Oral Presentations
Beware the Blackwood
Presentation Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Emily Ruskovich
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Creative Writing
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Beware the Blackwood
In fantasy stories, the setting is one of the most important elements; it establishes a diegesis fundamentally different from the real world. Beware the Blackwood is a collection of three short stories that explore the idea of a setting as a character—and not just a character but the antagonist of the story. These pieces take place in the same fictional universe and introduce different characters and their struggles with a malevolent natural setting while exploring themes of manipulation, revenge, addiction, infatuation, and grief. The collection expands the world of Blackwood, a magical forest with the ability to influence the minds of people. The title story visits the heart of Blackwood, where the rules of ecosystems and biomes don’t apply; another visits the coast not far from the forest, where the moon and ocean are characters stuck in a perpetual dance; the last explores a lake within Blackwood that can steal memories. Each story features elements and/or characters from the others, showing how what may be minor in one character’s life is major in another’s. Inspirations for Beware the Blackwood come from a variety of media, including the shows Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Dragon Prince, and authors Tricia Levenseller, Margaret Rogerson, Sarah J Maas, and Kristin Cashore.
Category
Visual and Performing Arts (including Creative Writing)
Beware the Blackwood
UC 332
Beware the Blackwood
In fantasy stories, the setting is one of the most important elements; it establishes a diegesis fundamentally different from the real world. Beware the Blackwood is a collection of three short stories that explore the idea of a setting as a character—and not just a character but the antagonist of the story. These pieces take place in the same fictional universe and introduce different characters and their struggles with a malevolent natural setting while exploring themes of manipulation, revenge, addiction, infatuation, and grief. The collection expands the world of Blackwood, a magical forest with the ability to influence the minds of people. The title story visits the heart of Blackwood, where the rules of ecosystems and biomes don’t apply; another visits the coast not far from the forest, where the moon and ocean are characters stuck in a perpetual dance; the last explores a lake within Blackwood that can steal memories. Each story features elements and/or characters from the others, showing how what may be minor in one character’s life is major in another’s. Inspirations for Beware the Blackwood come from a variety of media, including the shows Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Dragon Prince, and authors Tricia Levenseller, Margaret Rogerson, Sarah J Maas, and Kristin Cashore.