Inscape – William Jewell College’s artistic magazine that publishes poetry, fiction, non-fiction and art from Jewell students – released its 2021 edition on April 23, honoring several contributors later that night at the Celebration of Honors.

Four contributing writers and artists received Student Publication Awards this year: Michaela Esau for Inscape Poem of the Year; Jenna Hultgren for Inscape Fiction of the Year; James Hobbs for Inscape Creative Nonfiction of the Year and Kenton Fox-Horst for Inscape Fine Art of the Year. 

Three poems by Esau, junior Oxbridge literature and theory and communications major, were published in the new edition of Inscape: ”The Ninnescah River,” “Paper Crane People” and “Laid Plans.” She emphasized the importance of being in nature and drawing on personal experiences as inspiration for these poems.

“I just love being in nature and I write whatever words that come to mind,” Esau said. “I think it’s easier to write in nature. ‘The Ninnescah River’ was about the time I spent in summer camp and my experience of growing up in church. I think that’s a big part of my life and that was something I reflected on in the poem. ‘Paper Crane People’ is just kind of about how to be a good person. It’s just a combination of different experiences.”

The 2021 issue of Inscape featured many of Jewell’s artistically-inclined students including Esau, Faith Harris, Krista Halstead, Kenton Horst-Fox, Savannah Hawley, Jenna Hultgren, Sequoia Crissman, Erin Gray, James Hobbs, Thom Hennelly and Isabel Warden. 

Although the magazine will not be printed this year, the new issue can be found on Inscape’s website and a physical copy can be purchased for $7.88.

Though already a best seller in Latin America and Spain, Isabel Allende’s “A Long Petal of the Sea,” translated by Nick Ciator and Amanda Hopkins, arrived in the United States Jan. 21. Allende, a widely renowned Chilean author, unfolds 60 years reflecting individuals whose lives progress despite the turbulent time in Spanish and Latin American history. 

The novel centers around Victor and Roser Dalmau, who flee the Spanish Civil War and immigrate along with 2,000 other Spanish exiles on the SS Winnipeg to Chile. The cargo ship, the SS Winnipeg chartered by poet Pablo Neruda, is one element among many that is based on reality. The Chilean poet, one of the most prolific and popular of the  20th century poets, really did charter a ship to bring Spanish refugees to Chile. 

Neruda is integral throughout the book. In Allende’s acknowledgement, she thanks him “for his poetry, which has always accompanied me.” Within Nerudo’s poem, “Cuándo de Chile, ” Allende found inspiration for the title in the line “OH Chile, largo pétalo de mar y vino y nieve,” which translates to “Oh Chile, long petal of sea and wine and snow.”

The book follows the lives of Victor and Roser Dalmau as well as other characters in Chile and dives into realities of displacement, exile, migration and constructing a life amidst political turmoil. While dealing with heavy subjects, this novel also depicts the love that slowly grows between the Dalmaus, who are not married for love, but so they may flee from Spain on the Winnipeg. 

The novel is grounded in reality. Many elements of the novel, including the trip on the Winnipeg, the dark history of the Spanish Civil War and the coup d’etat against Chile’s socialist president Salvador Allende, were not fictionalized. Allende did extensive research for the book.

“This is a novel, but the events and historical individuals are real,” according to Allende’s acknowledgements. “The characters are fictional, inspired by people I’ve known…I’ve had to imagine very little, because as I was doing the exhaustive research I carry out for each novel, I found I had more than enough material.” 

For a novel that is just over 300 pages, the storyline is ambitious. “A Long Petal of the Sea” spans decades and crosses oceans. The development of the main characters as well as the many accompanying characters is incredibly immersive and engaging. Allende also manages to convey the reality and facts of the political and historical backdrop without seeming like a dry history text. 

My only qualm with the novel is how much is packed in. While it is truly impressive how Allende creates so many intersecting storylines that stretch decades during some of the darkest times in Spanish and Latin American history, it is all squeezed a little tightly into 314 pages. I truly enjoyed this read, but I would not have minded if the story was drawn out a little. 

I would highly recommend “A Long Petal of the Sea ” as an incredibly stimulating read that forces you to contemplate  and compare historical atrocities and past governmental abuses with the realities we contend with currently. While inviting the reader to consider issues of immigration, displacement and the responsibility that humans have to one another, Allende explores the human capacity for strength and love during the darkest of times. 

