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ysabetwordsmithThis poem is spillover from the August 1, 2023 Poetry Fishbowl. It was inspired by a discussion with cora. It also fills the "Early Adventures" square in my 8-1-23 card for the New Adventures Bingo fest. This poem is posted in memory of Shirley Barrette, who ransacked every bookstore and museum giftshop in driving distance to find multicultural stories and history books written by the losers at a time when that stuff was really hard to find. This poem belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics and is the first in a thread about East Is East and West Is West, followed by "Friends in Rabbitbrush Ridge" and "Dealing with Historical Events and Characters." The theme song for West Is West is "Sun Goes Down."
Warning for positive college experiences that readers may have wished for but didn't get.
"The Greatest and Most Moving Chapter in American History"
[Wednesday, August 27, 2008]
Cassidy Platte was so excited about
starting her Worldbuilding class that
she reached the room ten minutes early.
She wasn't the first, though -- a boy
already sat at the table. He had
a handlebar mustache underneath
floppy brown hair, and he wore
a preppy blue sportcoat over
a bright white shirt with its cuffs
barreled and fastened with studs.
It made an intriguing blend
of historic and modern style.
Cassidy took a seat, dropped
her cowgirl hat atop her backpack,
and tucked a stray lock of hair
behind her ear. It came loose.
She tucked it back again.
The room itself was nice
in that old-college way.
It had a hardwood floor,
a large arched window
on the back wall, and
walls of warm ivory.
A big green chalkboard
hung on the right wall, with
both white and colored chalk
resting in the tray below it.
In the center of the room stood
two square wooden tables, ends
pushed together into a rectangle,
with matching chairs around it.
Cassidy glanced at the boy again,
curious, and then looked away.
She wasn't usually so shy,
but then, it was a lot easier
to be confident on the back of
a horse in a rodeo event, where
she didn't have to talk to anyone
and nobody could see her blush.
The boy came to her rescue.
"Warren Fillmore, freshman,
Eastern American History major
with a double minor in Film and
Drama plus Writing," he said,
holding out a hand. "And you?"
"Cassidy Platte, freshman, major
in Western American History with
a double minor in Horses and Writing,"
she said as she shook his hand. It
was warm and dry and made her tingle.
"I'm so excited about this class, I got here
fifteen minutes early," Warren admitted.
"The previous one was just letting out!"
Cassidy laughed. "Me, I just wanted
to make sure that I didn't get here late."
Another boy came in, this one mixed race
but also wearing a preppy blue sport coat
over a crisp white shirt. He had a bow tie
striped in vivid African colors, though.
"Hi, I'm Delaney Wright," he said.
"I'm majoring in Journalism and in
African and African-American Studies."
The other two introduced themselves,
then Warren added, "So, I guess we're
the three writers? I wonder who we've
got for artists and extras in this class."
Just then another student arrived,
this one striking and mysterious.
"I'm Lan Sharpei, nonbinary, and I
use ey/em pronouns," ey said. "I'm in
Fashion Design with a double minor
in Costuming and in Gender Studies."
Ey had a heart-shaped face with
violet eyes and orchid hair faintly
streaked with pink and lavender, but
eir eyebrows were a darker shade
of red-violet. A silver ring glinted
at the upper curve of eir left ear.
The white business shirt and
indigo vest were masculine, but
below was a short pleated skirt,
and vivid yellow shoes picked up
the yellow stripe on a bracelet that
also had white, purple, and black.
The effect was incongruous and
androgynous, but the whole outfit
was just so well put together that it
looked like it was designed that way.
Then their professor bounded into
the room, his nappy black hair
bouncing like springs. He wore
a three-piece suit, but without a tie
and with the collar left unbuttoned.
Cassidy felt decidedly underdressed,
even though she'd worn a new blue shirt
with pearl snaps and whiskey-brown chinos
instead of her usual broken-down jeans.
Well, at least her cowgirl boots were
the flashy customized ones that had
brown alligator vamps underneath
blue shafts with decorative stitching.
The professor wrote a few lines on the
chalkboard, but then he sat down without
saying a word and opened a dog-eared book,
so the students soon went back to talking.
"What brought you to this class?"
Cassidy asked Delaney. "I'm in it
because history relates to everything,
and I'm guessing Warren's the same.
What about your journalism angle?"
"I'm hoping to write some demifiction
as part of the project," said Delaney.
"I love looking at newspapers, from
the earliest ones to current events.
Also, I'm great at research, but
that applies to you two as well."
"You can never have too many
research mavens," said Warren.
"Extra hands make it go faster."
"Hear, hear," said Cassidy, who
could easily lose whole weekends
down that sort of rabbit hole.
The next person who came in
was much older and, surprisingly,
someone Cassidy already knew.
"Jimmy!" she squealed, bouncing
out of her chair to hug him. "I heard
you were taking classes here, but
I didn't know you picked this one."
Thank God, he was wearing
khakis and a butter-yellow T-shirt
that read, It's not my first rodeo,
arching over a bucking bronco.
He laughed, hugging her back.
"I didn't know that I'd gotten into it
until my final schedule arrived on
Monday," he said. "It's so good
to see you again, Cassidy."
"You two know each other?"
Warren asked, watching them.
"Oh yeah, this is Jimmy Laughing Dog,
he's a Rodeo Clown and he saves
my life at least once or twice a year --
most recently, last month," said Cassidy.
