Hi there! I am a sophomore at Penn State University majoring in Secondary English Education and minoring in English as well. My hometown is Pittsburgh, PA and I am a member of Alpha Phi sorority. Writing has always been a passion of mine and my favorite way to express myself. I hope to one day be an educator that not only teaches content but also is a strong advocate for students everywhere. In my spare time, I enjoy watching YouTube, TikTok, and Netflix. I also love getting myself out of my comfort zone and meeting new people!
Below you will find a few of my favorite pieces from Klio’s past. I hope you enjoy!
It is safe to say that I was blown away by Forrest’s piece. It was clear that he put an extreme amount of time and effort into the craft of his narrative. Not to mention, to share something so deep, personal, and traumatic speaks volumes to his character as well as his courage. I had too many favorite moments to choose to speak on, but I was finally able to narrow my list to this small quote.
“Broken glass. Punctured walls. Bruised knuckles. Bloody fists. Spotty vision. Chills. Numb.”
Forrest provides us with this heart-wrenching imagery soon after announcing the death of his father. I cannot imagine what that moment must have been like for him and his family. However, the words he chose and the emotion behind them shed light on the depth of his trauma. I was in awe of Forrest’s compelling narrative.
After some quick Google searches, I was able to find him on LinkedIn! He graduated from Penn State University in 2019 with a degree in Biology and is now a Senior Clinical Trial Associate at Idera Pharmaceuticals in the Philadelphia area.
I loved that he had linked his story about his dad on his page and even mentioned that he was published through Kalliope and Klio!
As I switch gears in order to examine a second work of Klio’s brilliant past, I was compelled to choose a much lighter, softer piece. Picture Day by Talia Potochny offered such a familiar and personal snippet of time that a great deal of us I am sure can relate to. This particular selection is a poem taken from Klio’s 2018 edition. I am always drawn to pieces that cause me to take a step back, reflect on my own life, and connect to the person writing, even though I do not know them personally. Through Potochny’s vivid imagery of the oh-so nostalgic 2010’s era of clothing and makeup, the audience is transported to another time in their lives. Potochny writes,
“but lady
my picture’s gotta be good
so the cool kids talk to me, maybe.”
While Potochny’s writing seems to purely offer reminiscence and humor at first, there are absolutely underlying themes of low self-esteem, self-consciousness, and overall ideas pulled from the dreadful high school experience.
Above is the biography that Klio had already published on Ms. Potochny and after some research, it remains to be quite accurate and relevant. Below I have pictured her LinkedIn profile, as well as her own current bio that she has written for herself concerning her thesis as she plans to graduate this spring.
Thank you so much for taking a peek at a few of my favorite works from Klio’s past editions. It means the world to me! Feel free to take a look at our previous editions and decide for yourself what your preferred pieces are and leave a comment letting me know!