I enjoyed last week’s discussion of hearing everyone else’s feedback about their interpretation of Twelve Blue. It helped me with my blog this week. I think a classmate had mentioned that they take notes as they are reading. I do that as well. I think it’s important for me to do that before I forget anything that I might want to touch up on later.

The first sentence of High Muck A Muck hooked me instantly. I was immediately excited to explore this body of work. I appreciate that the author allowed his readers to read the full poetic text if you want, by just clicking the book in the corner.

The illustration of a human body with a map painted on them was a breathtaking image. I knew this piece was going to make me feel something, which is the whole point of art. I started this piece with Everywhere and Nowhere. I thought the imagery was beautiful of two people holding hands with a Ying Yang symbol in between them. By clicking the Ying Yang symbol, it brings you to a video of an old man. The video begins by zooming in on the old man’s eye. When the camera pans out it is focusing on a baby’s eye. I thought that was a beautiful imagery of life and death, rebirth, and renewal.

Next, I chose to explore Pacific Rim. The imagery of the ocean and ships added another level to this piece. The first and third ship were poems. The second ship was a video. It took me a moment to realize that there were texts moving across the screen that said Made in Japan. The video continued with images of products that included moveable texts stating made in Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, or China. I appreciate the changes in the music as the images changed. I think this was a very thought-provoking piece of art. The images of handbags with the text speaks volumes of the fashion industry.

I really liked that each tab had something different to offer. The Richmond tab had wonderful architectural illustrations discussing wanting a successful job and succeeding in Canada. The Vancouver tab introduced me to people and their stories. The Victoria tab introduced me to the people of Chinatown desperate to have a piece of their homeland in Canada. The Canada tab was an arm with a map illustrated on it with water at the fingertips and mountains above the arm. I think this says a lot about going back to your roots. I love the reference to trees and how deeply rooted they are in the earth.

Twelve Blue

Before I even began this literary journey I was immediately confused. Michael Joyce’s description of Twelve Blue had my head spinning. I felt like it was a long run-on sentence. It didn’t provide me any clues as to what Twelve Blue would be about. I had a hard time reading the blue text with the blue background, it hurt my eyes and I found it a bit overwhelming. The size of the text also had me straining to see and comprehend what I was reading. I know I’m old but I’m not that old, yet.

As soon as I started the story I was immediately, confused. I felt like I was listening to a drunk person ramble on about a distant memory that had nothing to do with me. I tried my best to follow along, but it made no sense. I had this nagging feeling that I was missing the point of what the author was trying to tell his audience. I felt like the writing jumped around as if I was watching a tennis match. By the end of the hour my dyslexic brain was running on fumes. I can’t even say that I didn’t enjoy it because I didn’t understand it

Pressman’s article

I should have followed the instructions and read Pressman’s article first. But of course, me being the person that I am, I did not. I don’t know if it would have helped because I did not understand the concept or message of twelve blue at all.

 I enjoyed Pressman’s article because she broke down what electronic literature is and how to go about reading it. As someone who is new to this genre, I need as much guidance as possible. I liked that she provided an example of what a hyperlink is and how it changes the narrative, taking the reader on a different path. I noted this concept immediately when I was introduced to this literary genre. It reminded me of the pick your own adventure books from when I was a kid, which I was excited for. I’m an elder millennial and a huge fan of RL Stine’s goosebumps series, especially when he did this concept. It was this type of writing that help spark my passion for writing. I enjoyed having a choice on how the story would play out. 

This interactive approach reminds me of The Oregon Trail. I have always loved games like this because it involves reading and decision making. And depending on the reader’s response it would reveal more narrative and you would continue with the story, or the game would end. I find this entire genre of literature to be fasinating even if I’m a little apprehensive about it. This concept it very new to me. But I’m interested to learn more it and have the ability to create my own work of art.

I’m Nicole Henriquez. I am currently a senior at Kean University for my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education K-6 with a TSD (Teachers of Student with Disabilities) and a content area in writing. I am passionate about reading, writing, art, music, photography, films and traveling. I am currently in the process of writing my first children’s book. I’m also learning to speak Dutch and Papiamento while I trace my Aruban family tree. 

About Me

Hi, I’m Nicole. I graduated in 2011 from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco with an Associate of Arts Degree in photography. After graduation, I moved back to New Jersey to care for my ailing mother. Subsequently, I decided to stay on the east coast to figure out my future career. I spent over half a decade dabbling in real estate photography and an ill-fated upcycled home décor business. All the while working as a nanny and writing, two of my greatest passions. Prior to being a nanny, I was a preschool teacher and a Pre-K teacher’s assistant, totaling twenty years in childcare. I’ve been writing significantly longer since childhood, around the time I discovered Harriet the Spy. In 2019, I decided to go back to school to combine my passions and finish my undergraduate degree to become a teacher. My time at Kean has been wonderful and I’ve accomplished so much. I can’t wait to see what’s next.