"You had it handled," Jimmy said. "I was
just there to get the bull back in the chute."
"I totally didn't," Cassidy said. "He was
about to flatten me when you hazed him off."
"Well, you didn't have to donate half of
your grand prize purse," Jimmy argued.
"I had a budget for college, and I
won enough before I even got to
the final round," Cassidy said. "So
that was gravy, and I wouldn't be
here if you hadn't kept that bull
off me, so I say you earned it."
"The Rodeo Clown Relief Fund
thanks you for your generosity,"
Jimmy said with a jaunty bow.
"This is so much better than
television," Delaney whispered.
"So Jimmy, what are you currently
studying?" Cassidy asked him.
"I finished a bachelor's degree
in American Culture Studies with
a Native American concentration
and a minor in Drama," Jimmy said.
"I have just started working toward
a master's degree in Social Work with
an American Indian concentration."
The other students introduced
themselves with their studies.
Two girls arrived together,
talking energetically about art.
One was a short curvy black girl
with long hair in big bouncy curls,
who wore a clingy pastel minidress
under a floppy country-blue cardigan.
The other was a tall redhead with
a solemn expression, who wore
a romantic blue blouse with rows
of tiny pintucks secured by lace
over a pair of faded blue jeans.
The two couldn't have been
more different, and yet they
seemed to like each other.
"My name is Mailou Waring,"
said the black girl. "I'm into
Fine Arts, mostly drawing and
painting, with a minor in African
and African-American Studies."
"Maeve O'Byrne," said the redhead.
"Fine Arts Photography, Music minor."
Hot on their heels came yet another girl,
this one tall and athletic with long blonde hair.
She wore brown leggings and a T-shirt of
rust that read, Adventure is calling.
"Hi, everyone," she said. "I'm
Yvette Amundsen. "I have just
finished a Get a Life Year, which
was awesome. Now I'm starting on
a major in Wilderness Recreation and
Adventure with a minor in French."
Their last classmate darted into
the room just before the bell rang,
a skinny boy who looked no more
than about fifteen years old.
He wore neat black trousers
and a white button-up shirt, with
a dark sportcoat threaded faintly
in hints of red, blue, and green.
"Sorry, am I late?" he panted.
"It's farther than I thought,
and the bus ran slow."
The professor looked up.
"How late was the bus?"
"Five minutes at the stop,
but letting people off at
random places added to
the delay," the boy said.
"Next time, will you be able
to calculate the timing, or will you
need help?" the professor said.
"I just need to gather more data,"
the boy said. "I can calculate -- I'm
a Math and Computer Science major,
specializing in Game Theory and Design.
My name is Marston von Neumann."
"Then I'll trust you to figure out
the vagaries of bus travel on
campus," the professor said
as he put away his book.
"Thanks for taking me
seriously," Marston said.
"Most people really don't."
"Imagine that, I have
the same problem,"
the professor said.
Well, yeah, bigots did
tend to ignore black folks.
Cassidy was still trying
to figure out how handle
that in a way which would
solve the problem without
just starting more arguments.
The professor stood up and went
to stand beside the green chalkboard.
"My name is Emeritus Beck," he said.
Obviously I'm not retired, but I was
born just after my grandfather retired
from teaching, so I'm basically named
after his accomplishment. You can call
me Em or Professor Beck, but not Merry
as that's my sister Meredith's nickname."
The students chorused greetings,
and Cassidy gave a cheerful wave.
"I know some of you have already
introduced yourselves to each other,
but let's go around the room again
now that everyone's here," he went on.
"Give your name and at least your major."
Everyone dutifully repeated theirs and
Cassidy added, "I'm also a rodeo rider."
Professor Beck set out stacks of papers.
"These are class schedules with samples
of possible assignments, some tips about
worldbuilding setup, decision-making tools,
and other resources," he said. "Everything
is on the class website too. Today is for
brainstorming, but it's okay if you don't
pick a project genre or focus that fast."
"Does the worldbuilding theme have
to be speculative fiction?" Warren said.
"As a matter of fact, no, it can be
whatever you all want to make it,"
said Professor Beck. "It's just that
speculative genres are most popular."
"Great, because I propose that we
do early American historical fiction,"
Warren said, waving a hand between
himself and Cassidy. "Here we have
a matched set, Eastern American History
and Western American History. It seems
like a shame to waste that expertise."
"I'm on board with that," Maeve said.
"I like taking historic-style photos, and
the history of photography is fascinating."
"What about early Canadian history, does
that count?" said Yvette. "I have relatives
there and all down the Mississippi River,
French on my mother's side, and then
Norwegian on my father's side."
"Sure, that would fit right in, it's
early North American history,"
Cassidy said. "More diversity."
"Speaking of diversity, let's check
people's tolerance levels for this,"
said Professor Beck. "Now, I don't
want to rain on the parade, but that is
a very touchy time in American history
which not everyone may want to devote
a semester of Worldbuilding to revisiting."
"I stand with Cassidy," Jimmy said promptly.
"If she wants to do this, I trust her ethics."
"Don't look at me, I had ancestors in
abolition and the Underground Railroad,"
Delaney said, shaking his head. "I'm in."
"I'd really enjoy drawing black people in
early America," said Mailou. "People forget
we were there, we were more than just slaves.
