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    Coping with an Alien Lifestyle

    UNCERTAINTY. ALIEN. COPE. Three words float continuously in Lilith Iyapo’s mind when she awakens in a living alien ship: uncertainty, alien, and cope. She struggles to adjust to her new housemates, the Oankali, who claims to have rescued the “best” humans from earth to preserve humanity after a nuclear world war. You may be wondering, other than the fact that Octavia E. Butler’s Lilith’s Brood, The Xenogenesis Trilogy (1987) is a book series you need to read in a single sitting, why should I care?  LILITH IS HUMAN – LIKE US Lilith’s journey to learn to accept her new reality to survive mirrors our current challenge to adjust to the everchanging state of…

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    “It’s Not Just a Dream, it Could be Our Reality”

    The little things make a difference in the bigger picture. Global warming and climate change are not new concerns, but why do some of us continue to treat it as if they are topics not worth being proactive about? In Chris Van Allsburg’s Just A Dream (1990), Van Allsburg places the readers in the position of the protagonist, Walter, who does not grasp the problem about climate change. Instead of continuously telling Walter he needs to be a responsible individual on this planet, Van Allsburg shows Walter the devastating and unappealing outcomes of humans neglecting to care for the environment.  Van Allsburg addresses our doubts and the dominant stigma about climate change…

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    6 TIPS TO BEAT YOUR WRITER’S BLOCK!

    We are approaching that time of the term when we scramble to find the perfect words to use for our term papers. It could also be the moment when you’re struggling to find a way to silence the cursor on your screen that continuously taunts you every time it pulses on the blank page.   Fret not! I have gathered a few sweet time-saving tips that will help you push past your writer’s block! 1. Create an Outline If you’re feeling lost but you have a bunch of ideas in your mind, write them down first! Taking all the information out of your mind and onto a page makes the ideas feel tangible. You…