Author: Rook

  • STAR Story: Fence Scrubbing

    Heavy rain brings thoughts of dirt, algae, and horse manure to my mind. This association comes from a single Saturday in spring, summer, or fall when I was anywhere from ten to fourteen. The specifics didn’t matter.


  • The Joys (and Frustrations) of Creation

    I love creation. All kinds. I am primarily a writer, and I love to write, but there’s no kind of creation that I don’t enjoy partaking in, except for dance, which has always mystified me. By all accounts, I should like it, but I just don’t. I suppose the exception proves the rule.


  • My Adobe Premiere Videos

    I made a few videos in my Adobe Premiere video editing class, so I thought I’d list the completed (and at least somewhat entertaining) ones here!


  • Online Article: Why a Russian Temple is so meaningful to President Nelson

    General conference was full of amazing announcements this year, but even when we thought the excitement was almost at a close, our Prophet, President Russell M. Nelson announced seven more LDS temples to be built worldwide.


  • White Paper: The Past, Present, and Future of 3D Printing

    A Glimpse into the History and Potential of Additive Manufacturing


  • Creative Nonfiction (Personal Essay): On Spokesmen

    I can’t help but wonder what my Google Assistant is afraid of (it tells me that it is afraid of the dark), even though I would personally never think to ask that question.


  • Novel Excerpt: The Fire Underneath of Things

    “I found it,” he whispered, half-laughing with glee. He pulled his hand out, and for a moment, it looked to Ivy as if he had just extricated a bloody heart from the dark chest of the house.


  • Personal Index Essay

    The Personal Index Essay looks more like a list of data than any kind of personal essay–but upon close reading, it reveals more about the author than explicitly appears in the text. Successful pieces reveal new information through the combining of fragments, offer a poetic turn, and are concise enough to enjoy in under 2…


  • The Meetingplace of Old and New (BSA2)

    London is thick with history that’s just piled all over itself. Newer parts of London are built right on top of historic places. The Tate Modern is just a few buildings down from the Globe Theatre (which itself is a replica of the historic theatre).


  • IRL Cheating: British Study Abroad Day 1 (BSA1)

    Stepping off the plane into the humid loading bridge that connected the London Heathrow Airport to the plane I’d just spent nine hours in, I felt like I was cheating.