You look at Westerns, and they're so white,
but the first cowboys were black -- that's
why they're called cowboys. You look at
Easterns, the labor unionists, they're white
but we were excited to get paid for work."
"Yeah, exactly," said Delaney. "There's
so much missing from mainstream history.
Most of the textbooks were written by
white men, and their biases show."
"So we fix that," said Cassidy.
"They left women out of history too,
except for a few ... tokens, frankly."
"When working with representation, we
should aim for more than one character
of each type where possible," said Warren.
"It could be worse," Lan said quietly. "All
they tell about Chinese people is building
the railroads, but we did so much more,
we were businessmen from the beginning."
"History books do mention the rise of
Chinese laundrymen, but I'm not sure
that's an improvement," said Warren.
"Not really, no," said Lan. "It's all that
they were allowed to do in some places."
"People forget how mutual parts of history
were, though," Jimmy pointed out. "It's not all
boomtowns, massacres, and immigrant abuse.
Some of the more successful towns actually
started out as trading posts, where native
and white merchants would meet, and
some tribes and towns formed alliances
that held even when federal promises failed."
"That sounds worth exploring," Warren said.
"We could look at how civilization worked,
how people put the pieces together."
"That's a thought," said Professor Beck.
"Marston, you haven't chimed in yet.
How do you feel about this theme?"
"It's okay, I guess," Marston said,
sounding neither enthusiastic nor
annoyed. "I haven't done much with
history beyond class assignments or
idle amusement. I do like posing at
those old-timey photo booths on trips,
you know, like at Silver Dollar City."
"Those are fun," Maeve agreed.
"I could set up a shoot like that. We
can raid the Theatre Department for
the period props and costumes."
"I can make those things, too,"
said Lan. "I was hoping to do
theatrical support for this class."
Meanwhile Cassidy and Warren
were smirking at each other.
"Do you want to do the honors,
or shall I?" she asked him.
"I've got this," Warren said,
turning to Marston. "Have you
heard of quantitative history?"
"No, but quantitative anything
is about numbers," Marston said.
"You mean like dates and stuff?"
"Quantitative history is the math of
the past," Warren said. "You dig into
historical records to derive hard numbers,
or at least well-founded estimates, about
how many people died on a battleground or
their daily calorie budget or things like that.
Then you show how those numbers affect
other events or aspects of the society."
"Ohhh," Marston said. "That sounds
fascinating. Some of my friends are
really into historic wargames and
they talk about those statistics."
"Terrific, I have a subscription for
the Journal of Interdisciplinary History,
and I'll loan you some copies so you can
see if the articles appeal," said Warren.
Cassidy, meanwhile, had latched onto
the gaming side of things. "Could
we make a game for this class,
would that count?" she asked
"Yes, games are quite popular,"
Professor Beck assured her.
"I've designed computer games,
board games, and card games,"
said Marston. "I like cardistry
as a fidget, so it's nice to have
something I can play with."
He reached into his pocket
and pulled out a deck of cards,
fanned them, then twirled them
through his hands in a series
of complicated maneuvers.
Cassidy applauded. "You'd
make a devastating gambler."
"Yeah, I like to dress up as
a riverboat gambler for pictures,"
Marston admitted. "It's fun for me,
and my parents think it's cute."
"Until the infamous conman
wins someone's farm and gets
ridden out of town on a rail,"
Warren observed dryly.
"Write it down so you don't
forget it," said Professor Beck.
"Brainstorming is more than
just spitting out ideas, you're
supposed to save them so
that you can use them later."
Several people jotted down
the idea in their notebooks.
"Do the rest of us know enough
about history to do a good job in
this class, though?" Mailou asked.
"Most of us only know a bit of it
based on our own specializations."
She waved a hand at Cassidy
and Warren. "We're up against
some pretty stiff competition."
"We know the hardcore history,
and Delaney already volunteered
to help with research," said Warren.
"It's up to you how you divide the work,
but this sounds like a good opportunity
for topical division," said Professor Beck.
"That would mean, instead of everyone
doing a little of everything, each of you
would concentrate on your own expertise,
dividing the total content based on topics."
Cassidy had been flipping through
the class handouts. "Warren and
I could develop most or all of
the main characters," she said.
"With those as examples, it'd
be easier for other students
to make supporting ones."
"I'd like to help develop
at least one black character,"
Delaney said, and Mailou
nodded her agreement.
"I could do tribal ones,
too," Jimmy volunteered.
"Classes often choose
to use their own diversity
to inspire the mix of traits in
their storyworld where relevant,"
said Professor Beck. "Compare
yours to some historic examples."
"Well, we've got white, black, native,
Chinese, and a good mix of genders,"
Cassidy said, counting on her fingers.
"That's all covered in the West."
"The East saw big waves of
immigration, including a lot of
Scandinavians, so that covers
Yvette too," said Warren.
"We could use stock characters,"
said Cassidy. "Westerns do
that all the time, and it works."
"Historic examples," said Warren.
"Say you want to make a sheriff,
you could look at three from history,
then mix and match their details
to create a fictional character."
"The same would work for towns,"
said Jimmy. "Look at examples,
figure out what a town needs,
then make our own details."
"Cities in the East," Warren said.
"We should pick a major one."
"New York, Boston, Philadelphia,"
said Delaney. "Those are all good."
