Trash talk. Trashy TV. Trash as art. These are just a few of the topics that will be featured in the upcoming issue of Nomad, the undergraduate student-written journal published as a special project of the UO Comparative Literature Program (COLT).
"We chose trash as this year's theme because it's widely interpretable," said Max Rayneard, editor of Nomad and a COLT graduate student. "We wanted students to have license to write about all kinds of subject matter, ranging from economic class to environmentalism, pulp literature, trashy movies and the cult of celebrity."
One of the unique aspects of Nomad involves the pairing of undergraduate students with graduate student mentors, who assist students in defining, researching and finalizing essays for publication.
In fact, the Nomad mentorship program is the only one of its kind on the West Coast. With the guidance of their mentors, undergraduates choose a topic and begin the writing process, while at the same time exploring the year's theme via a series of lectures and films presented by faculty and graduate students.
This year's series began last fall with a discussion of the MTV series Jackass as an example of trashy television. Other topics include discussions on the "trashy" origins of Superwoman, the nature of the "thing" -- in this case the Coca-Cola bottle -- in the film The Gods Must Be Crazy and the environmentalist and consumerist politics of Sesame Street. "Apparently, cookies are now a 'sometimes food,'" said Rayneard, in reference to the Cookie Monster, who in earlier years reveled in greed and sugary delectables but now snacks on fruit instead.
Since 2001, eight editions of Nomad have been published, allowing dozens of students the chance to get first-hand experience in professional publication and also in presenting their essays at an annual conference organized by COLT and Nomad.
The unveiling of the "Trash" edition will be October 2010 and copies may then be obtained through the UO Bookstore; meanwhile limited copies of the current "Undead" edition of Nomad are available through COLT.
- Anne Conaway
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