Interview: Nature Will Overcome

Publication: The Fourth River (online)

Publication Date: May 19, 2015

–by Faith Cotter, assistant editor, The Fourth River

In many ways, the neighborhood of Lawrenceville in Pittsburgh, PA is the perfect setting for award-winning artist Seth Clark’s studio.

Clark is drawn to architecture that has been broken down by time and circumstance. In Lawrenceville, houses are being restored as other structures begin to tumble. On one brick building are deep gashes down the side, an open wound; on another, a mural of a bride walks up a painted stairwell to her new home. Not far away is the children’s hospital that overlooks the historic St. Mary’s cemetery and Allegheny Cemetery.

Lawrenceville is an area caught between decay and restoration. Clark’s artwork encompasses these themes perfectly through collages and drawings, and even more so in the cover art for the spring 2015 edition of The Fourth River. A collection of splintered houses are gathered together in either what appears to be a bird’s nest, collapsing in, or that of the beginnings of a star, about to explode.

Clark said that it depends on who you ask.

Book Review: Balance of Fragile Things, by Olivia Chadha

“How like a body a village was…The waterways were veins; the bridges were like joints connecting separate pieces of land.”

As the above quote illustrates, Olivia Chadha’s debut novel, Balance of Fragile Things, uproots what lies beneath surfaces. The narrative asks us: How can we ever see what is right in front of our faces if we do not take the time to look?

Mock Grant Proposal: Artemis’ Archers

This final project for my graduate-level grant writing class at Chatham University further explores the possibility of an indoor archery range within the city of Pittsburgh. The mock proposal can be downloaded here.

Note: As this is a mock proposal, Cabela’s, Easton Foundations, and the Brookline Community Center are not actually involved with this proposal; these organizations are mentioned to fulfill assignment guidelines. Likewise, some of the costs are fictional as well (mainly the cost of rent).

Citations are available at the end of the document.

Excerpt:

STATEMENT OF NEED

Archery: It has a long and storied history that has been transcending cultures and continents for eons. Beginning as a necessity in hunting and warfare, through the centuries we see it crop up in places that you wouldn’t expect it to. Diane de Poitiers, an influential courtier in sixteenth century France, styled an entire persona after Artemis, the Greek goddess of archery and the hunt (McDowall). In 2012, interest in the sport received a nudge from blockbuster hits like The Hunger Games, Brave, and The Avengers (Rubin).

Figure 1 This statue of Diana, the Roman equivalent of Artemis, was created for Diane de Poitiers and is currently housed at the Louvre in Paris, France.

And why shouldn’t the sport stand the tests of time? Archery is the perfect storm of anatomy and physics, power and elegance. It’s good for your mental and physical health. People of varying abilities can participate, and you don’t even need to be particularly athletic.

Literary Review: ABATON

Publication: The Fourth River (online)

Publication Date: March 26, 2015

Right-Brained, Left-Brained

-by Faith Cotter, The Fourth River staff

“And one day I will be a doctor, and a patient will learn that I’ve been using pubescent mnemonics to memorize the adrenal cortex.”

—from “Syndrome of an Imposter,” by Aryan Sarparast, fall 2014 edition

It’s an oft-told rumor that people’s brains can be divided into two categories of thinking: that left-brained people are generally more logical and analytical, and that folks who are right-brained have more creative tendencies. Studies show that this idea is nothing more than a medical myth, but it is one that persists.

When Tight Becomes Too Tight: A Helpful Primer on Vaginismus

Publication: Jezebel

Publication Date: January 23, 2015

Note: As of 1/24/15, the article has been viewed over 42,000 times and generated over 300 comments. The article received many retweets on Twitter, and was acknowledged by organizations like the Planned Parenthood of Western Pennsylvania Education Department.

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A pretty lady appeared on my television screen, talking about “your honey.” I was momentarily confused. Was this some sort of new ad for organic honey? Was it about beekeeping?