"Take a moment to think about
the worldbuilding checklist,"
Professor Beck suggested.
"Historic fiction means you
don't need to build a world,
which saves you a lot of time,
but you'll spend that on research.
What things do you need for this?"
Cassidy ran a finger down the list.
"Genre, check. Setting -- we have
our world, so that covers everything
from astronomy to zoology, but we
do need to pick an Eastern city as
well as pick or create a Western town."
"Characters, we have some ideas that
we can flesh out," Warren continued.
"Themes, both Westerns and Easterns
have set lists, so we can use those,"
Cassidy said. "They don't have
to stay the same for every piece."
"What about plot?" said Delaney.
"That's an important part of fiction."
"Start right after the Civil War ends,
and that would set the overall plot,"
said Mailou. "How did people pick up
the pieces after that, and figure out how
to make a cohesive country together?"
"Technically, a country encompassing
other sovereign nations," said Jimmy.
"Mostly made out of immigrants,"
said Yvette. "They had to learn
new languages, new customs.
That was hard on everyone."
Cassidy scribbled frantically
to capture all of the ideas.
Professor Beck glanced
at the clock. "We're coming
toward the end of this session,"
he said. "I suggest that you each
pick one or two things to work on
before our next meeting here."
"I can write thumbnail descriptions
of Eastern cities, then we can vote
on which to use," said Warren. "I'll
start on character concepts too."
"I'll do the same for Western towns,
come up with ideas so we can discuss
where to put one and who goes in it,"
said Cassidy. "Then we'd have a city
based exactly on history, and a town
that's made up but still plausible."
"Mailou and I can start on ideas
for black characters," said Delaney.
"I want to make a newspaper for
the Western town -- I'm guessing
the Eastern city will have its own."
"Yes, they had a lot back then,"
said Warren. "Hey, what do you
think about incorporating headlines
or short articles, historic or fictional?"
"I'd love to do that," said Delaney.
"I'll look into it and make samples."
"I want to review photographic history
and start noting what supplies I'll need,"
said Maeve. "Lan, do you want to join me?
We can hunt props and costumes together."
"That sounds good," said Lan. "However,
I have a request -- if anyone thinks of things
you'd like me to make, please start a list
so I'll know what kind of research to do."
"Can do," Cassidy said, making a note.
"Same goes for anyone else if you need
research, make a list and pass it to us."
"I can handle tribal research," said Jimmy.
"Choosing a Western location will tell us
who'd be in that area. I can come up
with a few native characters, too."
"I'm really interested in immigrants,
so I could do something with them,"
said Yvette. "But I also love wilderness,
and that's out west. I could help research
things like plants and animals in an area."
"Very helpful, most of what I know there
is crops and livestock," said Cassidy.
"How to Fall Off a Horse 101,"
Jimmy said with a laugh.
"Aced it," Cassidy said.
"I don't know enough
to pick a thing to make
yet," Marston said, frowning.
"I don't want to slack off, but --"
"You're not slacking off, you're
going to explore quantitative history,"
Warren reminded him. "If you hate it,
that's okay, you can pick something else.
I think you'll love it, though, and once you
get into it, that'll give you ideas for what
you want to develop in class -- or you
could just dig into things we suggest."
"Yeah, okay," Marston said. He
made a note on his smartphone.
"I'll tell my educational consultant."
"I'm hearing some scatter,"
Professor Beck observed.
"Do you want to focus more
on Westerns or Easterns,
considering your timeframe?"
"Why not both?" said Cassidy.
"We've got a student for each,
and doubling up would give
us the widest range for
developing content."
"I'm game for both,"
Warren said promptly.
"We could certainly do
a City Society connecting
the two halves, then give
the characters contacts and
maybe some conflicts too."
"That's going to increase
the tension in this project
as well as the potential,"
said Professor Beck.
"This was the greatest
and most moving chapter in
American history, a blending
of meanness and greatness,
an ending and a beginning,"
said Warren. "It came out of
what men were, but it did not
go as men had planned."
"American history is longer,
larger, more various, more
beautiful, and more terrible
than anything that anyone
has ever said about it,"
Cassidy observed.
"The probability that we
may fail in the struggle
ought not deter us from
the support of a cause
we believe to be just,"
Delaney added.
"We are not enemies,
but friends. We must not
be enemies. Though passion
may have strained, it must not
break our bonds of affection,"
said Jimmy. "The mystic chords
of memory will swell when again
touched, as surely they will be,
by the better angels of our nature."
"Our ancestors managed to do it,"
Cassidy said, smiling at him. "I
think we can handle this much."
"Then that's settled, and I wish
you all luck with your projects
for tonight," said Professor Beck.
"I look forward to seeing you Friday."
Everyone picked up their stuff
and then headed for the door,
excited by their early adventures
and eager to start the assignments.
Bumping along between Warren
and Jimmy, Cassidy already felt like
this would become the greatest and
most moving class in her college career.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its character (writers, artists, miscellaneous and teacher), setting, and content notes appear separately.
For a complete introduction to college worldbuilding courses in Terramagne, see the previous poem "Build with the Mind" with its instructions and links about worldbuilding.
cora. It also fills the "Early Adventures" square in my 8-1-23 card for the New Adventures Bingo fest. This poem is posted in memory of Shirley Barrette, who ransacked every bookstore and museum giftshop in driving distance to find multicultural stories and history books written by the losers at a time when that stuff was really hard to find. This poem belongs to the series Polychrome Heroics and is the first in a thread about East Is East and West Is West, followed by "Friends in Rabbitbrush Ridge" and "Dealing with Historical Events and Characters." The theme song for West Is West is "Sun Goes Down."Warning for positive college experiences that readers may have wished for but didn't get.
