LOGOS

A Journal of Undergraduate Research

Meet the Editor: Emma Bishop

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LOGOS Copy Editor for Volume 13 Emma Bishop poses with the Stanley Cup wearing St. Louis Blues gear

Hello!

My name is Emma Bishop, and I’m the new Copy Editor for LOGOS: A Journal of Undergraduate Research. I am very excited about this opportunity, and I cannot wait to share what my experience as the Copy Editor is like!

A little bit about myself: I’ll be starting my senior year this coming Fall. I am an English/Literature major with minors in French and Technical Writing. With these, I would like to maybe work as an editor or anything I can get in the publishing realm. When I was little, I wanted to be a veterinarian until I realized it required more than just petting animals. However, I still love animals of all types. I’ve also been a member of the Missouri State Ice Girls for three years now, and this coming season I’ll be the President. I love reading, and although I’ve studied American and British literature, I tend toward preferring Brit Lit. My favorite literature course I’ve taken was ENG 340: Survey of British Literature I with Dr. Newman. Some of my favorite works include Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, the Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery, Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, Thomas Pynchon’s Entropy, any of Langston Hughes’s poems, anything from Edgar Allan Poe, and Jane Austen’s Emma. (As her namesake, I admit I might be a bit biased about that last one.) I have had an intense love for reading from a very young age. My mom says I was reading—or, more likely, memorizing—by the age of three, when I was obsessed with Dr. Seuss’s Hop on Pop. However, despite this lifelong love for reading, I never really knew how to focus it into something I could make a future out of.

When I first started thinking about my future when I was in high school, I had no clue about what to study. I enjoy creative writing, but it isn’t something I was personally interested in making a career out of. Where English courses were concerned, I was mostly just in love with reading rather than writing. Obviously, this lends to the Literature degree, but I had no idea what I could do with just a Literature degree, so I was lost. During a tour at Missouri State I spoke to the professor at the English Department table, a professor who would later end up being my advisor! I mentioned my love for reading and an interest in the publishing process for books, and she told me that a lot of her students who went on to work for publishing companies were English/Literature majors that added a Technical Writing minor to give them a more rounded experience. Thus, here I am! Throughout my six semesters so far, I have also picked up a vested interest in editing as a result of my minor.

I took my first Technical Writing course second semester during my Freshman year. It was ENG 321, Beginning Technical Writing. This was where I learned how helpful my love of reading could be in editing. Through reading, I had picked up technical and grammar rules without even knowing it. I realized that I had a very strong intuition for what changes to make while editing documents, and that I really enjoyed editing. I was never able to explore all that English courses have to offer in high school; my Language Arts courses mostly involved required readings and writing themed essays based on the readings. Not that that didn’t prepare me at all, it definitely did, but it didn’t really show me all the aspects of writing and reading that I could be interested in. Taking Tech Writing courses threw open so many blinds for me! I saw how reading had benefited me all those years, and I realized that I could enjoy the more technical side of English. Now, I love editing documents and learning about formatting and style!

I’m so happy for the opportunity to see what working on a publishing team will teach me, and for the chance to edit the submissions we’ve accepted. Happy editing, or whatever it is you enjoy!

Women’s History Month: Meet Cassidy Farrar

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To wrap up Women’s History Month, we are thrilled to feature one of our outstanding members of the LOGOS leadership team: Cassidy Farrar! She was a Peer Reviewer for LOGOS: Volume 12, and she is currently one of our newest Associate Editors for Volume 13. Check out the interview below!

Cassidy designed this eye-popping flyer for LOGOS, and she is always eager to promote the organization on campus and in the community.

Why did you decide to join LOGOS? What has been your most memorable experience with the organization so far?

I decided to join LOGOS because it seemed like a great opportunity and learning experience. It was my first real activity I stuck with here at Missouri State, and I’m excited to keep participating in it. My favorite memory so far has been the LOGOS Volume 12 reception. I got to hear published students read their work, eat good food, and take time to appreciate the work that I had done throughout the year.

Describe some of the skills you have gained as an Associate Editor. In what ways have you applied them to your academic career and/or professional goals?

