By Amanda May

藏精阁 senior Angelina Chartrand will be published in an upcoming issue of the , an international literary journal dedicated to publishing the work of undergraduate students. Ms. Chartrand is earning her bachelor’s degree in English Studies with an emphasis in Creative Writing, as well as a minor in Gender Studies. 

Her piece, titled “Ersatz,” follows an android named Will who struggles to care for his human spouse, Mia, who's dying of radiation poisoning caused by advancements within society. “As humanity dies out and androids thrive,” Chartrand explained, “Will and Mia struggle with answering the question: what is life, and is it worth living when what you know is gone?”

Chartrand began writing “Ersatz” while she was a student at St. Charles Community College (SCC).“Then in Fall 2020 at 藏精阁,” Chartrand stated, “I took the course ‘World-Building’ instructed by Dr. Plate (Associate Professor of English in the School of Humanities That class allowed me to develop the ideas of ‘Ersatz’ beyond its limited short-story framework into an entire world.” In total, it took Chartrand about a year to complete the story

Chartrand is thankful for all the support she has received while at 藏精阁. “The Humanities Department at 藏精阁 is certainly exceptional,” Chartrand complimented. “It’s a lot of hard work, but hard work results in rewarding efforts, and every course I complete adds onto a toolbelt of techniques I can use in my writing later down the road. Not to mention just how supportive all the professors are. I remember Professor Pas and Professor Elmes (English professors from the School of Humanities

Chartrand also had some advice for writers aspiring to be published. “Don’t be scared, but also, be OK [sic] with it if you are scared…. As writers, it’s natural that we become connected with the stories and the plots and the characters we create, but we also must teach ourselves when to remove ourselves from those stories, plots, and characters. We write... because we have an idea we think is worth expressing, and sometimes, other people think it's worth expressing too. So, if you’re not ready yet to send out your work for publication, that’s fine. Be aware of your limitations. You might not be ready yet, but you might be ready tomorrow…. Listen to yourself, but also don’t limit yourself either.” 

Congratulations to Ms. Chartrand!