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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Browsing 2024 OMOT Literary Works by Title
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Item As Within, So Without(2024-07) Popokh, BenjaminObserving 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.Item Beyond the Hills(2024-07) Popokh, BenjaminThis 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.Item Bird in a Cage(2024-07) Alexander, MercyItem Bonds(2024-07) Shaver, EleryMy 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.Item Broken Heart(2024-07) Wang, JenniferThis poem came from a writing exercise that had me assuming the perspective of an inanimate object. I wound up going into a science fiction direction and thought about the trope of a man with a robot lover.Item Bury Me on a Rainy Day(2024-07) Guill, DallasA 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.Item Bynar(2024-07) Berry, JamesBynar 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.Item Comfort(2024-07) Shaver, EleryAs 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.Item The End(2024-07) Alexander, MercyItem Ghosts in the Making(2024-07) Popokh, BenjaminThis piece is inspired by someone who was and still is, but will never be.Item Hope(2024-07) Alexander, MercyItem Hush Money(2024-07) Cramer, GuyI 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.Item I Am(2024-07) Popokh, BenjaminI 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.Item Inferno(2024-07) Guill, DallasReworked 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.Item Joy(2024-07) Shaver, EleryMy 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.Item Life(2024-07) Alexander, MercyItem Listen(2024-07) Popokh, BenjaminThis piece was inspired by a quiet early morning run. I used AI assistance for language choice and editing.Item More Punk than Steam(2024-07) Wang, JenniferSteampunk played a huge role in my 20s, as I found community and a form of self-expression. However, in exploring my identity through it, I wound up realizing that I didn't fit in and learned about the historical baggage that many tried to push under the rug. The essay is about outgrowing something that was important in your life and what it means to be a fashion rebel of sorts.Item My Faithful Friend(2024-07) Alexander, MercyItem My Queen(2024-07) Young, LenoraMy 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!