Writers' Corner

Annika has always had an irrepressible drive of creativity and curiosity, leading her to pursue Art and Psychology at Westmont. She is from Virginia, but will always say “just a few minutes from D.C.!” to make her hometown feel more important to Californians with limited knowledge of East Coast geography. Part of the allure of the West was the water, which she can’t help but stay out of. As the daughter of a technical writer and editor, she has endured many excruciating and much-longer-than-anticipated editing sessions, which have instilled in her a greater appreciation for written language and grammar. She was once asked in a Westmont literature class about her favorite book or film, to which she nervously replied, “Trolls,” the 2016 animated masterpiece. However, could she answer the question again, she would likely mention Pride and Prejudice, Narnia, Little Women, or Harry Potter—basically anything involving ball gowns or escaping the modern world.

Areas of study: Art, Psychology

Caylie brings sparkle wherever she goes. She is a senior majoring in English and minoring in Communication Studies; she also runs the student blog, Words of Warriors. A member of College Choir, she loves making sentences sing. She adores the Lord of the Rings and anything else by or about J.R.R. Tolkien. England Semester 2018 gave her an undying devotion to Ireland, the city of Oxford, and scones. She calls Colorado home and has two enormous, fluffy white cats whom she loves to cuddle. In her free time (okay . . . less busy time) she buys jewelry, plays piano, and swing dances.

Areas of study: English, Communication Studies

Annelise loves words, from prose to puns to poetry. The thrill of discovering the overarching story of the Bible (which we get to be part of!) drew her to the Religious Studies major. Illustration is a form of storytelling, too, which is where her Art minor comes in. As a missionary kid, Annelise sees travel as a way to immerse oneself in stories. Being immersed in Israel-Palestine through Westmont in Jerusalem gave Annelise a sense of awe at seeing some of the world’s complexities firsthand. When at home, Annelise is fond of nature walks—she stops to inspect every mushroom, beetle, and spider. Her eye for detail also inspires her to organize and sew. Making connections (whether conceptual or interpersonal) is important to Annelise. Words connect people, and guiding others through the writing process gives Annelise a deep sense of satisfaction.

Areas of study: Religious Studies, Art

Graham is an English major and Computer Science minor from the Land of Infinite Sunshine (New Mexico). He looks at the world through fantasy-tinted goggles and loves writing speculative fiction as much as he loves arguing that “plaid must be a color because it’s my favorite color.” He believes in the power of writing to touch on unique truths and is trying to do just that whenever he gets a chance to work on his novel in the free time between readings and papers. Ask him about the latest book or video game he’s gotten himself sucked into and he’ll probably talk your ear off if you don’t stop him.

Areas of Study: English, Computer Science

Gabe Farhadian is an Economics and Business major who periodically vacates the world of corporate models and Excel sheets for the abstractions of his Writing minor. Having traveled to places like India, China, Indonesia, and South Korea, Gabe finds that his experiences abroad and at home fuel his enjoyment of playing guitar, writing, and producing music. Gabe enjoys crossing sensory boundaries and employing contradictive elements to articulate visceral experiences: like attempting to produce melodies that sound like how a certain landscape looks. As a result of this pursuit, his prose may contain a made up word or two—or three.

Areas of study: Econ. & Business, Writing

Since memorizing bedtime stories before she could read them herself, Elinore has loved literature. She’s a California native fluent in both the surfer and standard dialects of English. A Biology and Political Science double major, Ellie has grown to appreciate how important writing is to any field. Speaking of fields, she spends much of her time outdoors and frequently interrupts conversation to enthuse about sighted Westmont wildlife ("squirrel! hummingbird! Scott Lisea!"). On Monday afternoons, you'll find Ellie in the writing center—catching the last rays of sunshine through the floor-to-ceiling window and finally talking about herself in the first person.

Areas of study: Biology, Political Science

Maggie is a proud Colorado native whose roots in the mountains and love of fall colors run deep. As a Chemistry major, she gets more fired up about p orbitals than em dashes—nonetheless, she is eager to coach and collaborate with fellow writers over the course of this year. When she is not using (and breaking!) high-tech pipettes in the lab or daydreaming about her favorite hikes back home, you can catch her enjoying a chai latte at Lucky Llama or practicing her serve down at the tennis courts.

Areas of study: Chemistry, Spanish

Ella is an Art and Psychology double-major that can always be found in a local café enjoying coffee and rich discussions with friends. She loves listening to throwback songs, challenging herself with complicated culinary recipes, and playing with her two chunky dogs in Southern California. During quarantine, she’s also trying a new hobby every day (currently, she’s embroidering and learning bass guitar). Despite being a grammar nerd and a huge fan of the Oxford comma, she likes to let loose by happily adding flourishing prose to all of her academic essays. Her proudest intellectual achievement was winning her fifth-grade spelling bee with the word “quiche”, which also happens to be her favorite food. Whether you need help spelling the name of a delicious French egg tart or you only have three hours to write a ten-page research paper, she’s got your back!

Areas of study: Art, Psychology

“We’re investing a lot of money on your college education . . . you ARE getting a job, right?” This question has become habitual in Catherine's household after she dropped the news of becoming not only an Economics & Business major but also an English major (especially since English wasn’t her first language). Although it seems as if Catherine is a risk-taker, her personality is quite the opposite. She considers herself a pretty mellow gal who likes to spend most of her time in coffee shops listening to country music and doodling.

