Annotated Bib: “Creative Transcendence: Memoir Writing For Transformation And Empowerment.”

Diana Raab (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This week’s Annotated Bibliography entry reviews an article by Diana Raab, a researcher and memoir writer who explores “the transformative and empowering dynamics of writing a memoir in connection with transcendent/pivotal experiences.” You may view the full text here.

Annotated Bib Entry

Raab, Diana. “Creative Transcendence: Memoir Writing For Transformation and Empowerment.” Journal Of Transpersonal Psychology 46.2 (2014): 187-207. Academic Search Complete. Web. 2 Apr. 2015.

In this article, Raab discusses a study she conducted in which she examined the works of five writers who have written at least one book-length memoir. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact on the participants of writing about events that have transformed their lives. Participants were chosen who had 1) written at least one memoir that was prompted by the occurrence of a pivotal or transformative event in their lives, and 2) reported that writing a memoir about the inciting incident(s) provided additional transformative and empowering experiences for the writer. Individual stories were analyzed in an effort to identify their similarities and differences.

Annotated Bib: “Gender and Violence”

This week’s Annotated Bibliography entry reviews an article by Jacquelyn Knoblock, a domestic violence survivor who examines the role of gender expectations in her experience of a violent intimate partner relationship. You may view the full text here.

Annotated Bib Entry

Knoblock, Jacquelyn. “Gender And Violence.” Human Architecture: Journal of The Sociology of Self-Knowledge 6.2 (2008): 91-101. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.

In this article, Knoblock explores “how gender ideologies and practices contribute to gender based violence” (91). She discusses issues such as the process by which human beings are classified as male or female, the stratification of genders in which “men are ranked above women within the same race and class,” and the structure of our society that dictates gender roles and determines whether certain tasks – for example, household chores – are considered by society as either male or female. Knoblock then connects these elements to the prevalence of gender based violence in American society.

Women are nine times less safe in the home than out of it.

Throughout the history of the world, and the United States, gender based violence has been widely considered to be a personal issue rather than a societal issue. Gender based violence occurs most often in situations where the perpetrator maintains the perception that he has the right to behave in a violent manner toward the victim. In the United States, this most often occurs within the context of an intimate partner relationship and thus has often been viewed as a private matter. This view has often lead bystanders to ignore the violence, believing that it is “none of their business.”

Annotated Bib: “Toward a Writing and Healing Approach in the Basic Writing Classroom: One Professor’s Personal Odyssey.”

Basic writing (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This week’s Annotated Bibliography entry analyzes an article by Molly Hurley Moran, a composition teacher who learned the importance of incorporating personal writing in the classroom after writing a memoir about a personal tragedy in her own life. You may view the full text here.

Annotated Bib Entry

Moran, Molly Hurley. “Toward a Writing and Healing Approach in the Basic Writing Classroom: One Professor’s Personal Odyssey.” Journal of Basic Writing 23.2 (2004): 93-115.Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

After writing a memoir about a tragic experience in her own life, this writing teacher decided to explore the usefulness of using personal writing in a basic composition course rather than focusing solely on academic writing. In her redesigned curriculum, Moran asks students to write about personal and often painful experiences in their own lives in an effort to improve students’ confidence in their writing skills prior to moving the focus to academic writing.

How to review scholarly articles on your blog

For some reason, when I asked Zemanta for images of “works cited,” it gave me a bunch of pictures of old ruins like this one. Zemanta can be so helpful when generating content for your blog. Except when it’s not! | Dumbarton Rock, The Guard House – geograph.org.uk – 1380537 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Not long ago, I wrote a post complaining about having to write a detailed, 10+ page annotated bibliography for a course that I have been taking this semester. It seemed like such a large amount of work to have to do for so very little reward. Well, I don’t mind telling you that I have since had to eat my own words!

I have found that this exercise not only helped me digest the articles I am reading for my final paper, but it also offers an excellent framework for organizing blog posts and generating blog content. Because I have found this assignment so useful, today I share with you a general outline for writing your own scholarly article reviews for your blog:

Annotated Bib: “The Connection between Art, Healing, And Public Health: A Review of Current Literature.”

This week’s Annotated Bibliography entry comes from Stuckey, HL, and J Nobel, who explore the idea that human health – which they view as more than just the absence of illness – can be enhanced through the use of expressive arts. For the purposes of this blog post, I focus on the section that specifically explores expressive writing (pp. 259-261). You may view the full text here.

Annotated Bib Entry

Stuckey, HL, and J Nobel. “The Connection Between Art, Healing, And Public Health: A Review Of Current Literature.” American Journal Of Public Health 100.2 (2010): 254-263. CINAHL with Full Text. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

This article offers a review of current literature on the relationship between the arts and healing. It includes a definition and overview of “holistic health” according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The authors use this literature review to illustrate “the connection between artistic engagement and the psychosocial and biological manifestations of that connection.”

