Limerence by Rose Winner

Limerence

Limerence E. Rose Winner

lim·er·ence ˈlimərəns/ noun: Psychology the state of being infatuated or obsessed with another person, typically experienced involuntarily and characterized by a strong desire for reciprocation of one's feelings but not primarily for a sexual relationship.

Introduction Limerence is an original production of works that highlight social in a series of tragic romances. The purpose of these stories is to bring to light these issues and examine the psyche of those afflicted with these isses. The following book is a collection of excerpts from this project alongside various academic work that I have completed throughout the final semester of my senior year. I hope that you, the reader, finds pleasure in reading these works. As a final note to this story: Although these materials may be sensitive, they are real life problems and traumas that each individual faces. In spite of everything, we must remember to remain strong in the end, despite how challenging that may be.

- E. Rose Winner

Table of Contents The Limerence Project Melancholia pg. 11 Without Thinking I said “I Love You” pg. 15 My Heart is Still Beating pg. 19

Academic Portfolio Flyer Redesign pg. 24 Informational Poster pg. 26 Sales Document pg. 28 Branding Package pg. 30 Color and Type pg. 32 Page Design pg. 34 Author’s Biography pg. 36

T he Limerence P roject

Mel an c h o l i a S um m a r y Mari always considered herself to be a coward. Her friend, Rue, however, was everything she hoped to be and more. In time, she came to exalt her friend as being the perfect person, falling in love with the idea of her. Unbeknownst to her, Rue has been coping with depression her entire life. As the two girls find themselves falling apart around one another, it becomes a test of how much they truly love one another.

E xc e r p t

R ue w as i n c re di bl y q u i e t.

S he h ad bu rro w e d in to h er s el f, l eg s p u l l ed to h e r c he st a s w e s at al o n g s i d e th e b an k of th e r i v e r. Her f i nge r s r i p p e d at t h e g ras s , e ye s u n foc u s ed as s h e s ta red at t he w at e r t h at g l i s t e ned i n th e after n oon s u n . I d i d n â&#x20AC;&#x2122; t kn o w w h at t o s ay or d o, s o I s at n e xt to h er, s t a r i n g o u t at t h e e x act s am e s c en e . Al l I c ou l d d o i n this m o me nt w as p ro vi de c o m for t for h er. At th e s am e ti m e, h o we v e r, I f e l t an e ru p t i n g an xi ety fr om w i th i n m e . Th e m o me nt f e l t s u rre al , an d I â&#x20AC;&#x2122;d n ev er exp er i e n c e d an i ns t a n c e w h e re R u e w as n â&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tal ki n g . Ev e n i f i t w as j u s t s e n s e le s s babbl e , s h e a l w ay s w an te d to s ay s om e th i n g, jus t a s a m e an s o f di s t r ac ti on i f an yth i n g . A f t e r I m o m e n t , I l ooke d ov er at h er. He r e xp r es s i o n w a s so r r o w f u l an d e x h a u s te d . S h e tu r n e d h e r h e ad s l owly, l o o k i n g at m e bl an kl y f or a m om en t b e for e fl as h i n g

a smile in my direction. She laughed softly, casting aside her mournful emotions and reaching out towards me. She pressed her hand to my head, stroking her fingers in my short hair. “You’re so cute.” She cooed, eyes softening as she spoke. “Don’t say things like that...” I felt my heart sink, face burning bright with embarrassment from her words. Rue smiled brighter, extending her arms as she took me in them, p ulling me close, “I love you! You’re the cutest thing ever, Mari!” “Stop-” I objected, my own laughter mixing with hers as she wrestled me against the grass. Rue took my shoulders, holding me down against the Earth as she kept me still. My laughter died as I looked up at her, noticing her staring at me with a suddenly serious expression. “Rue?” “Mari...” She hesitated, leaning over me as her hair brushed against my cheeks, “I’m serious. I really do love you.” She leaned down, a sad smile on her lips as she spoke, “Do you love me too?” “Of course.” I felt my breath caught in my throat. I could feel panic overcome me for some unexplained reason. The words came out without hesitation, but something about them felt forced. And yet, I watched her body relax and her smile return. She let go of me, falling into the grass beside me as she took my hand. She weaved her fingers between mine, staring into my eyes for several moments in silence. Eventually, she spoke to me again, her voice soft and quiet.