As an Associate Editor, I feel much more connected with the work that goes into LOGOS. Not only do I get to continue my work as a reviewer, but I also get to act as a leader and facilitate discussion between my group members. Directing conversation and collaborating ideas with my group members is very rewarding.

How have your college experiences as a whole shaped the ways in which you view yourself as a woman? Provide a specific example.

My college experiences have really changed my perception of myself as a woman. Coming into academia, I found myself marginalizing who I was. I tended to speak up less because I was intimidated, and I felt inadequate about my thoughts. However, there are places where I can feel like a leader and make my voice heard, such as LOGOS and especially MSU’s Generation Action. I feel like I can claim space again, and in small ways, I know my voice is important.

 

Does the work that you do in your academic field relate to themes that are relevant to Women’s History Month, such as gender roles within the community? If so, provide a specific example.

I have been focused on gender issues in literature courses since I started here. Now, I am currently shifting to an Intercultural Communication major. I want to work more closely with organizations that fight for justice for the marginalized members of our system. I will further my pursuits by getting a certificate in Advocacy Writing and continuing to work with organizations like Planned Parenthood.

 

 

Women’s History Month: Meet Kathleen Sanders

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LOGOS is proud to present Kathleen Sanders as the second feature for the Women’s History Month blog series. Her powerful short story, “Picking,” was published in LOGOS Volume 6 in Fall 2013. She was also an Associate Editor for LOGOS Volumes 7 and 8 and the Copy Editor for LOGOS Volume 8. Sanders provided lots of thought-provoking insight into how the intricate components of her piece continue to influence her own growth as a woman. She also discussed the ways in which her roles on the LOGOS team have closely connected with her professional career and beyond. Check out the interview below!

Bio

After graduating with her Masters in Writing in 2016, Kathleen Sanders joined Cerner Corporation in Kansas City as a Technical Writer. Now, she is a Solution Designer for pharmacy software. Sanders also volunteers with the Marketing Committee at Kansas City Young Audiences. Outside of her professional career, she fits creative writing into crevices of free time. Currently, she is dragging herself through the first round of edits for a novel. As she likes to describe the process, “It will only get better.”

 

Briefly describe the inspiration for “Picking” and the steps you took to create the piece.

You’re driving through western Kansas. The clock says time has passed, but everything more or less looks the same. Each hour seems to draw in the walls of the car. You look over as a sedan passes you. Two women are visibly arguing as the sedan speeds up. What are they so angry about? How must they feel? How are they communicating?

These were my questions while driving to Colorado, and I felt their tension snake from their car into my own. This feeling of tension, of pursuing a destination but feeling eternally far away, of emotional claustrophobia, guided “Picking.” This was the experience I chose when working on a literature assignment with Dr. Shannon Wooden. Side note: homework can make its way outside of the classroom walls!

 

Do you see relationships between women differently now than when you initially created the piece? If so, describe how.

I think girls are trained — whether openly or, more commonly, through subversive societal influences — to strive for the appearance of perfection, which can be threatened if others surpass you. This is how I used to view other women as well as myself. If they gained, I lost. If they succeeded, it meant I had failed. I see this fear in “Picking.” The concept terrified me, just as it terrifies Jody. She sees Meg’s engagement as a threat to her thin connection with her son, and she channels that fear into competition. This piece still resonates with me today because I know that feeling.

When I consider Jody and Meg now, it strikes me as tragic that they fail to use this time to understand each other, to build trust and empathy, and to offer the support each of them need to embrace their imperfections. Maybe the failure of Jody and Meg prompts us to ask questions. How could they have navigated this conflict differently? How would I navigate it? Moving beyond competition to meaningful communication takes having the resolution to be brave, honest, and kind. This is something both Jody and Meg lack, and at the time I wrote the piece, I lacked it in many ways myself. But we all evolve.

So, seven years later, how do I see relationships between women differently today? More and more, I see them as opportunities to mutually thrive. Our journeys, conflicts, successes, and failures are enriched — not threatened — by the women in our lives. I’ve practiced honesty, bravery, and kindness more and more because of the women in my life. I strive to emulate them. I hope to be like them for others. We learn from each other. We support each other. We must be brave, kind, and honest for each other.

 

Were there any challenges you encountered while creating this piece? If so, describe how you overcame them.

