 
Bella Villareal-Elizondo, a second-year biology major, recently completed two midterms, one for organic chemistry and
bioinformatics. 
“It was really awful to study for, the midterm itself was fine,” Villareal-Elizondo said, referring to bioinformatics. “The O-Chem exam
was how you would expect an O-Chem exam to be, that one was awful. I hate midterms, quote me on that.” 
Villareal-Elizondo shared that she spent around four to five hours a day studying for her midterms for a week leading up to the test,
adding up to around 35 total preparation hours. 
She also shared that the quarter system compounds the stress and frequency of midterms. 
“I feel like a thing with the quarter system is that we’re constantly in midterms, which I think is a really big difference from the
semester system. I feel like I don’t ever get a break,” Villareal-Elizondo said. “I feel like everything revolves around midterms and
exams with the quarter system. Everything matters so much more so I feel like it’s more stressful.” 
Aurora Dunn, a first-year environmental studies major, agreed that the fast pace of the quarter system makes midterms especially
difficult. She had a timed in-class essay as well as a traditional test and an essay due for her midterms.
“Because everything’s in such a short stretch of time especially for winter quarter since we don’t have as many breaks, it kind of just
feels like you don’t have any relaxed time with school,” Dunn said. “You get into it, you’re immediately preparing for midterms, you
do your midterms, and then you’re immediately preparing for finals. That’s what the experience has been like for me so far.” 
Aicha Toure, a second-year psychology and English double major, had large essay assignments as opposed to tests. She only had one
midterm for Encountering American Literature, which involved writing multiple literary analyses as well as a comparative analysis
between two texts read so far in the quarter.
“I got like a 96, so that was pretty good, but it was so much work,” Toure said. 
Toure’s biggest difficulty was balancing work on midterms with numerous extracurriculars, including editing for the Seattle
University Undergraduate Research Journal and participating in Ethics Bowl. For students active in clubs or other extracurricular
activities, the added workload of midterms can be especially difficult. 
“Literally my whole weekend I was just writing papers,” Toure said. “I probably spent minimum 10 hours on this in total.” 
Toure explained that she actually prefers midterm tests as opposed to essays or other projects which are more common in
humanities classes. 
“If I’m gonna get a midterm, please make it a test. I’ll study, I’ll take it, and it’s over, as opposed to writing an essay there’s just so
much more stress going into it because it’s more like you’re producing something instead of just remembering things,” Toure
explained. 
She also questioned the necessity of midterms in certain humanities classes. 
“Midterms can feel a little bit pointless unless it comes into the natural flow of the class. When I’m taking a biopsych class it makes
sense for us to have a midterm because it’s the end of that portion of what we’re learning and he’s making sure we’ve got it because
we can’t do the later stuff unless we understand this. Whereas with an American Lit class, we’re reading things all quarter, and we’re
already doing short papers throughout the quarter so she knows where we’re at, so a midterm just feels unnecessary,” Toure said. 
Dunn finds anxiety in the midterm season. As the brutal mid-quarter exams bear down on students, changes interfere with routines,
mental health and students’ social lives. When a large percentage of one’s grade stems from a week of work amid a bevy of other
commitments, it can be challenging to ground oneself as a student. Professors do not seem to be considering an end to middle of the
term assessments, assignments or exams any time soon, so this intermediate burden will persist for the time being.


2025-02-19 Seattle U Students Survive Another Quarter Of Midterms

Hunley, Erin

Fragments 
Volume 62 Interlude Article 8 
2020 
Channel 06 
Erin Hunley 
Seattle University 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/fragments 
Recommended Citation 
Hunley, Erin (2020) "Channel 06," Fragments: Vol. 62, Article 8. 
Available at: https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/fragments/vol62/iss1/8 
This Prose is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks @ SeattleU. It has been accepted for 
inclusion in Fragments by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks @ SeattleU. 
1 
 