"The Greatest and Most Moving Chapter in American History"
[Wednesday, August 27, 2008]
Cassidy Platte was so excited about
starting her Worldbuilding class that
she reached the room ten minutes early.
She wasn't the first, though -- a boy
already sat at the table. He had
a handlebar mustache underneath
floppy brown hair, and he wore
a preppy blue sportcoat over
a bright white shirt with its cuffs
barreled and fastened with studs.
It made an intriguing blend
of historic and modern style.
Cassidy took a seat, dropped
her cowgirl hat atop her backpack,
and tucked a stray lock of hair
behind her ear. It came loose.
She tucked it back again.
The room itself was nice
in that old-college way.
It had a hardwood floor,
a large arched window
on the back wall, and
walls of warm ivory.
A big green chalkboard
hung on the right wall, with
both white and colored chalk
resting in the tray below it.
In the center of the room stood
two square wooden tables, ends
pushed together into a rectangle,
with matching chairs around it.
Cassidy glanced at the boy again,
curious, and then looked away.
She wasn't usually so shy,
but then, it was a lot easier
to be confident on the back of
a horse in a rodeo event, where
she didn't have to talk to anyone
and nobody could see her blush.
The boy came to her rescue.
"Warren Fillmore, freshman,
Eastern American History major
with a double minor in Film and
Drama plus Writing," he said,
holding out a hand. "And you?"
"Cassidy Platte, freshman, major
in Western American History with
a double minor in Horses and Writing,"
she said as she shook his hand. It
was warm and dry and made her tingle.
"I'm so excited about this class, I got here
fifteen minutes early," Warren admitted.
"The previous one was just letting out!"
Cassidy laughed. "Me, I just wanted
to make sure that I didn't get here late."
Another boy came in, this one mixed race
but also wearing a preppy blue sport coat
over a crisp white shirt. He had a bow tie
striped in vivid African colors, though.
"Hi, I'm Delaney Wright," he said.
"I'm majoring in Journalism and in
African and African-American Studies."
The other two introduced themselves,
then Warren added, "So, I guess we're
the three writers? I wonder who we've
got for artists and extras in this class."
Just then another student arrived,
this one striking and mysterious.
"I'm Lan Sharpei, nonbinary, and I
use ey/em pronouns," ey said. "I'm in
Fashion Design with a double minor
in Costuming and in Gender Studies."
Ey had a heart-shaped face with
violet eyes and orchid hair faintly
streaked with pink and lavender, but
eir eyebrows were a darker shade
of red-violet. A silver ring glinted
at the upper curve of eir left ear.
The white business shirt and
indigo vest were masculine, but
below was a short pleated skirt,
and vivid yellow shoes picked up
the yellow stripe on a bracelet that
also had white, purple, and black.
The effect was incongruous and
androgynous, but the whole outfit
was just so well put together that it
looked like it was designed that way.
Then their professor bounded into
the room, his nappy black hair
bouncing like springs. He wore
a three-piece suit, but without a tie
and with the collar left unbuttoned.
Cassidy felt decidedly underdressed,
even though she'd worn a new blue shirt
with pearl snaps and whiskey-brown chinos
instead of her usual broken-down jeans.
Well, at least her cowgirl boots were
the flashy customized ones that had
brown alligator vamps underneath
blue shafts with decorative stitching.
The professor wrote a few lines on the
chalkboard, but then he sat down without
saying a word and opened a dog-eared book,
so the students soon went back to talking.
"What brought you to this class?"
Cassidy asked Delaney. "I'm in it
because history relates to everything,
and I'm guessing Warren's the same.
What about your journalism angle?"
"I'm hoping to write some demifiction
as part of the project," said Delaney.
"I love looking at newspapers, from
the earliest ones to current events.
Also, I'm great at research, but
that applies to you two as well."
"You can never have too many
research mavens," said Warren.
"Extra hands make it go faster."
"Hear, hear," said Cassidy, who
could easily lose whole weekends
down that sort of rabbit hole.
The next person who came in
was much older and, surprisingly,
someone Cassidy already knew.
"Jimmy!" she squealed, bouncing
out of her chair to hug him. "I heard
you were taking classes here, but
I didn't know you picked this one."
Thank God, he was wearing
khakis and a butter-yellow T-shirt
that read, It's not my first rodeo,
arching over a bucking bronco.
He laughed, hugging her back.
"I didn't know that I'd gotten into it
until my final schedule arrived on
Monday," he said. "It's so good
to see you again, Cassidy."
"You two know each other?"
Warren asked, watching them.
"Oh yeah, this is Jimmy Laughing Dog,
he's a Rodeo Clown and he saves
my life at least once or twice a year --
most recently, last month," said Cassidy.
"You had it handled," Jimmy said. "I was
just there to get the bull back in the chute."
"I totally didn't," Cassidy said. "He was
about to flatten me when you hazed him off."
"Well, you didn't have to donate half of
your grand prize purse," Jimmy argued.
