Wrap Yourself Up in Words

Rachel Heaton
The Paw Print

Six Adams State English professors presented works of creative fiction at Wrap Yourself Up in Words on Tuesday, March 6 in McDaniel Hall. The professors shared new and old favorites in poetry and prose for students and other faculty.
Professor Peter Anderson, Dr. Carol Guerrero-Murphy, Professor Kathy Woolbert, Professor Kris Giere, Professor Aaron Abeyta, and Dr. David MacWilliams each presented a few pieces from their repertoire of writing.
Anderson opened the night. He read three pieces from his column Dispatches from the Edge that he writes for the magazine Colorado Central.  The three pieces were titled “Christmas in Yellowstone”, “Mountain Time”, and “Barbies in the Back Country”.
Guerrero-Murphy was the next to share her work, reading five different poems that were linked by the central concept of portals. The first poem was about her mother and the next was about crying children. Two of the poems were titled “Apertures 6” and “Apertures 2”, respectively. The final poem was about the spirits of people who have passed on. She said she considers it to be a happy poem though it may seem sad. Guerrero-Murphy was also selling copies of a book that she wrote with the proceeds going to charity.
Woolbert read a piece called “From Revenge to Reconciliation”. About the Japanese martial art form Aikido, which centers around self-defense and reconciliation. The story was about how she and a former boyfriend were involved in different forms of martial arts, and her journey of finding herself through Aikido.
Professor Giere read a segment from a book that he wrote. The book tells the story of a world that will be transformed into a video game. The book is used to build the post-apocalyptic world that will serve as the setting for the game and also introduce the characters that will be featured in the game. The section Professor Giere read introduced one of the new societies in the book.
MacWilliams read a personal essay about sound waves. It was a story about what his father passed down to him and his wondering of what he will pass down to his own kids. The essay talked about fixing up an old radio with his father and the messages that he could send.
Professor Abeyta finished up the night, reading four poems that he wrote. One piece was titled “Cover Letter” and is a letter from him to the girl in Ethiopia that he is trying to adopt. It is set up like a cover letter for a job application and states his qualifications for the position of father. Another piece Abeyta read was titled “El Caballo de Siete Colores” which translates to “The Horse of Seven Colors”.
The event allowed each professor to share some of their work with the students they impact every day.