 


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According to the WHO definition, “holistic health” encompasses the individual’s total well-being, including social and mental as well as physical aspects. The literature discussed in this article is reviewed as a response to the chronic diseases that have become a burden to the nation. Stress and depression are linked to preventable illnesses such as heart disease. Creative pursuits including expressive writing can help decrease stress and depression, which may then decrease chronic illnesses, thus reducing the burden on the community.

Annotated Bib: “Healing the Past through Story”

This week’s Annotated Bibliography entry analyzes an article by Judy Mullet, et al. who explore the concept of healing through revising personal life stories. You may view the full text here.

To be human is to have a story to tell.

Annotated Bib Entry

Mullet, Judy H., Nels M. K. Akerson, and Allison Turman. “Healing the Past Through  Story.” Adult Learning 24.2 (2013): 72-78. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

Psychologist Judy Mullet, Ph.D. et al discuss the personal “baggage” (72) that all students bring with them into the classroom and how asking adult students to rewrite their stories within the context of a personal narrative paper can lead to healing. The authors explore current research on narrative psychology – how individuals construct stories about their lives and “self” – and discuss ways to incorporate the research into the classroom. Their research focuses on teaching adult learners to recognize alternatives to their previous stories and look at them from a new, and in many cases, healthier perspective.

Annotated Bib: “Let Me Tell You a Story”

Bonus writing prompt: Write a story about this picture. | Glitter and Trauma (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This week’s Annotated Bibliography entry comes from Rachel Spear, who argues that students may act as witnesses to trauma as enacted in trauma stories. You may view the full text here.

Annotated Bib Entry

Spear, Rachel N. “Let Me Tell You A Story.” Pedagogy 14.1 (2014): 53-79. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

In this article, Rachel Spear argues that teaching trauma narratives should not focus only on the trauma and the students’ response to the trauma. Instead, she argues that teaching trauma narratives can have a transformational effect on students as well as the teacher and the writer of the trauma narrative. Spear uses what she refers to as a “wounded healer pedagogy” which incorporates the healing of all participants. She also outlines a Writing as Healing course that she created to address these issues in the classroom.

Annotated Bib: “Modernist Women’s Memoir, War and Recovering the Ordinary: H.D.’S “The Gift””

Photograph of H.D., c. 1921. Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This week’s Annotated Bibliography entry analyzes an article by Lorraine Sim who explores a World War II memoir written by H.D. You may view the full text here.

Annotated Bib Entry

Sim, Lorraine. “Modernist Women’s Memoir, War and Recovering the Ordinary: H.D.’S The Gift.” Women’s Studies 38.1 (2009): 63-83. SocINDEX with Full Text. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.

In this article, Lorraine Sim discusses the theme of “the ordinary in H.D.’s wartime memoir The Gift” (63). Sim also discusses modernist theories that uphold war as a part of ordinary life. H.D. wrote this memoir during and soon after World War II. She chose to stay in London during the war despite the dangers from the frequent air-raids that occurred during that period. Throughout the text, H.D. discusses how grounding herself in the everyday helped to keep her attached to reality in the midst of the bombings even as the air raids themselves became a part of her “normal,” everyday life.

Annotated Bib: ““He Won’t Hurt Us Anymore”: A Feminist Performance of Healing For Children Who Witness Domestic Violence.”

This week’s Annotated Bibliography entry analyzes a very powerful article (one I hope you will read) by Danielle M. Stern, who witnessed the abuse of her mother at the hands of a violent step-father as a child. You may view the full text here (Sorry, I couldn’t find this one free for you. However, if you check with your local library, they might be able to provide a copy).

Annotated Bib Entry

Stern, Danielle M. ““He Won’t Hurt Us Anymore”: A Feminist Performance of Healing For Children Who Witness Domestic Violence.” Women’s Studies in Communication 37.3 (2014): 360-378. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.


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Danielle M. Stern writes an autoethnographic essay that explores the childhood trauma of being a witness and victim of domestic violence at the hands of her step-father. She discusses the importance of feminist storytelling in transforming a victim story into a survivor story. This essay mixes Stern’s personal stories of family violence with academic analysis to inform the reader of the impact on children who are forced to witness violence perpetrated against their mothers.

Annotated Bib: “Writing For Recovery: A Practice Development Project For Mental Health Service Users, Carers And Survivors”

This week’s Annotated Bibliography entry analyzes an article by Sam Taylor, Helen Leigh-Phippard, and Alec Grant. You may view the full text here.

Annotated Bib Entry

Taylor, Sam, Helen Leigh-Phippard, and Alec Grant. “Writing For Recovery: A Practice Development Project For Mental Health Service Users, Carers And Survivors.” International Practice Development Journal 4.1 (2014): 1-13. Academic Search Complete. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.


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This paper discusses a research project based on the topic of “writing for recovery narrative practice development” (1). The participants consisted of mental health “service users,” caregivers for service users, and survivors of trauma. Participants were provided with a safe place to explore creative writing activities in an effort to reduce the stress of writing and to develop a creative environment where they could find their own individual “writing voices” (1). The major purpose of this project was to help participants use creative writing to work toward recovering from traumatic personal experiences and to create “social meaning” out of those experiences.