A joint publication between English majors and faculty, the journal embodies the interdisciplinary nature of the Department of English at Samford University. It provides a venue for all Samford students, faculty, and staff to publish their best critical and creative work.
Literature and film continually reimagine an ever-changing world, and through our research we discover our relationships to those art forms and the cultures they manifest. Publishing one issue each semester, Wide Angle serves as a conduit for the expression and critique of that imagination. A joint publication between English majors and faculty, the journal embodies the interdisciplinary nature of the Department of English at Samford University. It provides a venue for undergraduate research, an opportunity for English majors to gain experience in the business of editing and publishing, and a forum for all students, faculty, and staff to publish their best work. As a wide-angle lens captures a broad field of vision, this journal expands its focus to include critical and creative works, namely academic essays, book and film reviews, and commentaries, as well as original poetry, short fiction and non-fiction, short films, and screenplays.
Current Issue
Literature
Shae Corey
“You Can’t Outrun the Herd: Community in The Waves”
Holly Moore
“Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief and its Use of Narrative Empathy”
Cara Sadler
“Critical Views of Satan in Paradise Lost: Is He a Hero or Not?”
Film
Emma Pugh
“Mortality and Morality in Million Dollar Baby”
Ethan Sanders
“Building the Masculine Identity through the Feminine in City of God”
Emily Thorington
“From Prominence to Humility and Zero to Hero: Two Portrayals of Greatness in The Grand Budapest Hotel”
Rachel Williams
“Die Hard and A Christmas Story, the Mistyped Christmas Movies: An Analysis of the Christmas Movie Genre”
Creative Writing
Trent Carruth
“The Walls”
Bradyn Debysingh
“Artes Artis”
“What Is Literature to Me?”
Jillian A. Fantin
“melville dreamin’”
“What happened to the mornings when you said, ‘Hey Baby’?”
Holly Moore
“muscles and men”
Lauren Morris
“My Shameful Truth”
From the Editors’ Desks - Special Series: The Digital Humanities
Annie Brown
“Programmed for Success? Podcasts as Digital Educational Tools”
Claire Davis
“Digital Gutters: The Evolution of Comics Online”
Regan Green
“A Brief Introduction to Digital Poetry”
Hannah Warrick
“Mapping Modernism: Using ESRI Story Maps for English”
Emily Youree
“Old Texts, New Tricks: A Case Study of Digital Manuscript Studies”
Contributors
Annie Brown
Annie Brown is a graduating senior English major with a concentration in Film Studies. In addition to serving as Film Editor, Annie has completed the University Fellows Program and has been the President of Film Club. She spends her free time watching horror films, listening to true crime podcasts, and playing with her two cats. After graduation, she will attend graduate school and work on beginning her career as a teacher and instructional designer.
Trent Carruth
Trent Carruth is a rising junior at Samford University and is thrilled to have his original work published in Wide Angle. He is thankful for this creative opportunity.
Shae Corey
Shae Corey is a junior University Fellow from Orlando, FL, studying History and Secondary Education. She is passionate about literature, philosophy, and the interpretation of the past, and she hopes to pursue a graduate degree in public history after graduation.
Claire Davis
Claire Davis is a senior University Fellow from Birmingham, AL, studying English and Classics. In addition to serving on Wide Angle, she produces a podcast for the Samford Traditions and Oral History Recordings Initiative. In the fall, she will be pursuing her PhD at the University of Arizona.
Bradyn Debysingh
Bradyn Debysingh is a sophomore University Fellow from Eugene, OR, studying Musical Theatre and Classics at Samford. When not tap dancing or translating hexameter, he enjoys walking with friends, reading good books, and consuming vast quantities of tea. Soli Deo Gloria.
Jillian A. Fantin
Jillian A. Fantin is a University Fellow and a junior double-majoring in Political Science and English. She loves Berthe Morisot political activism, Egyptology, thrifted Hawaiian shirts, and is still blaming everything on Aphrodite.
Regan Green
Regan Green is a senior English major with a concentration in Creative Writing. She has been named to the Dean’s List each semester at Samford and has published a short story in the Steel Toe Review. She enjoys reading gothic literature and existential philosophy.
Holly Moore
Holly Moore is a senior English major with a concentration in Creative Writing. She has been published journalistically over thirty times with four different organizations.
Lauren Morris
Lauren Morris is an alumna of Samford University. She currently resides in Philadelphia, where she provides counseling at a local sexual violence response center.
Emma Pugh
Emma Pugh is a junior from Birmingham, AL, studying English and Political Science. She is particularly interested in how the two disciplines intersect. In her free time, she enjoys long walks and good coffee.
Cara Sadler
Cara Sadler is a junior from Franklin, TN, studying English as well as Human Development & Family Education.
Ethan Sanders
Ethan Sanders is a junior University Fellow studying English with a concentration in Film Studies and a minor in Film Production. In his free time, he enjoys watching films and reading.
Emily Thorington
Emily Thorington is a junior English and History double major from Tampa, FL. She is the President of Sigma Tau Delta and is a Howard Scholar.