Channel 06 
Erin Hunley 
 
 
Red chile pork bit her tongue, warmed her belly, and it was time for her parents to 
leave. She watched her legs swing back and forth and side to side over the edge of the 
chair, their shadows merging with that of the dining table. She wished her feet could 
touch the floor; during dinner she had slowly shifted her body away from the back of 
the chair until her toes swept against the white linoleum below. 
“We’ll be back around five tomorrow night, okay, Erin? You can ask grandpa 
to call us if you need. Okay?” 
She hugged her parents in front of the open door, feeling her face against 
warm stomachs and soft cloth and thinking that maybe she was not really as scared to 
see them go as she had felt earlier. The moon would drift along the walls of her 
grandfather’s house, the car horns would fill the stillness with warm shouts, and the 
old lumpy couch would squish around the backs of her knees. Sleep would come and 
light would continue to shine from the cracked bathroom door. 
Erin followed her grandfather into the backyard after they waved goodbye to 
the rattling green car that reminded her of a moth’s cocoon. Her grandfather went to 
work tending the grapes, the apricots, the plums, and she ran around the little patch of 
lawn. The white dog next door let her pet it through the chain link fence. Its snout 
poked out of the metal squares and licked and licked the air until Erin put her hand 
beside it and felt its warm drool. She thought of her dog. How he had stopped 
moving, how he had died on the floor and left behind tufts of brown fur that found 
their way onto dinner plates and sweaters. She pulled her hand away and went to 
stand with her grandfather by the raspberry bush. 
The bathroom light did not shine from behind the door that night. The moon 
created shadows of grimace and beady eye, and their glare made Erin feel thin like 
gauze— she curled into herself and wadded her airy limbs together. Hours had passed 
since there had been any movement in the house, since her grandfather had trailed off 
down the hallway in his stained undershirt and boxers. 
1
Hunley: Channel 06
Published by ScholarWorks @ SeattleU, 2020
2 
 
She did not want to disturb his sleep, so she turned on the TV instead. Bright 
sound swarmed over her face until she jammed her hand against the volume button, 
the green bars at the bottom of the screen blinking off one by one. Above, just 
returning from a commercial break, was a family on a farm. Sunlight kissed their 
faces and linen clothes. They rode horses and churned butter. Erin crawled back 
under her blanket on the couch and followed the arcs and bends of their movement 
with heavy eyes. She watched as two boys chopped wood with sharp axes, as one of 
the boy’s hands slipped, as the TV blared a frame of metal blade colliding with skin 
and bone, as a silent mouth screamed. 
2
Fragments, Vol. 62 [2020], Art. 8
https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/fragments/vol62/iss1/8


Channel 06

Dickinson, Deborah

Fragments 
Volume 62 Interlude Article 18 
2020 
Untitled 
Deborah Dickinson 
Seattle University 
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/fragments 
Recommended Citation 
Dickinson, Deborah (2020) "Untitled," Fragments: Vol. 62, Article 18. 
Available at: https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/fragments/vol62/iss1/18 
This Poetry is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks @ SeattleU. It has been accepted for 
inclusion in Fragments by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks @ SeattleU. 
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Untitled 
Deborah Dickinson 
 
 
1 my sister and i do not look alike 2 her skin is fair her hair is straight 3 i am the darkest in my family 4 
grandmother mentions how brown i am every time she sees me 5 my mom likes to joke that when i was born she 
thought she was given the wrong baby 6 home is a word that does not fall off my tongue easily 7 i don’t believe in 
fate but sometimes i think conflict is the consequence of my breeding 
 
MIXED -- /mikst/ 
            1.  (a state of being) 
more than          and                never enough. 
2.  (especially of the second-generation) 
                                    an iteration; 
                                    a dilution 
 
8  if half of something is not whole, what do 
you call half of two things made up by 
fourths? 
9  i’m still figuring out how to best arrange 
my pieces 
10  nowhere is a place for people born 
without navel strings 
11  i wonder what i’ll look like when i am 
my ((great)grand)mother’s age 
12  i find myself increasingly weary beneath 
the weight of my name 
13  the simultaneity of both and neither is 
painful dimensionally 
 
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Dickinson: Untitled
Published by ScholarWorks @ SeattleU, 2020


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