Jani got her bachelor’s and master’s degree in English at the University of Pune. She then went on to be a documentary photographer in India.

“After becoming disillusioned with the academy,” says Dr. Jani, “I thought, I will change the world with photography.”

She documented social issues including prostitution, poverty and her largest project—the anti-dam movement. Jani’s photographs have been published and brought international attention and aide to victims of the building of massive dams.

After five years as a documentary photographer Dr. Jani got a second master’s degree in English with a concentration in Literary and Cultural Studies at Carnegie Mellon University.

“Life on the road can be stressful after a point. I missed teaching and researching, and I thought I was always at heart an academic,” said Jani.

The choice to come to the United States to further her education was based on her desire to study critical theory.

“I always struggled with whether I should study literature or philosophy. Critical theory helped me to study both. In India you could not get a Ph.D. in critical theory; critical theory happens in U.S. universities,” said Jani.

To get a Ph.D. in English with a concentration in Critical and Cultural Studies, Jani transferred to the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Jani wrote her dissertation on a South African writer named J.M. Coetzee and analyzed how this postcolonial writer engages with the legacy of Western humanism. Jani is currently working on a book that will be a revision to her dissertation.

With so much education under her belt, Jani’s teaching career followed. She taught at the University of Pune, Carnegie Mellon, University of Pittsburgh and currently teaches at William Jewell College.

Jani is teaching the Jewell classes “Studies in Contemporary World Literature” and “Advanced Studies in Word Literature.” She is also teaching Oxbridge students “Advanced Critical Theory.” A secondary interest of Dr. Jani’s is world cinema and film theory, so she is looking forward to teaching a CTI 200 level course called “Film Worlds,” along with “Responsible Self” and “Oxbridge Global Literature and Theory” next semester.

Dr. Jani said, “At Jewell I am teaching courses in my areas of specializations, so I am really enjoying the courses and I have great students who are open to challenging questions.”

Initially, Jani was attracted to Jewell because of the courses being taught in the English Department and the Oxbridge Honors Program. During her visit to Jewell for a job interview, she had very positive experiences with students and faculty that confirmed her decision to take the job.

As a teacher, her education is not over; she continues learning from her students.

“Teaching helps you to never forget that you are among the first to learn,“ said Jani.

Jani tries to stay intellectually stimulated. When it comes to unwinding, she still doesn’t let her brain rest. She is very enthusiastic about solving the puzzles of murder mysteries. Jani’s evening ritual is watching detective fiction and murder mysteries.

“My most favorite is the classic Sherlock Holmes, but I only like certain versions of Sherlock Holmes,” said Jani. “I like the BBC productions and I like Jeremy Brett. He is the best Sherlock Holmes, way better than Benedict Cumberbatch.”

Along with murder mysteries, Dr. Jani also enjoys jazz music. She prefers listening to the cool jazz of Miles Davis and John Coltrane.

Also on her list of recreational activities is bicycling. However, the commute to Jewell is different than past trips to work, considering she has never lived in a suburb. She said it has taken her time to adjust to Liberty because of this, and she definitely misses living in the city. One of her favorite places to live is New York City, where she enjoys “its madness and unpredictability.”

Despite the change from that sort of culture, she seems excited about being able to see a new city.

“I want to explore Kansas City on foot, that is my upcoming project, I plan to do that during fall break,” said Jani.

From India to Kansas City and many places in-between, Jani gives Jewell students words of encouragement and tips she has learned along the way.

She advises her students to “work, work, work. The only way one can find oneself is in one’s work.”

To students who are soon to graduate and start out into the real world looking for jobs, Dr. Jani spoke from experience of being on the job market and offer advice.

“Its very relevant to me because I was on the job market, I want my students to be practical, but not to lose their ideals,” Jani said. “Market yourself but do not lose your legitimate strangeness.”

Kansas City and William Jewell are just one stop on Dr. Jani’s career path, as she will be back on the job market next year looking for a tenure track position and working on her book. So while she is here, stop by her office in the third floor of Jewell Hall and meet her—she will surely have a word of advice or a murder mystery story to tell.