"I had a budget for college, and I
won enough before I even got to
the final round," Cassidy said. "So
that was gravy, and I wouldn't be
here if you hadn't kept that bull
off me, so I say you earned it."
"The Rodeo Clown Relief Fund
thanks you for your generosity,"
Jimmy said with a jaunty bow.
"This is so much better than
television," Delaney whispered.
"So Jimmy, what are you currently
studying?" Cassidy asked him.
"I finished a bachelor's degree
in American Culture Studies with
a Native American concentration
and a minor in Drama," Jimmy said.
"I have just started working toward
a master's degree in Social Work with
an American Indian concentration."
The other students introduced
themselves with their studies.
Two girls arrived together,
talking energetically about art.
One was a short curvy black girl
with long hair in big bouncy curls,
who wore a clingy pastel minidress
under a floppy country-blue cardigan.
The other was a tall redhead with
a solemn expression, who wore
a romantic blue blouse with rows
of tiny pintucks secured by lace
over a pair of faded blue jeans.
The two couldn't have been
more different, and yet they
seemed to like each other.
"My name is Mailou Waring,"
said the black girl. "I'm into
Fine Arts, mostly drawing and
painting, with a minor in African
and African-American Studies."
"Maeve O'Byrne," said the redhead.
"Fine Arts Photography, Music minor."
Hot on their heels came yet another girl,
this one tall and athletic with long blonde hair.
She wore brown leggings and a T-shirt of
rust that read, Adventure is calling.
"Hi, everyone," she said. "I'm
Yvette Amundsen. "I have just
finished a Get a Life Year, which
was awesome. Now I'm starting on
a major in Wilderness Recreation and
Adventure with a minor in French."
Their last classmate darted into
the room just before the bell rang,
a skinny boy who looked no more
than about fifteen years old.
He wore neat black trousers
and a white button-up shirt, with
a dark sportcoat threaded faintly
in hints of red, blue, and green.
"Sorry, am I late?" he panted.
"It's farther than I thought,
and the bus ran slow."
The professor looked up.
"How late was the bus?"
"Five minutes at the stop,
but letting people off at
random places added to
the delay," the boy said.
"Next time, will you be able
to calculate the timing, or will you
need help?" the professor said.
"I just need to gather more data,"
the boy said. "I can calculate -- I'm
a Math and Computer Science major,
specializing in Game Theory and Design.
My name is Marston von Neumann."
"Then I'll trust you to figure out
the vagaries of bus travel on
campus," the professor said
as he put away his book.
"Thanks for taking me
seriously," Marston said.
"Most people really don't."
"Imagine that, I have
the same problem,"
the professor said.
Well, yeah, bigots did
tend to ignore black folks.
Cassidy was still trying
to figure out how handle
that in a way which would
solve the problem without
just starting more arguments.
The professor stood up and went
to stand beside the green chalkboard.
"My name is Emeritus Beck," he said.
Obviously I'm not retired, but I was
born just after my grandfather retired
from teaching, so I'm basically named
after his accomplishment. You can call
me Em or Professor Beck, but not Merry
as that's my sister Meredith's nickname."
The students chorused greetings,
and Cassidy gave a cheerful wave.
"I know some of you have already
introduced yourselves to each other,
but let's go around the room again
now that everyone's here," he went on.
"Give your name and at least your major."
Everyone dutifully repeated theirs and
Cassidy added, "I'm also a rodeo rider."
Professor Beck set out stacks of papers.
"These are class schedules with samples
of possible assignments, some tips about
worldbuilding setup, decision-making tools,
and other resources," he said. "Everything
is on the class website too. Today is for
brainstorming, but it's okay if you don't
pick a project genre or focus that fast."
"Does the worldbuilding theme have
to be speculative fiction?" Warren said.
"As a matter of fact, no, it can be
whatever you all want to make it,"
said Professor Beck. "It's just that
speculative genres are most popular."
"Great, because I propose that we
do early American historical fiction,"
Warren said, waving a hand between
himself and Cassidy. "Here we have
a matched set, Eastern American History
and Western American History. It seems
like a shame to waste that expertise."
"I'm on board with that," Maeve said.
"I like taking historic-style photos, and
the history of photography is fascinating."
"What about early Canadian history, does
that count?" said Yvette. "I have relatives
there and all down the Mississippi River,
French on my mother's side, and then
Norwegian on my father's side."
"Sure, that would fit right in, it's
early North American history,"
Cassidy said. "More diversity."
"Speaking of diversity, let's check
people's tolerance levels for this,"
said Professor Beck. "Now, I don't
want to rain on the parade, but that is
a very touchy time in American history
which not everyone may want to devote
a semester of Worldbuilding to revisiting."
"I stand with Cassidy," Jimmy said promptly.
"If she wants to do this, I trust her ethics."
"Don't look at me, I had ancestors in
abolition and the Underground Railroad,"
Delaney said, shaking his head. "I'm in."
"I'd really enjoy drawing black people in
early America," said Mailou. "People forget
we were there, we were more than just slaves.
You look at Westerns, and they're so white,
but the first cowboys were black -- that's
why they're called cowboys. You look at
Easterns, the labor unionists, they're white
but we were excited to get paid for work."
"Yeah, exactly," said Delaney. "There's
so much missing from mainstream history.
Most of the textbooks were written by
white men, and their biases show."
"So we fix that," said Cassidy.
