CHADRON — A poem, Between Light and Silence, written by English and Humanities Professor Dr. Deane Tucker was published this summer in The Tiger Moth Review, a biannual journal of art and literature that engages with nature, culture, the environment, and ecology.

Tucker said the recollection of many experiences inspired the meditative, philosophical piece published in The Tiger Moth Review.

“Most of my work is phenomenological, exploring spaces between objects and our conscious connection to the world as embodied subjects/objects ourselves. Eliot once said It is only in the world of objects that we have time and space and selves,” Tucker said.

Tucker said that poetry has the power to connect readers to deeper meaning.

“I hope they will take away the idea that Novalis suggests that poetry heals the wounds inflicted by overthinking about nature and the world, educating the senses to see the ordinary as extraordinary, the familiar as strange, the mundane as sacred, and the finite as infinite,” Tucker said.

Tucker has had poems published previously. His piece, Storm, was published in the online literary journal 805 Lit + Art in April 2017 and nominated to be included in 2017's Best on the Net anthology. Another of Tucker’s poems, We Burn Wood was also published in 805 Lit + Art.

The potential misfortune of driving into a snowbank provided inspiration for his poem in a 2024 edition of the Cider Press Review, a prestigious journal of contemporary poetry. The Other Side was one of 21 poems in the journal’s first quarterly issue of 2024. Although it describes an incident familiar to many locals, Tucker said the poem came from a totally imagined experience. 

Tucker’s first book, Derridada: Duchamp as Readymade Deconstruction, was published in 2008. The 110-page compilation about two French 20th century intellectual icons explores the works of artist Marcel Duchamp and the philosopher Jacques Derrida.

His second book, Terrence Malick: Film and Philosophy, was a 2011 collaboration with co-editor Dr. Stuart Kendall, chairman of Critical Studies at the California College of Arts. The edited collection of essays studied the films by Terrence Malick, a film director who studied philosophy as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University.

His third book, The Peripatetic Frame: Images of Walking in Film, took a critical look at the intersection between walking and cinema. The 2020 book was in part borne out of his experiences walking the entire French Camino at various points in his life. He also drew inspiration from filmmaker Werner Herzog’s belief that walking is the ultimate film school.

Galaxy Series kicks off fall semester focused on college success

CHADRON — Dr. Laurie A. Schreiner will be a Galaxy Series speaker at Chadron State College on Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. in Memorial Hall’s Auditorium. Admission is free and open to the public. The title of her presentation is Thriving in Transitions: How to Make the Most of Your College Experience.

Although the college experience presents some new academic, personal, and emotional challenges for students, it can be an amazing opportunity for growth, as well. Schreiner will highlight what helps students successfully navigate the transitions to college life so they are able to thrive. She will provide specific strategies for success and well-being, along with ways family and community members can support students in the process.

Schreiner is a Professor of Higher Education at Azusa Pacific University in southern California, where she teaches in the doctoral program. An award-winning teacher and researcher, her work focuses on creating a thriving campus where students, faculty, and staff are meaningfully engaged in their work, energized by learning, involved in healthy relationships, and making a difference

Author of the Thriving Quotient, Schreiner has studied more than 200,000 students from more than 300 universities across the U.S., Canada, and Australia. She has also contributed to numerous publications, as well as editing the book, Thriving in Transitions: A Research-Based Approach to Student Success.

In addition to research, Schreiner has created instruments to assess thriving among college employees and is co-author of The Student Satisfaction Inventory, as well as books about sophomore success. She has consulted with more than 200 universities about student success and thriving, faculty and staff well-being, leadership support for thriving employees, and effective teaching strategies.