“Will you promise me something then?”

“Anything.” I couldn’t breathe.

“Please, stay with me.” She turned, wrapping her arms around my body. “Don’t leave me. I want to leave this place, I want to move far away and I want to live with you and be happy. Are you alright with that?” “Of course.” I was willing to do anything for her. I stared into her eyes, and I found myself lost in any sort of wish or desire that she could have ever asked for. Without hesitation, I was hers and hers alone. I found myself willing to lay down my life for her, throw everything away -- I didn’t

care because it would all be for her. I watched her smile return, and I realized I would do anything for that smile. I turned myself towards her, entwining my legs with hers as we laid in the grass beside one another. I loved her, more than I could begin to describe. “I promise.” I spoke those words, finding myself tangled in the existence that was her. I had no sense of understanding of our situation, and I had no idea as to how desperate Rue was to hear those words in that moments. All I knew was that it felt right to say at the time. She leaned over me once more, drawing close as she pressed her lips to mine. They were cold, and I can’t say whether or not I enjoyed the sensation, but I willingly accepted it. I pulled her close and let her kiss me, my heart racing with such intensity I didn’t know what to do about the feeling. When she pulled away, I found myself suddenly able to breathe again, as if the air was suddenly returned to my lungs. I wanted to lose myself in her, despite how horrible of an idea it seemed. I wanted to fulfill all of her desires and stand by her to the end. My eyes were blinded by the self-destructing path she was falling down, as I let my rationality be clouded with the same sort of dreaminess that she clung on to so desperately. Even though it was a hopeless thought, I believed that Rue could be happy so long as I stood next to her.

Without Thinking, I Said:“I Love You” Summary Mireille has all-too-often been considered a bully. She’s prone to fights with other students and is easily found to be the one that’s to blame for any disruption. She’s short-tempered and easy to upset, and it’s often landed her in disciplinary programs and situations. There is a building frustration within her as she tries to make her case to her teacher, who for some reason won’t give up on her just yet.

Excerpt

T i me s l o w e d as h e r fi s t m et m y fac e , m y l i p k n o c k i ng ag ai n s t m y t e eth as I fe l t b l ood d r i p i n to m y m o u t h. T h e re w as a n u mb n e s s th at ov er c am e m e , th e s c r e a ms an d s h o u t s o f my c l as s m ate s fal l i n g d eaf on my e a r s a s I g rabbe d t h e bl az e r of th e oth e r g i r l . I s l am m ed m y he a d ag ai n s t h e rs , w atc h i n g as i t fel l b ac k, s h oc k i n h e r e xp r es s i o n t h at I ac tu al l y fou g h t b ac k. I shov e d t h e g i rl t o th e g r ou n d , s l am m i n g h e r h e ad aga i ns t th e l i n o l e u m as I d r ew b ac k m y fi s t, s u d d e n l y h a lt i n g w h e n I f e l t a f i rm h an d g r as p m y w r i s t. I tu r n e d , g la nc i n g u p t o s e e a g row n m an s tan d i n g b eh i n d m e. His appe a r a n ce w as di s h e v el e d , b r e ath h eav y as h e m u s t ha ve ru n o v e r t o s t o p t h e s i t u ati on , H e p u l l e d m e o f f o f th e oth er g i r l , h er fr i e n d s q u i ck to c o me t o h e r s i de an d h el p h er u p . I w atc h ed as s h e h i s s e d a n d c o m p l ai n e d, c l ai m i n g I w as a m on s te r, n oth i ng bu t a d i s g u s t i n g w re t ch th at p l ag u ed th at c l as s r oom .