Plenty! I didn’t want it to be “hero vs. villain” because that’s not true to life. Trying to balance the sympathetic qualities of both Meg and Jody was challenging. Neither woman is perfect. Both make digs at the other. Both love Zach. Both are figuring out how to navigate the change this engagement presents. How do you make abstract conflict and emotions concrete? For me, I used the metaphor of the driving route to make the interpersonal conflict more tangible.

Also, this was the first short story I workshopped and shared with others. Just that was challenging. It’s always going to feel personal, and sharing it always comes with some degree of vulnerability. I had to focus on what I ultimately wanted more than approval — to learn and to improve. On that note, I found it oddly helpful to remind myself: “This is the worst it’s going to be. It will only get better.”

 

Describe some of the skills you gained as an Associate Editor for LOGOS. In what ways have you applied them to your current professional role?

Supporting LOGOS as an editor was one of my favorite endeavors during my time at Missouri State University. Notably, it taught me a great deal about collaboration that I still leverage in my career today. As an editor, you help coordinate the creation and publication of the journal. Each issue of LOGOS doesn’t just get slapped together in a matter of weeks. It’s an endeavor spanning over multiple months and organized by the efforts of many individuals. Initiating conversations, guiding discussions, and following up as needed are valuable skills in which LOGOS helped me develop.

Another crucial element of collaboration is asking questions, which I think is an underappreciated skill in the workplace. Knowing what questions to ask and how to ask them moves projects forward, clarifies communication, and facilitates teamwork. I often work with unfamiliar subject matter in my career, which requires me to ask questions…a lot of questions. My work as a LOGOS editor helped me learn how to evaluate content and to be comfortable with reaching out to others.

 

Does the work that you do in your career field relate to themes that are relevant to Women’s History Month, such as gender roles within the community? If so, provide a specific example.

I work at a large healthcare IT company, and I am so proud to be a woman in STEM! I’m not nearly as technical as many of my team members (so no, I’m not a software engineer), but I started as a technical writer. I documented the software and programs used by pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. Now, I work as a Solution Designer. I support engineers by defining how our programs should function. Working in this field has been both challenging and fulfilling in ways I never expected, and I am so excited to be a part of it.

Check out Sanders’ full piece, “Picking,” in LOGOS Volume 6! https://www.missouristate.edu/assets/honorslogos/logos_vol6_full.pdf

Women’s History Month: Meet Janeshae Henderson

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I am excited to feature Janeshae Henderson for our Women’s History Month blog series. Her photographic masterpiece, “Permanent Fear,” was published in LOGOS Volume 9 in Fall 2016, and it was featured as the artwork for the journal’s cover. It was a pleasure to talk to Janeshae about how she created the piece, and she provided lots of insight into the ways in which scars (the focus of her piece) continue to influence her work today. Check out the interview below!

Janeshae Henderson was born and raised in St. Louis, MO. She discovered her passion for photography in 2010 when she took her first photography class in high school. She completed her BFA in Photography in Spring 2016, and she is now a Missouri State University alumnus. She is considering furthering her education as she plans to pursue film production and business. Eventually, she would love to travel and become a successful photographer.

 

Briefly describe the inspiration for “Permanent Fear” and the steps you took to create the piece.

“Permanent Fear” began with just a fascination of skin, how it heals, and the ways in which it bounces back from the unthinkable. The project started with just images of moles, small scars, and stretch marks. About a year into it, I felt like I didn’t have enough. I wanted to go bigger.

 

I was intrigued by the captions for the pictures of the diverse range of women you represented. Tell me about a couple of the ones that stood out to you the most.

There were two women who stood out the most as I was shooting this project. Both of them had breast cancer and double mastectomies. Even though they had been through similar situations, their experiences were completely different. One of them had decided to get a breast reconstruction surgery, and the other had not. The woman without the reconstruction seemed to be very confident. She even told me she mows her lawn without a shirt on. On the other hand, the woman with the reconstruction surgery was not as confident. She did not like her new breast because of the scars and folds on her skin. Both women were beautiful!

 

Were there any specific challenges you encountered while creating this piece? If so, describe how you overcame them.