Areas of study: Econ. & Business, English

An aspiring author since age 6, Addie recalls “self-publishing” many books with stapled binding and scribbly, hand-drawn illustrations. Though perhaps a tad less ambitious today, her love for writing has only grown. As a junior history major and political science minor, Addie is passionate about using writing to analyze contemporary societal and political issues from a Christian perspective. Whether writing an Op-ed for the Horizon or arguing for a particular political philosophy in class, she desires her writing to reflect a spirit of empathy and humility. After graduation, Addie is interested in writing for a think tank or a non-profit and pursuing journalism. On a typical weekend, she’ll most likely be perusing the nearest thrift store, trying a new recipe, grabbing boba with friends, or you might find her curled up on the couch with a mystery novel and earl gray tea.

Areas of study: History, Political Science

Even though Craig is already a junior at Westmont, he has loved telling stories since he was six years old. Fortunately, his dad taught him to “always leave your audience wanting more,” and so he’ll strive to do that as part of Writer’s Corner (instead of talking your ear off about the latest story he’s concocted. Whether it be writing short stories or essays, or understanding literary texts, one of Craig’s main goals is to help students learn how to tell the best story possible through their paper. To him, life is God’s special quest made just for us. We can always reflect that in our writing and glorify His role as the great Author—which is why Craig chose the English major. So whether he is re-reading C.S. Lewis’s Space Trilogy, playing frisbee or Halo, or running through sun-kissed canyons, one thing is always for certain: adventure awaits! Another thing is certain: people will always find a new nickname for his rather short first name. So just know that whether called Craig, Coswald, or simply “The Dude with the ‘Dad’ Mug,” he’ll always beam down for your next writing adventure. Hazzah!

Areas of study: English

Emily Peterson is a Computer Science major who probably spends as much time writing prose as she does programs. A Santa Barbara native who needs Google Maps to find her house sometimes, her favorite place to get lost is in a good book. In the wise words of Gaffer Gamgee, “It’s the job that’s never started as takes longest to finish.” Sometimes the most difficult—and scariest—part of the writing process is simply putting one’s pen to the paper—don’t be afraid to start! When Emily isn’t daydreaming about Middle-earth, you might find her lifeguarding at the Westmont pool or eating more French fries in the DC than she should. Ask her about her unabashed addiction to em dashes—they’re pretty em-azing.

Areas of study: Computer Science, English

As an English major, Kristiana relishes wordplay. She’ll admit, unabashedly, that she often has her head in the clouds (literally as well as figuratively): watching the sky shift with colors and wandering deeply into thought. Her propensity to ponder, complemented by an addiction to alliteration and a deep love of words, has made her a passionate poet—though she enjoys prose nearly as much. While her imagination is easily excited by creatures like the horned marten described in the Inkheart book series, she delights equally in reality (you may, for example, occasionally catch her stalking squirrels between classes). As an American citizen who grew up in Southeast Asia, Kristi has used writing to explore and process her sense of identity and belonging. She believes firmly in the power of words and would like to see herself as a Merlin-like figure in the lives of many Arthurs: scheming to help others draw the weapon of their own words from whatever stiff, metaphorical stone encases them.

Areas of study: English

Laura Joy loves bunnies, trees, cellos, em dashes, and quail (especially their little quiffs); and despite owning a sizable bookshelf, she manages to have four or five piles of books on her desk at a time. Pursuing a major in English and minors in Writing and Religious Studies, she also enjoys exploring other fields such as Computer Science. At Westmont, Laura serves as the storyteller for the CATLab, a peer tutor in the library, and a member of Writers' Corner. As a half-American, half-Filipina who grew up in Malaysia, she may not know where she's "from," but she will probably know where to acquire rice. She spends most of her time reading, writing, and talking about reading and writing. Her creative endeavors include essays, novels, poetry, and silly choose-your-own-adventure stories that usually end in the reader getting turned into some kind of plant.

Areas of study: English, Religious Studies, Writing

As a religious studies and philosophy double major, Maddy enjoys learning about the historical context of the early church in one moment and contemplating Immanuel Kant’s epistemological theory in the next. Through her majors, Maddy Simonsen has gained the ability to thoughtfully articulate herself in writing, which she will use as a writing tutor. She adores finding cute and meaningful stickers for her ever-growing Nalgene collection and appreciates the sweet, crisp flavor of jicama. In her free time, Maddy loves taking portraits that capture the essence of the individual and welcomes any opportunity to engage in a variety of outdoor activities.

Areas of study: Religious Studies, Philosophy

Abby is a wanderer who hoards words from the different dialects she’s encountered, so y’all best be prepared to hear a horrendous mishmash of southern twang, midwestern nasal, and just a hint of New Jersey shoreline. When she was eight, her Christmas present was a self-publishing book kit. Unfortunately, she never finished it, so she understands all too well that procrastination is an old and fiendish foe. As an English major, Abby enjoys reading literature and speculative fiction, analyzing the etymology of words and cheerfully mangling them in her day-to-day speech. She is excited to join this community of writers and perhaps learn some Californian lingo as well.

Areas of Study: English, Spanish

Phoebe is a senior English and Global Studies double major and former novel purist who only recently discovered the joys of non-fiction. Having grown up in Uganda and studied abroad twice through Westmont—once in the United Kingdom and once in Mexico—she loves to travel and is most delighted when an author articulates the intricacies of a particular moment in a way that makes her feel as if she has just stepped off a plane into an entirely new and exciting landscape. A reluctant night owl, her best writing occurs between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m. the night before an essay is due . . . which is rather unfortunate, considering her favorite part of the writing process is editing. Phoebe is most content when enjoying the company of a friend over coffee and pastries and most excited when swimming in the ocean or sitting in front of a large plate of food.

Areas of study: English, Global Studies, Religious Studies, Spanish