Is that why all of you start fights with me? I must be such an easy target then, huh? The man pulled me aside. I couldn’t make eye contact with him as he took my chin in his hand, assessing the damage done. I listened to him click his tongue as he examined my bloody lip before letting go altogether. “It’s not my fault.” I tried to justify it but I knew it was useless. I looked up at the man, feeling ashamed as I pressed my body to the wall, lowering my head like a dog being disciplined. “I’m sorry, Mr. Hayes.” I spoke in a quieter tone, sinking my head back down. “This is the second time this week.” I could hear the disappointment in his tone. I knew this conversation; it was the same every time. “Detention, after school, 4 pm sharp, don’t be late...” I rattled off the words before he could even muster them. He seemed taken back by my answer, shocked that I would be so bold as to say that. He hesitated, regaining his composure before speaking again, “Right...” He paused again, “Mireille, doesn’t all of this tire you?”

I didn’t answer him. In reality, I really couldn’t. I was well aware that my days were being wasted away and that both of us could easily be utilizing the time in some better way. However, I was exhausted of the entire ordeal. It had been the same all my life, and I stopped trying to even attempt to explain it. It was a useless effort as no one ever cared to listen or believe me when I said I was the one who was always bullied. It was easier to seek out an individual rather than a crowd, and so I let myself just accept the title. I was rash and jumped immediately to blind rage, so everyone just pushed my buttons to watch me suffer. There was no use trying to convince him any different. I honestly just wish they would suspend me at this point. I’m a nuisance in this town, but if I could go elsewhere maybe it would be different. “No.” I finally answered him before slinking away in the direction of the girl’s bathroom. “I’ll see you then, sir.” I spoke, keeping my head low as I abandoned the hallway. Once in the bathroom, I pressed my hands to the sink, rocking back and forth as I assessed my situation once more. Another afternoon wasted, another mark for my track record; I couldn’t get a grasp on who I was or where my life was going. I looked into the mirror, observing my busted lip and I felt the frustration of the situation grown within me once more. I was fed up with my entire situation and I wanted to escape it. But what could I possibly do? There was nowhere for me to go, and no one for me to go to. I fell to my knees on the bathroom floor, sitting there and wondering what person could possibly ever care about me aside from my family. I was at a loss, and I didn’t know what to think or do. I debated skipping, but in the end I knew I couldn’t do it. For some reason, Mr. Hayes had some weird shred of hope in who I was as a person. I’m sure eventually, however, he will just learn to hate my very existence just like every other individual in this school. I’ve just become a wretch to them all. I’m sure I was a nuisance to him as well, so why did he even bother?

M y He a r t i s S ti ll B e a t i n g Su m m a r y Rina lives in a town that she considers to be cursed. In her town, it only rains when someone dies. More specifically -- if someone commits suicide. One day after returning home from school, she discovers her girlfriend of two years, Lee, has hung herself in their bedroom. Frustrated with the shrinking number of people in her life, Rina takes it upon herself to discover the conspiracy behind the number of deaths surrounding the town’s existence.

Ex c e r p t I was never truly upset about Lee’s death. Our relationship was simply some weird co-existence that each of us just accepted as our reality. I didn’t despise or detest her, I just couldn’t love her. I had come to believe I was completely incapable of the feeling, and I think she knew that. More than anything, I don’t think she wanted a girlfriend, she was just desperate for anyone or anything that would acknowledge her existence. She was such a lonely person. I could tell from the day I met her. The way she looked at me, smiling behind obvious tears, I knew that there was something that wasn’t right with her. Lee was overwhelmingly beautiful, but just as equally as tragic; and as I stood across from her at the train station that day, I wondered if she had planned to kill herself even sooner. I’d like to think that I made some sort of influence, even though upon further deduction I didn’t really care if she lived or died. However,

