The Palouse Review is the biannual arts and academics journal of the Washington State University Honors College. We accept submissions from current and former honors students from throughout the Western Regional Honors Council. Our editors are looking for carefully crafted, evocative work that demonstrates the literary, artistic, and academic excellence of our broader honors community.
The Palouse Review, December 1st 2023 Edition
Fiction ~ Nonfiction ~ Scholarship ~ Poetry
~ Photography and Visual Art
Hello and Welcome from the Editors of The Palouse Review!
It was very much a culture shock when it started snowing in October my first semester at Washington State University… and school was not closed. This is not to say that I do not like snow. Growing up on the west side of the state where snow is a once-in-a-winter phenomenon, school was invariably canceled. We loved the snow.
On the east side of the state, however, a thicker layer of snow was reapplied the next day. It also snowed the day after that. Despite still having to attend classes, I tried to keep my snow-day tradition constant: on the first snow-covering-road day of the year, I curled up with a mug of hot cocoa, an old cooking magazine, and a Hallmark Christmas movie.
This year, that first good snow day was delayed until November. My latest cooking magazine reading made me delay writing this introduction. Yes: literature delayed this rumination on literature.
Is it a stretch to call a cooking magazine a literary work? Maybe. Am I hungry while writing this piece? Absolutely. The similarities between the cooking magazine and The Palouse Review are striking though. Both are collections of diverse works of writing. My cooking magazine had 10 different ways to cook shrimp, though why is another question. The Palouse Review is just as varied, but for the literary, scholarly, and artistic palate of its readers. As faculty editor, Professor Colin Criss likes to say, “If you make it, The Palouse Review would love to see it!” Our current genres range from Poetry, Fiction, and Digital Multimedia to Scholarship and Creative Non-Fiction. We are also open to Music submissions—send us your songs! Over the past year, our amazing editorial board has tripled in size.
The other exciting changes for The Palouse Review this semester are more like the coming of winter snow to the Palouse: substantial. The journal’s first ever bylaws were voted into existence this semester, including the “French Revolution” amendment, and infamously, an amendment suggested by our managing editor Waldon to bolster his own power. The National Collegiate Honors Council was lucky to receive attendance by said managing editor Waldon and Professor Criss. They made the flight to Chicago to present about our journal’s growth, and to work on expanding the journal’s audience and submission pool. Finally, as the first ever Palouse Review Treasurer, I have been working with Waldon and Colin on acquiring more permanent, stable funding. Having only ever been treasurer of organizations contentedly without money, I am excited to learn and grow in this role, hopefully alongside The Palouse Review account balance.
As the snow falls outside in Pullman, we hope you enjoy this holiday season by curling up with a cup of hot cocoa and the latest edition of The Palouse Review!
Happy Holidays,
Molly Greiner | The Palouse Review Executive Nonfiction Editor & Treasurer
December 1st, 2023
Fiction
Knowing and Living and Forgetting and—
by Keanu Hua (California State University, Long Beach)
Although a statistics and economics major, Keanu Hua attributes those choices to his interest in writing, to the way that it enables him to investigate distant shores of life. As far as English is from his home departments, his wild imagination and ambitions still drive him to write.
The Lady
by Jannila Te (California State University, Long Beach)
Jannila is an undergraduate Psychology student at California State University Long Beach. She writes for personal enjoyment and has been writing fictional stories online under various pseudo-usernames for years.
The Witch’s Skin
by Shannon Ong (Irvine Valley Community College)
Shannon Ong is a second-year business administration major at Irvine Valley College. She aims to transfer to the University of California Irvine to continue her major with an emphasis in marketing. She enjoys dabbling in various arts, such as traditional and digital art, animation, and creative writing.
Nonfiction
Ted
by Nicole Doris (University of Denver)
Nicole Doris is currently an undergraduate student at the University of Denver pursuing degrees in both Biological Sciences and Gender and Women’s Studies with a concentration in Cognitive Neuroscience and minors in Chemistry and Psychology. She plans to combine her two areas of study to define her future career path in the biomedical sciences with a unique interplay between the life sciences and humanities. Originating from Arkansas as a first-generation Irish-American, she often uses her lived experiences to inform her research and written investigations. She has presented various papers at national Gender and Women’s Studies conferences with the majority of her work focusing on gendered perspectives of medical conditions and varying displays of femininity.
Tied
by Katrina Lantz (Brigham Young University)
Katrina Lantz is a nontraditional Neuroscience student at Brigham Young University whose research on neural tube defects is inspired by her daughter Abigail, who died of anencephaly in 2020. Katrina has survived multiple near death events and lives by focusing on social impact through the BYU Ballard Center and planning birthday parties for her seven children.