"They left women out of history too,
except for a few ... tokens, frankly."
"When working with representation, we
should aim for more than one character
of each type where possible," said Warren.
"It could be worse," Lan said quietly. "All
they tell about Chinese people is building
the railroads, but we did so much more,
we were businessmen from the beginning."
"History books do mention the rise of
Chinese laundrymen, but I'm not sure
that's an improvement," said Warren.
"Not really, no," said Lan. "It's all that
they were allowed to do in some places."
"People forget how mutual parts of history
were, though," Jimmy pointed out. "It's not all
boomtowns, massacres, and immigrant abuse.
Some of the more successful towns actually
started out as trading posts, where native
and white merchants would meet, and
some tribes and towns formed alliances
that held even when federal promises failed."
"That sounds worth exploring," Warren said.
"We could look at how civilization worked,
how people put the pieces together."
"That's a thought," said Professor Beck.
"Marston, you haven't chimed in yet.
How do you feel about this theme?"
"It's okay, I guess," Marston said,
sounding neither enthusiastic nor
annoyed. "I haven't done much with
history beyond class assignments or
idle amusement. I do like posing at
those old-timey photo booths on trips,
you know, like at Silver Dollar City."
"Those are fun," Maeve agreed.
"I could set up a shoot like that. We
can raid the Theatre Department for
the period props and costumes."
"I can make those things, too,"
said Lan. "I was hoping to do
theatrical support for this class."
Meanwhile Cassidy and Warren
were smirking at each other.
"Do you want to do the honors,
or shall I?" she asked him.
"I've got this," Warren said,
turning to Marston. "Have you
heard of quantitative history?"
"No, but quantitative anything
is about numbers," Marston said.
"You mean like dates and stuff?"
"Quantitative history is the math of
the past," Warren said. "You dig into
historical records to derive hard numbers,
or at least well-founded estimates, about
how many people died on a battleground or
their daily calorie budget or things like that.
Then you show how those numbers affect
other events or aspects of the society."
"Ohhh," Marston said. "That sounds
fascinating. Some of my friends are
really into historic wargames and
they talk about those statistics."
"Terrific, I have a subscription for
the Journal of Interdisciplinary History,
and I'll loan you some copies so you can
see if the articles appeal," said Warren.
Cassidy, meanwhile, had latched onto
the gaming side of things. "Could
we make a game for this class,
would that count?" she asked
"Yes, games are quite popular,"
Professor Beck assured her.
"I've designed computer games,
board games, and card games,"
said Marston. "I like cardistry
as a fidget, so it's nice to have
something I can play with."
He reached into his pocket
and pulled out a deck of cards,
fanned them, then twirled them
through his hands in a series
of complicated maneuvers.
Cassidy applauded. "You'd
make a devastating gambler."
"Yeah, I like to dress up as
a riverboat gambler for pictures,"
Marston admitted. "It's fun for me,
and my parents think it's cute."
"Until the infamous conman
wins someone's farm and gets
ridden out of town on a rail,"
Warren observed dryly.
"Write it down so you don't
forget it," said Professor Beck.
"Brainstorming is more than
just spitting out ideas, you're
supposed to save them so
that you can use them later."
Several people jotted down
the idea in their notebooks.
"Do the rest of us know enough
about history to do a good job in
this class, though?" Mailou asked.
"Most of us only know a bit of it
based on our own specializations."
She waved a hand at Cassidy
and Warren. "We're up against
some pretty stiff competition."
"We know the hardcore history,
and Delaney already volunteered
to help with research," said Warren.
"It's up to you how you divide the work,
but this sounds like a good opportunity
for topical division," said Professor Beck.
"That would mean, instead of everyone
doing a little of everything, each of you
would concentrate on your own expertise,
dividing the total content based on topics."
Cassidy had been flipping through
the class handouts. "Warren and
I could develop most or all of
the main characters," she said.
"With those as examples, it'd
be easier for other students
to make supporting ones."
"I'd like to help develop
at least one black character,"
Delaney said, and Mailou
nodded her agreement.
"I could do tribal ones,
too," Jimmy volunteered.
"Classes often choose
to use their own diversity
to inspire the mix of traits in
their storyworld where relevant,"
said Professor Beck. "Compare
yours to some historic examples."
"Well, we've got white, black, native,
Chinese, and a good mix of genders,"
Cassidy said, counting on her fingers.
"That's all covered in the West."
"The East saw big waves of
immigration, including a lot of
Scandinavians, so that covers
Yvette too," said Warren.
"We could use stock characters,"
said Cassidy. "Westerns do
that all the time, and it works."
"Historic examples," said Warren.
"Say you want to make a sheriff,
you could look at three from history,
then mix and match their details
to create a fictional character."
"The same would work for towns,"
said Jimmy. "Look at examples,
figure out what a town needs,
then make our own details."
"Cities in the East," Warren said.
"We should pick a major one."
"New York, Boston, Philadelphia,"
said Delaney. "Those are all good."
"Take a moment to think about
the worldbuilding checklist,"
Professor Beck suggested.
"Historic fiction means you
don't need to build a world,
which saves you a lot of time,
but you'll spend that on research.
What things do you need for this?"
Cassidy ran a finger down the list.
"Genre, check. Setting -- we have
our world, so that covers everything
from astronomy to zoology, but we
do need to pick an Eastern city as
well as pick or create a Western town."