on that night I could just see it in her expression that death was on her mind. I felt some weird obligation to the situation, despite the fact I didn’t even know who she was. Still, I had no ties to anything in my life anymore, I was a runaway and was living off of dollar-meals I could buy from the convenience store down the road. I guess a part of me desired some sort of companionship too. She needed me, and I was so indifferent I just didn’t really care. I didn’t care that she was twenty-four, I didn’t care that I was sixteen. I didn’t care that she would go manic, and I didn’t care that there were some nights I just didn’t want to sleep in the same bed as her. She was crazy, but everyone called her that, so I tried to refrain from it. I knew Lee was slipping more and more each day, and I often wondered if there was anything I could do to stop it. I didn’t really know what to say in those situations, though. When she was panicking, pill bottles strewn about the apartment as she tried desperately to ease her suffering, she would grab my face and stare straight into my eyes. Her own would be wide, bright red and filled with tears. She was practically incoherent, but I could always make out, in her begging tone: “Rina, do you care about me?” Without thinking, I always just said yes. We would stand there together in that small apartment, relief flushed over her face as time momentarilly stood still. She and I both knew I didn’t really care about her or the situation, but in that moment, it was enough for her. She would kiss me and hold me close, letting the moment pass as she returned to her senses. Yet, I’ll miss the times we would sit together on the balcony smoking. In spite of everything she took really good care of me. She made me go back to school, helped me get a part-time job, and even cooked almost every night. Every week we would go to see the ocean and she would always talk about how it gave her such a sense of peace. She loved how the sun would warm her body and how the chill of the water created a perfect contrast. In moments like this, I could see the happiness that beamed from within her. It was pounded down but such an immense force so often that it was easy to forget it existed, but there were moments when I would see her smile, and it was the most genuine thing I’d seen in my life.

I still couldn’t get the scene of her dead body out of my mind, however. I felt pity initially when I looked upon her corpse that hung in our bedroom, and the rain pounded against my ears and made them ache. Now, however, I’m simply disturbed at the thought of it. She was too pretty to die like that. I’d often joke about it with her when she felt like she was so close to offing herself. It’d make her laugh and somehow change her mood for the better. I think she liked the verification more than anything. Still, I feel no remorse in where I brought her. In the shallow grave I dug, I think she would have preferred to be buried in the sand by the ocean despite how horrible of a job I did. When I’d visit, I’d always found some new animal had dug into it, ripping away parts of her decaying flesh. I didn’t believe she deserved that either, but I couldn’t think of anything better to do at the time. Now she’s just a corpse that’s rotting away. I guess she isn’t all that beautiful anymore. “Despite everything, live for me.” Those were the final words in her letter. I read them over and over, wondering just how willing I was to abide by them.

Academic Portfolio

Flye r R e d e s i g n Assi g n m e n t The intention of this project was to take a flyer from campus and redesign it so that it was more rhetorically effective for the audience. The original poster advertised a food delivery program that St. Edwardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s University participated in, but the design of the flyer was incredibly ineffective. The colors were in no way related to the program or the university, and the text was difficult to see against the background. The background itself is out of focus, and makes it difficult for the audience to interpret the intention of the poster. The redesign ended up completely different from the original. I used a more agreeable color scheme, organized the content, and made the graphics more relevant to the intention of the flyer. Overall, this design is easier to read and better helps the reader interpret the purpose of the flyer without having to analyze it.

Original Poster

FARM TO WORK A Project of the Sustainable Food Center

What is it?

Redesigned Poster

Farm to Work is a program that will arrange the delivery of fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables straight to you on the Hilltop! Each basket costs around $20 per week and there is no commitment or subscription required!

Where do I sign up? Sign up with us at http://bit.ly/2bGpvkA

When is pick up? Basket pickup is every Monday from 11:45 AM - 12:15PM at the far northwest corner of the parking garage.