Trampoline Conversations
by Lindi Dice (Idaho State University)
Lindi Dice is a second-year English and Linguistics student at Idaho State University. She has been writing for as long as she has been able to hold a pencil. Lindi enjoys attempting improv, scanning meter, and trying her best to understand Russian.
Scholarship
Spain and Its Sun: Urban Ideas, Microhistorical Methodologies
by Petra Ellerby (Western Washington University)
Petra Ellerby is a recent graduate of Western Washington University’s Honors College. She has published papers in the journals Aisthesis, Scribendi, and UReCA, and has three manuscripts forthcoming from UC Berkeley’s Berkeley Journal of Classics and Columbia University’s Columbia Journal of History. Her research interests lie at the intersection of historiography, humanism, and political philosophy, with a specific focus in the socioeconomic history of the ancient Near East. After graduation, Petra plans to pursue a PhD in the humanities.
The Monstrous Outcomes of Playing God
by Hannah Berrett (University of Utah)
Hannah Berrett is a third-year at the University of Utah pursuing a Psychology BS, Human Development and Family Studies minor, and just received her Applied Positive Psychology Certificate. Hannah hopes to pursue a career in Educational Leadership and Policy to help continue spreading her passion of making changes in educational institutions regarding mental health access and resources. She is a very hard-working student and in her free time enjoys drawing, playing guitar, reading, and spending time with her family.
Poetry
Estimated Values
by Huda Alazani (California State University, Fresno)
Huda Alazani is a fourth-year student at the Smittcamp Family Honors College at Fresno State. She is studying Political Science with the plan to obtain her Juris Doctor degree and work as an immigration attorney in the future. She has always enjoyed writing and expressing emotions through poetry.
Crafts of the Imagined: Where
by Liam Leslie (University of Wyoming)
Liam Leslie is an emerging writer born and raised in Wyoming. He is passionate about dynamic language and advocates for intentionality. Words are meant for more, or less, accuracy when describing the strange and wide world we live in—make them live long.
Dusting Off the Plank
by Arianna Javid (Santa Clara University)
Arianna is a first-year student at Santa Clara University. She recently published a self-help book for young adolescents facing the many challenges associated with moving and has continued to write poetry on the side. In her writing, she hopes to connect with others and aspires to get more of her work published in the future.
To Kiss a Scorpion’s Tail
by Jaclyn Navar (Woodbury University)
Jaclyn Navar is a Mexican-American writer born in Los Angeles, who has focused on their family’s roots in Durango, Mexico. She is the daughter of immigrants and is currently studying at Woodbury University with multiple passions. They are a host of Verse Come Verse Serve, an open mic at the University. She is also known for their passion for strawberries, the color pink, and the pursuit of archival studies.
Photography and Visual Art
UFO
Neha Agarwal
To See the Light of Day
Alyssa Hall
Robot Invasion
Walter Costescu
Jolly Roger
Walter Costescu
Garden
Leonardo Ochoa
19 Years Old
Ashley SoteloNeha Agarwal (Crafton Hills College)
Neha Agarwal is a student who is double majoring in global studies and art at Crafton Hills College. Due to her cultural upbringing, she is passionate about global affairs and social justice. Also, she believes that art makes the world a better place because of how it inspires and brings people together. Ideally, by combining all of her interests, she can make her dreams come true.
Walter Costescu (Saddleback College)
My name is Walter Costescu. I’m a bit of a late bloomer as far as trying to become a professional artist, but I’ve been drawing ever since I was a kid. I lived in Vienna Austria as a kid because my parents were refugees who escaped from communist Romania, so I grew up speaking Romanian and German, but English is my primary language now. I love art in all forms but find that fine art, photography and writing are my true passions. I am excited about furthering my education and to see how far I can get in this industry wherever it may lead me.
Alyssa Hall (Brigham Young University)
Alyssa is a sophomore at Brigham Young University with plans to study accounting. She is originally from North Carolina and loves running, tennis, and the outdoors. Her inspiration in writing and photography comes from the beautiful landscapes of Utah and her amazing family and friends.
Leonardo Ochoa (California State University, Long Beach)
Leonardo Ochoa is an incoming freshman to CSULB Honors Computer Science. He loves books and writings of the sort that they’ve built up a library from scratch while being passionate in being an amateur writer and photographer.
Ashley Sotelo (Crafton Hills College)
Ashley Sotelo is an Art and Multimedia major also studying Japanese at Crafton Hills College. She is interested in the artistic aspect of storytelling and plans to transfer to an art school next fall and pursue Animation and Game Design.
