A collection of short stories and experimental forms centered upon the life of Atti, a heroine whose experience as a multi-ethnic, lesbian-identified artist contributes to her (and other characters') theories about identity formation in a global community--one in which Western norms and Chamoru cultural practices are juxtaposed. Atti (whose name in Chamoru means "one who plays tricks") is an atypical heroine-figure, even in the most contemporary American literature, though her experience is representative of a significant community of Pacific Islanders currently living in America.

The novel Inversion is a study in human molting and the collapse of diachronic time within advanced, global, informatized capitalism. It is set in Montana.

A collection of short stories.

A collection of five short stories that examine ideas of loss and transformation from a series of highly skewed and idiosyncratic points of view.

Short stories and a novel-like work in progress

A long poem in sections.

(not required for professional paper)

During this project seventh grade students and I collaborated to accomplish the goal of building a relationship between the seventh and fifth grades so the younger students could feel safe and welcome at our school. I used a teaching approach based on the elements of adventure and the experiential cycle of learning to help seventh grade students develop leadership skills. Team building activities and a community adventure brought the seventh and fifth graders together. The leadership role of the seventh graders during these events served as the catalyst for building a positive caring relationship between the two grades.

My final creative project explores research about what makes a successful community theater and tracks development leading a theater troupe in my hometown of Great Falls, Montana. In my lifetime, three theaters began, thrived and perished in Great Falls. The Green Room, Center Stage and Summer Musicale started as little more than groups of friends who loved theater putting up a show. All three experienced success for several years. However, all three eventually crumbled. Before I built my own troupe, I needed to spend some time planning and learning how to avoid what my predecessors failed to do. I examined my involvement and experiences with these three companies. My reflection, discussions with other theater members, and investigation revealed that lack of experience, inadequate financial understanding and low standards of quality contributed to each of their demises. Following reflection on these companies, I gained insight into what makes a successful theater by interviewing community members who are familiar with theater organizations and the community of Great Falls. With their input and my own reflections I then researched what the experts had to say on the subject. These experts either started their own now prospering companies or they consult with theater companies on how to make an organization better. Equipped with the knowledge from all of these resources, I formulated my own plan to produce quality theater in Great Falls I established the beginnings of a theater organization to produce creative work.

This is a work of original poetry by Shannon Ward.