Additional Questions? Contact cristinb@st.edwards.edu

Info rmatio n a l P o s t e r Assi gnment For this assignment, we practiced technical writing and were required to create a poster that explained some sort of scientific or technological process that could be written in steps or instructions. For this assignment, I worked alongside a close friend, Nick Sparkman, who is a process chemist for Ascend Performance Materials. In this assignment, we worked together to explain the Haber-Bosch Process. Overall, this poster outlines the steps taken to complete this process in a simple, easy to understand form. I have devided the document so that there is space to fill with other useful pieces of information such as definitions and the importance that the process offers. The color scheme chosen is a series of cool colors that do not strain the eyes when reading.

Sal es D o c u m e n t Ass ig n m e n t This assignment was a representation of our marketing skills and our ability to create a sales document. For my assignment, I created a sample brochure for a company I was considering applying for. The company was Book in a Box, a startup company focused in book publishing. I followed the color scheme of the company, trying my bed to imitate the style, logo, and other key elements that define the company as a whole. All of the information is directly from their website and this document was created as a means of providing concise, quick information while also providing contact information so they can learn more if they wish. For the purpose of this book, the brochure is laid out flat so some sections may appear out of order.

Let’s talk about your book Not all authors are the right fit for our process. If you think you’d like to work with us, send us an email and see whether we’re a good fit for each other.

hello@bookinabox.com 815-A Brazos Street, Suite 220 Austin, Texas USA 78701 USA

THE

BOOK

Start the Process

IN A

Visit us at bookinabox.com to learn how to start publishing.

BOX METHOD

What is Book In A Box?

How does Book In A Box work? 01 Positioning

The best way to get an idea into the world is through a book. The problem is that books take too much time to write, and the traditional publishing process is painful to deal with. Not anymore. At Book In A Box, we’ve created a new process to turn ideas into books.

02 Outlining

Our Publishers Over the course discuss your book of four in-depth idea, goals, and conversations, our audience to help Book Developers you decide turn all your ideas whether a book is into a tight, right for you, and professional exactly what your outline that lays book should be the foundation for about. your book.

04 Editing

03 Interviews Our Editors use the outline as a guide to deeply interview you, and get all the knowledge and wisdom out of your head and onto a recording.

05 Publishing 06 Marketing & Distribution

Our Editors use transcripts of Our Publishing your interviews Team designs a to translate your professional cover, spoken words into interior,and takes a written care of all the pubmanuscript made lishing details that of your words and make a professional your voice. book.

Our marketing campaign ensures your book is seen by thousands of people the week it launches, with the goal of hitting #1 in its category on Amazon.

Package Pricing The Book In A Box package surrounds you with a professional publishing team that takes you from idea all the way to professionally published book. 01 Book

Manuscript • Book positioning and outlining • Comprehensive interviews • A first draft of your book • Manuscript revisions that incorporate your changes • Proofreading

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Distribution & Marketing • Full coordination of all publishing details • Distribution through major online retailers • Marketing to become an Amazon Bestseller • A full case study about you and your book