Hannah Warrick
Hannah Warrick is a senior University Fellow studying English and Fine Arts at Samford University. When not writing a short story, she is most likely reading one, drawing up an illustration, or dreaming she was in Scotland with the Highland cows. After graduation, Hannah hopes to become an editor and cover artist while continuing to write her own fiction. Her writing inspirations include Chris Abani, J.D. Salinger, and Virginia Woolf.
Rachel Williams
Rachel Williams is a senior majoring in English with a minor in Communication Studies. She enjoys traveling around Europe, and she wrote her senior thesis on environmentalism in the work of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Emily Youree
Emily Youree is a senior University Fellow from Madison, AL, studying English and Classics. She is excited to pursue a doctorate degree in medieval literature at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the fall. When not studying, she (still) enjoys reading Charlotte Bronte and C.S. Lewis, drinking tea, and wishing she were in England.
Guidelines
Submissions will be accepted from all Samford students, faculty, and staff. Publication of any and all submissions is up to the discretion of the Wide Angle editorial staff. Upon acceptance of submission, the contributor will be required to sign a copyright waiver prior to publication. All written submissions must follow current MLA style guidelines and be free of any grammatical errors. All submissions must be anonymous.
Critical Essays
Ranging from 2,500-9,000 words, essays can be written within any critical framework as long as they are grounded in a literary or cinematic subject. The manuscript must be accompanied by an abstract.
Reviews and Commentaries
- Reviews of recently released novels, short stories, poetry collections, scholarly works, and anthologies. Reviews should be around 1,000 words.
- Commentaries on recent literature- related events (poetry readings, poetry competitions, plays, author readings, conferences, lectures) or other topics in print culture. Commentaries should be around 1000 words.
- Reviews of recently released films, DVDs/BluRays, and scholarly works pertaining to cinema. Reviews should be around 1,000 words.
- Commentaries on such subjects as: local film-related events/topics (Sidewalk and Snapshot film festivals, repertory and independent screenings at The Alabama Theater and The Edge, etc), national/international film-related events (the Academy Awards, Sundance and Cannes film festivals, conferences, etc.) or other topics in film culture. Commentaries should be around 1,000 words.
Short Film
- Short films must be original and should not exceed 10 minutes in length.
- Short films should be submitted as .mov or as another format compressed into a .zip file.
Poetry
- Submissions may consist of one to three poems.
- All poems must be contained in one Word document. Each poem must be formatted on its own page with a title for each poem. Include explanatory or contextualizing comments if necessary.
Prose
- Prose may be short fiction or creative non-fiction.
- Submissions should not exceed thirty pages.
Screenplays
Submissions should be no shorter than ten pages and no longer than ninety pages.
Staff
Hannah Warrick - Managing Editor
Hannah Warrick is a senior University Fellow studying English and Fine Arts at Samford University. When not writing a short story, she is most likely reading one, drawing up an illustration, or dreaming she was in Scotland with the Highland cows. After graduation, Hannah hopes to become an editor and cover artist while continuing to write her own fiction. Her writing inspirations include Chris Abani, J.D. Salinger, and Virginia Woolf.
Emily Youree - Assistant Managing Editor
Emily Youree is a senior University Fellow from Madison, AL, studying English and Classics. She is excited to pursue a doctorate degree in medieval literature at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the fall. When not studying, she (still) enjoys reading Charlotte Bronte and C.S. Lewis, drinking tea, and wishing she were in England.
Claire Davis - Literature Editor
Claire Davis is a senior University Fellow from Birmingham, AL, studying English and Classics. In addition to serving on Wide Angle, she produces a podcast for the Samford Traditions and Oral History Recordings Initiative. In the fall, she will be pursuing her PhD at the University of Arizona.
Annie Brown - Film Editor
Annie Brown is a graduating senior English major with a concentration in Film Studies. In addition to serving as Film Editor, Annie has completed the University Fellows Program and has been the President of Film Club. She spends her free time watching horror films, listening to true crime podcasts, and playing with her two cats. After graduation, she will attend graduate school and work on beginning her career as a teacher and instructional designer.
Regan Green - Creative Writing Editor
Regan Green is a senior English major with a concentration in Creative Writing. She has been named to the Dean’s List each semester at Samford and has published a short story in the Steel Toe Review. She enjoys reading gothic literature and existential philosophy.
Dr. Geoff Wright - General Editor
Dr. Wright serves as faculty sponsor for Wide Angle. He specializes in American literature and film since 1900. He coordinates the Film Studies concentration in the English major and is faculty sponsor for the SU Film Club.
Mosaic
Past Issues
Cover Art Gallery
Volume 8, Issue 2
Elgol
Artist: Hannah Warrick, Managing Editor, Wide Angle
Hannah Warrick is a senior University Fellow studying English and Fine Arts at Samford University.
Volume 8, Issue 1
The Postman
Artist: Joe Cory, Associate Professor of Art, Samford University
Joe Cory is a visual artist and an Associate Professor in the Department of Art and Design. He also serves as the Director of the School of the Arts new Catalyst Program, and as a Faculty Fellow in Samford's Center for the Worship and the Arts.
