2023 OMOT Literary Works

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/2152.5/10112

This collection contains literary works submitted for the 2023 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 (new for this year)
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 at the AT&T Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, October 12, 2023. Winning entries will also be published in a Business Council for the Arts Program.

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

News

The following submissions received awards during the literary judging process:

2nd Place, 10-Word Story: Hold On by Deborah "Debbie" Walker
3rd Place, 10-Word Story: Voice Silenced by Dinu Mammen
1st Place, Creative Non-Fiction: Death's Intimate Familiarity by David Doucette
3rd Place, Creative Non-Fiction: Bear in a Bowtie by Jennifer Wang
1st Place, Open Verse Poetry: Only Six by Jennifer Wang
2nd Place, Open Verse Poetry: What If by Talia Collier

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Now showing 1 - 20 of 49

What If
(2023-08) Collier, Talia
Many times, in life we reflect on things in the past, present or future. Sometimes we face situations that we believe outcomes would have been different if we had done something differently. Many times, as we think through life's ups and downs, create new ideas, or try something different, "what if" is phrase that may permeate our thoughts. This poem was a reflection of a time when many situations were in my head with the "what if" pre-text. However, we realize at the end of a long day or deep thought, the "what if" really is just a phrase. Sometimes we let the "what if's" have too much power and hold us back and we have to gently remind ourselves to keep moving.
Emith
(2023-08) Garduno Rapp, Estefanie
I guess the story is merely a reflection of my own life experiences and personal encounters with these technologies. It intertwines my own imperfections and limitations, presenting a relatable almost protagonist craft, driven by an authentic yearning to assist others and contribute to the improvement of our world. For me, the tale is the canvas in which I can explore the possibilities that lie beyond reality's boundaries.
Grief
(2023-08) Collier, Talia
I wrote this on the one-year anniversary of my father's angel wings. My father liked to write poetry and I told myself I would continue to write in his honor. As I reflected on his life and processed all of my emotions on his anniversary, this poem came to my heart and mind. Many of my friends and family and the world is still grieving from so many changes and losses. It takes time to heal. It isn't an easy journey. Writing is therapeutic for me so I hope this can help heal others who also experience grief and that difficult journey. However, I hope as in the poem we all find peace with this journey and this unavoidable part of life. I want to leave with the reader that there is still hope and the feeling of hope.
Death's Intimate Familiarity
(2023-08) Doucette, David
I am a 20-year veteran of the Emergency room including about 5 years in a Pediatric ER. Also, I am an Army veteran (army recon, not medical). I have seen more death than any one person should but through it all I have made an intentional decision to see the world in a positive lens. There is so much sorrow but if you look, so much beauty and wonderment.
A Lesson Hard Learned
(2023-08) Doucette, David
A last parting lesson passed from father to son.
The Smile
(2023-08) Itani, Adam
The story, taking inspiration from a local folktale, was created as an exercise in developing a setting and tone for a larger work intended as a period piece horror novel.
Leaving
(2023-08) Rao, Devika
This piece is an excerpt from a novel in progress, inspired by my grandmother's true story of fleeing Rangoon, Burma, as a young girl during WWII.
The Path Traveled
(2023-08) Montes, Edwin
I am always hiking, walking, taking a path whether it be with Mother Nature or Metaphorically. We should slow down and notice things during our path in life.
Words
(2023-08) Montes, Edwin
I had a lot of words and ideas. The hard part was just putting it down on paper.
How True Love Feels
(2023-08) Montes, Edwin
It is how I felt when I realized my true love.
Why I Work
(2023-08) Montes, Edwin
I am close to retirement, and it scares me.
Why I Paint
(2023-08) Montes, Edwin
I write, I paint, I express. It is who I am.
The Climb
(2023-08) Montes, Edwin
I hiked up the mountaintop and was determined to make it all the way to the top.
Butterflies on Paper
(2023-08) Montes, Edwin
When you have many ideas, they flutter through your mind until finally one lands on paper via your pen.
Space II
(2023-08) Valles, Natalie
I had failed to realize that in my writings the overarching theme was space. Although it's a poem about longing, at the time I wrote this I wasn't really feeling loss or want. Words thrown on paper, really.
Only Six
(2023-08) Wang, Jennifer
The Allen outlet mall shooting hit close to home for me not just because it was in DFW, but also because I was present during a shootout at Irving Mall when I was a child (my family was in a different part of the mall). Then I learned about one of the survivors, six-year-old William Cho who lost his family. This poem came out of remembering that I had been six years old.
How Will I Find You
(2023-08) Doucette, David
I am one of five children in my family. There was a big brother who passed away at birth who I never met. I have often wondered who he would have been and what my family and mostly myself missed out on. We'll never know. Or perhaps one day I will.
Space I
(2023-08) Valles, Natalie
I struggle to articulate myself aloud and, in the moment, but writing gives me the ability to stop and really think of how I am feeling. The ability to reflect my emotions and thoughts in an abstract manner is a great way of relieving stress, and I think this piece gives insight into a time when there was immense pressure I was facing.
A Fifth of the World
(2023-08) Popokh, Benjamin
When I learned about neural remodeling following limb loss, I immediately grew curious about what other types of remodeling could occur. If one lost all but one of their senses, I wondered, how strong would the connections be to that particular modality? What would a world where individuals only had one sense or a mixture of two to three look like? Smell like? Feel, sound, and taste like?
43: Ode to the Original Hoonigan
(2023-08) Wang, Jennifer
As a long-time action sports fan, I was deeply saddened by the death of Ken Block earlier this year. His influence transcended snowboarding and rally car racing, and I wanted to pay homage to him. This was published in The New Verse News

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