The biggest challenge for me was probably discovering why I wanted to do this project versus understanding why I was actually doing it. For me, the “why” typically doesn’t come at the beginning of a new series of photos. I work my way up to it as I’m figuring things out. “Permanent Fear” started with a fascination, but after working with my models, it became about them. I wanted to hear their stories, assure them that their scars were beautiful, and build their confidence. The more I worked with these individuals, the more the project became about my own fear of having a scar like my models. The scar itself does not scare me; it’s the traumatic experience that causes it.

 

Do you see scars (both physical and emotional) in a different way now than when you initially created the piece? If so, describe how.

Of course! I want to photograph every large scar I see now. I definitely want to ask questions and find out what happened. I feel like I’ve always been interested in scars in a physical sense. However, after working on this project, I feel like I am more emotionally attached to them.

 

Does the work that you do in your career field relate to themes that are relevant to Women’s History Month, such as gender roles within the community? If so, provide a specific example.

Not at the moment. I want to get into more work focusing on things that are going on in my community and that I can relate to. For example, I have ideas about black women, people of color in general, and gun violence that I will hopefully be able to accomplish this year.

Wait! Don’t Click the Submit Button Just Yet…

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You’ve finally refined all your evidence in your psychology research paper. Or maybe you just wrote the final sentence of the epic conclusion to your short story. Are you ready to submit it? Here are some quick tips to help you get your piece in tip-top shape before you send it to the LOGOS staff for publishing consideration.

1. Make sure it represents YOU!

At LOGOS, we want to see unique and exciting approaches to any and all academic disciplines. Is this a piece you would be proud to have your name attached to in a journal that thousands of people will read for years to come? If you’re not passionate about your work, don’t submit it!

 

2. Give yourself TIME

You’ve heard the saying; time and money are two things that no one has (or at least, has enough of). However, if you’re reading this article right now, you still have 24 days to finalize your piece. Don’t wait until the last minute! Just like your professors, the staff at LOGOS can almost always tell when a piece has been worked on for multiple days versus just rushed through in a couple hours. If you want a shot of making it into the journal, do yourself a favor NOW and plan time in your schedule to work on your piece.

 

3. Feedback, feedback, and more feedback!

Do some rewriting on a short story piece based on the comments you received in class from your peers. Schedule a time to meet with your professor to talk about how you can strengthen the evidence you presented in a research paper from their class. The Writing Center is also a FREE tool, and a lot of the Writing Consultants are English majors. In other words, they have a knack for helping you solve your pesky writing troubles, especially if you need guidance in refining the thesis and other major aspects of your paper. The more people that look at your piece, the more ideas they might give you to make it even better!

 

4. Take a (short) break

After you’ve allowed your eyes to unglue themselves from a project for even a couple days, you may find yourself bringing fresh perspectives or even new ideas when you sit back down to work on it again. It also helps save your sanity, especially when you’re at the point when you need to cut out the clutter words or clean up your sentences.

 

5. Double-check ALL the LOGOS submission guidelines

Have you ever screwed up an assignment because you didn’t read the directions first? The LOGOS website has the guidelines laid out for you; go ahead and click on the link below! Trust me; when you’re brain-dead after midterms, you’ll thank yourself for making sure that your abstract is a quick summary of your research instead of a long page that repeats your conclusion. Making major changes close to the deadline can be a hassle!
https://www.missouristate.edu/logos/Submission-Guidelines.htm

 

6. Let it simmer if it needs to

Not sure if your piece will be ready to submit in one month? Maybe it needs extensive reworking in a couple places or perhaps a major overhaul? Don’t worry; you can always submit it to LOGOS next year. However, don’t be confined to Missouri State’s academic journal in the time between now and next March. Research other places that you can publish your work; thousands of possibilities await you! Check out the link below to see a list of journals, but make sure to do your own research or talk to your professors before submitting your work. They may even have some ideas for places you could check out!
https://library.sacredheart.edu/undergradpublishing/journals

 

7. Have fun with the process!

Your time here as an MSU undergraduate student will help you develop your knowledge in your field (or fields!), grow in the ways you communicate your ideas, establish professional connections, and much more. Submitting to LOGOS is a gateway to all of these possibilities; take advantage of it! We can’t wait to review your piece!