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Bran d i n g P a c k a g e

O ne o f t h e m ajo r p ro je c ts of th e s e m e s te r w as ou r b r a n d i n g a s s i g n m e n t . I t o o k th i s op p or tu n i ty to w or k on the b r a n d i n g f or t h i s bo o k p roj e c t, an d d e v e l op th e d es i g n of L ime r e n c e . T he i d ea o f L i m e re n c e i s to h i g h l i g h t s oc i al i s s u es tha t a re commo n t o t o day s u ch as m e n tal i l l n e s s , b u l l y i n g , ab u s e , etc. T his c o lle c t i o n i s a s e ri e s o f s h or t s tor i es th at h i g h l i g h t these sor t s o f s i t u at i o n s as a m ean s of b r i n g i n g th e m to l i g h t, sh e d d i n g t h e re al i t y o f t h os e affl i c ted b y th e s e s tr u g g l e s. The sto r i e s o f t e n f o l l o w t h e p ath of r om an ti c tag ed i e s , as th e ma in purpo se o f t h e s t o ry i s t o c on v e y h ow r e l ati on s h i p s ar e eithe r d a mag e d o r re s t o red w h i l e d eal i n g w i th on eâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ow n inte r n a l s t ru g g l e s . D e si gn an d w ri t i n g - w i se , Li m er en c e g ai n s i n s p i r ati on f rom Ja pa ne s e li t e rat u re . Th e i de a of i t i s to i n v oke th e s am e sort of ma gi c a l e le m e n t s an d de s cr i p ti on s th at ar e p r es e n t i n s o me of my f a v o r i t e au t h o rs , i n cl u d i n g th os e s u c h as O ts u i c h i an d Ba n a n a Yo s h i m o t o . Th e s e au th or s h av e m an ag e d to tou c h on r eali st i c s i t u at i o n s w h i l e s t i l l i n v oki n g th ei r ow n c r eati v e el em e nt s t h at h ave o f t e n pr oc e d to b e i n s p i r i n g . S i m i l ar l y, most of my p ho t o i n s p i rat i o n com es fr om fr ee l an c e p h otog r aphers a nd Ke i suke H as e g aw a. O v e r a ll , t h e c o l o r s ch e m e r e p r es e n ts a m or e s om b e r a ppr o a c h. T h i s de s i g n i s me an t to e m u l ate th e m ood of the sto r y, w hi le al l o w i n g s o m e c ol or to c om e th r ou g h to s h ow t ha t th e r e a r e h ap p y m o m e n t s th at e xi s t, b u t th e y c an al s o often be cl ou d e d b y l i f e â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s p ro bl e m s . Th er e i s al s o th e c om m on el ement of wa t e r, a s i t s e rv e s i t s p u r p os e i n eac h s tor y as a s ym bol t ha t th e c ha r a c t e rs o f t e n f i n d th e m s e l v e s r e fe r r i n g to.

Limerence E. Rose Winner #a0c2e7 #87a1b8

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MS MINCHO

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Hiragina Kaku Pro W3

Limerence

Limerence E. Rose Winner

Color and T y p e Q u o t e Assignment The purpose of this assignment was to take the following quote featured on the poster and create a poster that encouraged the St. Edwardâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s community to vote in the upcoming election. Overall, the design mimics Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s traditional color scheme. The difficult part, however, was taking such a wordy design and making it fit with the image. I ended up not attempting to add any graphics as a means of letting the text completely take over any white space. To make pieces stand out, I used red to highlight important phrases and emphasized points in the piece so that they drew attention to the reader since there is a lot of information to process. The idea is that these words stood out so that, even if the reader only skimmed the piece, they would still see the overall purpose of the document.

If you are bored and disgusted by politics and don't bother to vote, you are in effect voting for the entrenched Establishments of the two major parties, who please rest assured are not dumb, and who are keenly aware that it is in their interests to keep you disgusted and bored and cynical and to give you every possible reason to stay at home doing one-hitters and watching MTV on primary day. By all means stay home if you want, but don't bullshit yourself that you're not voting. In reality, there is no such thing as not voting: you either vote by voting, or you vote by staying home and tacitly doubling the value of some Diehard's vote." -David Foster Wallace

Pag e D e s i g n S a m p le While this is a repeat of several pages in this book, this was the example I presented to document how the layout would function for this overall assignment. The purpose of this was to display my formatting skills. Following the branding package, I utilized colors and fonts that matched with the overall theme of Limerence and proceeded to show the exert from Melancholia that I featured in the book. The page layout allowed for the insertion of some sort of image that was relevant to the theme or the piece or the project itself. The idea of this was to give, not only a preview, but a break so that the reader was not overwhelmed purely with text. I feel as though the extension of images also gives a better example to the audience about not only the brand but the overall theme of Limerence without having to go into a deep explanation that this book does not allot the time to do.

