2024 OMOT Literary Works

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/2152.5/10338

This collection contains literary works submitted for the 2024 On My Own Time Employee (OMOT) Art Show. OMOT is open to all UT Southwestern employees and students. Literary categories include:

10-Word Story
AI Literature
Creative Non-Fiction
Fictional Short Story
Open Verse Poetry

Authors of winning Literary Art submissions will be invited to read their works aloud at Literary Night on September 12, 2024, at the Dallas College Brazos Gallery (additional details will be provided at a later date). Winning entries will also be published in a Business Council for the Arts Program.

Questions? Contact omot@utsouthwestern.edu for more information.

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 35

As Within, So Without
(2024-07) Popokh, Benjamin
Observing a matryoshka doll at my grandmother's house, I was inspired to learn more. Read on to take a deeper dive into the history and culture behind Russian nesting dolls.
Beyond the Hills
(2024-07) Popokh, Benjamin
This piece was inspired by a recent patient of mine. It is the first story I have written that was directly motivated by a patient encounter.
Bird in a Cage
(2024-07) Alexander, Mercy
Bonds
(2024-07) Shaver, Elery
My immediate family has all moved far away from Texas. Though we are still close, the distance can be a challenge to our relationships. Despite our distance, though, we still find ways to love and support one another.
Bury Me on a Rainy Day
(2024-07) Guill, Dallas
A friend shared the news of a loved one's passing while I was back home visiting family. I received the news via text in the sunroom of my sister's house. It was a quiet, gray afternoon, with a light mist covering the fields behind their east Texas home. While reflecting on the loss, I imagined the additional stress of laying someone to rest on an afternoon of bad weather. And yet I found my mind drifting towards the deceased's perspective, and how perhaps he would see the beauty in being memorialized on a rainy day. And as he slowly transitioned from the physical world, he would latch on to the weather, succumbing to sentimentality, listening to the sound of thunder and rain one last time.
Bynar
(2024-07) Berry, James
Bynar was a cross between an old Star Trek episode and my experience with medicolegal consulting, where yin or yang were the only possible answers. James Berry is a professor and Vice-Chair in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management at UT Southwestern. He serves as the Section Editor of "Mind to Mind", a creative writing section of the journal "Anesthesiology". His work has been published in the journals "Anesthesiology" and "Chest", as well as in online poetry venues.
Comfort
(2024-07) Shaver, Elery
As a hospital chaplain, I have witnessed many people caring for loved ones as they come near to death and pass away. It is a powerful moment, and one that is worthy of remembering.
The End
(2024-07) Alexander, Mercy
Ghosts in the Making
(2024-07) Popokh, Benjamin
This piece is inspired by someone who was and still is, but will never be.
Hope
(2024-07) Alexander, Mercy
Hush Money
(2024-07) Cramer, Guy
I was inspired by a series of questions my children asked me as they started to become aware of mortality. I tried to soften the whole concept of life and death when surprisingly all they wanted was a straightforward answer.
I Am
(2024-07) Popokh, Benjamin
I wrote this piece as an introduction to debate-style writing. I wanted to experiment with taking an ardent stance on a position and defending it absolutely. I hope that reading this inspires some thoughts in your mind, whether you agree or not. In fact, if you disagree, I hope you will reach out to me, and we can have an engaging conversation on the topic. Read on to learn more.
Inferno
(2024-07) Guill, Dallas
Reworked from a draft that was based on fires in Northern California that engulfed numerous redwoods, the piece took on a more personal note when fires recently ravaged Ruidoso, New Mexico, which is a short drive from my mother and stepfather. The images and videos I received from them were so disheartening, knowing how horribly it impacted the local ecosystems and countless lives, which were upended by the heavy smoke and fires. Here, I imagine two brothers stuck in a hopeless situation, forced to endure the inevitable nature of mortality. And while so many forms of green will rise through the ashes, it doesn't make the loss and pain any easier to handle.
Joy
(2024-07) Shaver, Elery
My brother-in-law is about to get married, and all of the joy and excitement of this time in their lives is permeating the entire family.
Life
(2024-07) Alexander, Mercy
Listen
(2024-07) Popokh, Benjamin
This piece was inspired by a quiet early morning run. I used AI assistance for language choice and editing.
My Faithful Friend
(2024-07) Alexander, Mercy
My Queen
(2024-07) Young, Lenora
My inspiration for writing the poem "My Queen" was to model writing elegy poetry for my 7th grade ELA students. My mother had recently passed away and I decided it would be an honorable memory. I didn't have a lot of time to fully process the reality of life without her nor really grieve, because I had a main role in preparing as well as participating in her funeral services, and afterwards, I could not take more time off from work. Writing this poem was very therapeutic for me, and even more so when I read it aloud in class to my students. When I finished reading it, the entire class gave me a standing ovation and many of them (including me) were visibly filled with raw emotions (tears). When they completed their elegy poetry, it was very apparent that my previous moment of transparency had quite a positive influence on their commitment to produce amazing heart-warming poetry!
My Thyme
(2024-07) Popokh, Benjamin
This piece was inspired by the clock ticking away while I was cooking. Reading the poem out loud should make the connection clear. I used AI assistance for rhyme and meter.
Narcissist
(2024-07) Alexander, Mercy

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Browsing 2024 OMOT Literary Works by Subject "Division A: Amateur"