"Characters, we have some ideas that
we can flesh out," Warren continued.
"Themes, both Westerns and Easterns
have set lists, so we can use those,"
Cassidy said. "They don't have
to stay the same for every piece."
"What about plot?" said Delaney.
"That's an important part of fiction."
"Start right after the Civil War ends,
and that would set the overall plot,"
said Mailou. "How did people pick up
the pieces after that, and figure out how
to make a cohesive country together?"
"Technically, a country encompassing
other sovereign nations," said Jimmy.
"Mostly made out of immigrants,"
said Yvette. "They had to learn
new languages, new customs.
That was hard on everyone."
Cassidy scribbled frantically
to capture all of the ideas.
Professor Beck glanced
at the clock. "We're coming
toward the end of this session,"
he said. "I suggest that you each
pick one or two things to work on
before our next meeting here."
"I can write thumbnail descriptions
of Eastern cities, then we can vote
on which to use," said Warren. "I'll
start on character concepts too."
"I'll do the same for Western towns,
come up with ideas so we can discuss
where to put one and who goes in it,"
said Cassidy. "Then we'd have a city
based exactly on history, and a town
that's made up but still plausible."
"Mailou and I can start on ideas
for black characters," said Delaney.
"I want to make a newspaper for
the Western town -- I'm guessing
the Eastern city will have its own."
"Yes, they had a lot back then,"
said Warren. "Hey, what do you
think about incorporating headlines
or short articles, historic or fictional?"
"I'd love to do that," said Delaney.
"I'll look into it and make samples."
"I want to review photographic history
and start noting what supplies I'll need,"
said Maeve. "Lan, do you want to join me?
We can hunt props and costumes together."
"That sounds good," said Lan. "However,
I have a request -- if anyone thinks of things
you'd like me to make, please start a list
so I'll know what kind of research to do."
"Can do," Cassidy said, making a note.
"Same goes for anyone else if you need
research, make a list and pass it to us."
"I can handle tribal research," said Jimmy.
"Choosing a Western location will tell us
who'd be in that area. I can come up
with a few native characters, too."
"I'm really interested in immigrants,
so I could do something with them,"
said Yvette. "But I also love wilderness,
and that's out west. I could help research
things like plants and animals in an area."
"Very helpful, most of what I know there
is crops and livestock," said Cassidy.
"How to Fall Off a Horse 101,"
Jimmy said with a laugh.
"Aced it," Cassidy said.
"I don't know enough
to pick a thing to make
yet," Marston said, frowning.
"I don't want to slack off, but --"
"You're not slacking off, you're
going to explore quantitative history,"
Warren reminded him. "If you hate it,
that's okay, you can pick something else.
I think you'll love it, though, and once you
get into it, that'll give you ideas for what
you want to develop in class -- or you
could just dig into things we suggest."
"Yeah, okay," Marston said. He
made a note on his smartphone.
"I'll tell my educational consultant."
"I'm hearing some scatter,"
Professor Beck observed.
"Do you want to focus more
on Westerns or Easterns,
considering your timeframe?"
"Why not both?" said Cassidy.
"We've got a student for each,
and doubling up would give
us the widest range for
developing content."
"I'm game for both,"
Warren said promptly.
"We could certainly do
a City Society connecting
the two halves, then give
the characters contacts and
maybe some conflicts too."
"That's going to increase
the tension in this project
as well as the potential,"
said Professor Beck.
"This was the greatest
and most moving chapter in
American history, a blending
of meanness and greatness,
an ending and a beginning,"
said Warren. "It came out of
what men were, but it did not
go as men had planned."
"American history is longer,
larger, more various, more
beautiful, and more terrible
than anything that anyone
has ever said about it,"
Cassidy observed.
"The probability that we
may fail in the struggle
ought not deter us from
the support of a cause
we believe to be just,"
Delaney added.
"We are not enemies,
but friends. We must not
be enemies. Though passion
may have strained, it must not
break our bonds of affection,"
said Jimmy. "The mystic chords
of memory will swell when again
touched, as surely they will be,
by the better angels of our nature."
"Our ancestors managed to do it,"
Cassidy said, smiling at him. "I
think we can handle this much."
"Then that's settled, and I wish
you all luck with your projects
for tonight," said Professor Beck.
"I look forward to seeing you Friday."
Everyone picked up their stuff
and then headed for the door,
excited by their early adventures
and eager to start the assignments.
Bumping along between Warren
and Jimmy, Cassidy already felt like
this would become the greatest and
most moving class in her college career.
* * *
Notes:
This poem is long, so its character (writers, artists, miscellaneous and teacher), setting, and content notes appear separately.
For a complete introduction to college worldbuilding courses in Terramagne, see the previous poem "Build with the Mind" with its instructions and links about worldbuilding.
(no subject)
Date: 2023-09-28 05:10 am (UTC)I'd guess north, given the thought on Canadian history, but at that point in history you get rather different stuff in the North vs the South.
Yes ...
Date: 2023-09-28 09:47 am (UTC)Re: Yes ...
Date: 2023-09-29 04:41 am (UTC)Re: Yes ...
Date: 2023-09-29 05:42 am (UTC)I think I've written about the Lowell Mill Girls before.
Re: Yes ...
Date: 2023-09-29 09:42 pm (UTC)