Melancholia Summary Mari always considered herself to be a coward. Her friend, Rue, however, was everything she hoped to be and more. In time, she came to exalt her friend as being the perfect person, falling in love with the idea of her. Unbeknownst to her, Rue has been coping with depression her entire life. As the two girls find themselves falling apart around one another, it becomes a test of how much they truly love one another.

Excerpt

R u e as i n c r e d i b l y q u i e t .

S h e h ad b u r r o w e d i n t o h e r s e l f , l e g s p u l l e d t o h e r c h e s t as w e s at al o n g s i d e t h e b an k o f t h e r i v e r. H e r f i n g e r s r i p p e d at t h e g r as s , e y e s u n f o c u s e d as s h e s t ar e d at t h e w at e r t h at g l i s t e n e d i n t h e af t e r n o o n s u n . I d i d n ’ t kn o w w h at t o s ay o r d o , s o I s at n e x t t o h e r, s t ar i n g o u t at t h e e x ac t s am e s c e n e . A l l I c o u l d d o i n t h i s m o m e n t w as p r o v i d e c o m f o r t f o r h e r. A t t h e s am e t i m e , h o w e v e r, I f e l t an e r u p t i n g an x i e t y f r o m w i t h i n m e . Th e m o m e n t f e l t s u r r e al , an d I ’ d n e v e r e x p e r i e n c e d an i n s t an c e w h e r e R u e w as n ’ t t al ki n g . E v e n i f i t w as j u s t s e n s e l e s s b ab b l e , s h e al w ay s w an t e d t o s ay s o m e t h i n g , j u s t as a m e an s o f d i s t r ac t i o n i f an y t h i n g . A f t e r I m o m e n t , I l o o ke d o v e r at h e r. H e r e xp r e s s i o n w as s o r r o w f u l an d e x h au s t e d . S h e t u r n e d h e r h e ad s l o w l y, l o o ki n g at m e b l an kl y f o r a m o m e n t b e f o r e

“Will you promise me something then?”

“Anything.” I couldn’t breathe.

A uthor’s B i o g r a p h y E . Rose Winne r is a s en i o r a t St . Edw a r d’ s Univ er sity in t he fie l d o f W r i t i n g a n d R het o r i c . P r ev iousl y, she ha s e a r n ed a n A s s o c i a t e’ s D egr ee i n C r eativ e Writing a nd ha s ho p es o f p u r s u i n g a c a r e e r i n pub lishing. Her mind work s bes t a t 3 a m, w hen s he c a n d r i v e d own empty roa ds, win do w s do w n a n d c o l d a i r s tinging h e r c he e k s. T he s o l i t u de o f s i n gi n g s o n g s at t he top of h e r l ungs t hr o u gho u t t he n i g ht i s a s t a te o f ser enity in whic h h er mi n d c u l t i va t es n ew t ho u g h ts . S h e can c onte mpl a t e idea s a n d fi gu r e o u t ho w t o t a ckle the c ha l l e nge s l i fe t hr o w s a t her. The mot t o sh e l ive s by i s a qu o t e fr o m A s a n o In i o which s t a t e s: “Wh a t a w o n der fu l w o r l d” . The c o n t e x t o f this is tha t, wh e n thi n g s a r e a w fu l , o n e mu s t l e ar n t o move forwa rd a nd tha t t he w o r l d w i l l n o t s i mp l y c o me to a n e nd. We m u s t p er s er ver e a n d s a y t ha t p h r ase to ourse l ve s, even i f i t i s o n l y a jo k e. And in c l osing, she r emember s t he l es s o n s o f Banana Yoshimot o in her bo o k , Ki t c hen : “ A s I gr o w o lder, m uc h ol de r, I wil l exp er i en c e ma n y t hi n gs a n d I will hit r ock bot t om a g a i n a n d a g a i n . A ga i n a n d ag ai n I will suf f e r; a ga in a nd ag a i n I w i l l g et ba c k o n my f e e t. I will not be de fe a t e d. I w o n ’ t l et my s p i r i t be d es tr oye d”.

E .R o s e W i n n e r