30 Entries Later

Briana Whiteside checking out comic books at black studies browsing session at Heroic Adventures

By Briana Whiteside

With short writings about the benign neglect of government officials in regards to health care in black communities and The Black Panther Party, the creative domain of African American women writers and their uncanny black women characters, as well as literacy and the power words in adolescence, I have now arrived at my 30th blog entry.

The processes of writing about various texts in an average of fifteen sentences or less—which was initially quite difficult for a sometimes wordy person like myself—gave me an opportunity to honed my ability to compose complex ideas in succinct ways. This journey has taught me to focus on the central concerns of a text, and present concise arguments. The experience has definitely sharpened my writing skills.

I have also learned to appreciate the freedom to write on subjects that would seem outside the realm of typical classroom assignments. My recent post on The Bluest Eye, The Brady Bunch & “the 32 Million Word Gap” would have been less imaginable if I was writing a conventional essay for a course.

I regularly consult previous posts, which allow me to benefit from the accumulative or accumulated advantages of a catalogue of writings about African American literature. I am able to quickly access prior entries rather than having to reread an entire book.

When I first started writing for Black Studies, I did not immediately realize the benefits, but after a moment of reflection and 30 entries later, I can say with confidence that this has been a rewarding experience.

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Briana Whiteside is a graduate student in English at SIUE and a contributing writer for the Black Studies Program.