#warriorpoetics

[cameronconaway]

This. Meeting with students. Hearing their stories. Being present as they articulate their passions and struggles. This is why I LOVE speaking at universities. It brings me back, makes me new, fires me up to forge forward. Many thanks to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater for bringing me in, and to the hundreds of students for being truly present and asking GREAT questions. Onward! #warriorpoetics #poetry #mma #whitewater #wisconsin #highereducation #university Photo: Dr. Susan Johnson (at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater)

[cameronconaway]

Warrior Poetics: On Mellifluous

Warrior Poetics: On Mellifluous

Mellifluous (adj): sweetly or smoothly flowing

Mellifluous is a word that reminds me first of water and second of fog. It’s their cadence, their continuous ability to flow. When a boxer rolls her shoulder to slip a punch, when a cat rolls its shoulders as it walks stealthily… these are movements as natural as earth.

Mellifluous also reminds me of the way our lifestyles collectively degrade water…

View On WordPress

[cameronconaway]

Warrior Poetics: On Psephology

Warrior Poetics: On Psephology

Psephology (n): the study of elections

Psephology is a word that reminds me of political polls and the media’s current obsession with Donald Trump. “A poll released today put Trump ahead of his competitors,” the media heads will say, as they proceed to spend the next 12 hours of their day’s coverage on Trump. Correlation? You bet. Nothing draws a crowd like a crowd.

Still, this 4-years-later video

View On WordPress

[cameronconaway]

Warrior Poetics: On Mondegreen

Warrior Poetics: On Mondegreen

Mondegreen (n): a misinterpretation of a word or phrase that has been heard

Mondegreen is a word that first reminds me of the way we often fill in the lyrics to our favorite songs. We don’t quite know what they are, but we’ll confidently sing along with humming sounds or even with the words we think are right. One example is how perhaps thousands of us say “Secret asian man” to Secret Agent Man by

View On WordPress

[cameronconaway]

Warrior Poetics: On Chiliad

Warrior Poetics: On Chiliad

Chiliad (n): a group of 1000

Chiliad is a word that immediately reminds me of old kung fu movies where the lead seeks revenge and proceeds to decimate hundreds or seemingly thousands of foot soldiers through hand-to-hand combat. It is of course entirely unrealistic, but the success of these movies stems back to an age-old metaphorical idea that it is Us vs. World.

It’s an idea that resonated with…

View On WordPress

[cameronconaway]

Warrior Poetics: On Polysemy

Warrior Poetics: On Polysemy

Polysemy (n): diversity of meanings

Polysemy is a word that immediately reminds me of religion. It transports me back to my childhood when I’d attend midnight mass on Christmas eve, back to India where upon entering each city one could find a new religion that dated back thousands or hundreds or just a few years ago.

It’s a word that takes me to the time I’ve spent listening to people under the…

View On WordPress

[cameronconaway]

Warrior Poetics: On Twitterpated

Warrior Poetics: On Twitterpated

Twitterpated (adj): excited or overcome by romantic feelings

Twitterpated is a word that first reminds me, of course, of the social media platform Twitter. For many journalists and businesses it has become a go-to source for the type of social listening necessary to tell full-bodied stories and to make sound decisions.

But twitterpated, the definition, instantly caused me to reflect on the love I…

View On WordPress

[cameronconaway]

Warrior Poetics: On Argonaut

Warrior Poetics: On Argonaut

Argonaut (n): a person in quest of something dangerous but rewarding

Argonaut is a word that first reminds me of the group of heroes in Greek mythology in the years before the Trojan War. While a student at Penn State Altoona I played the role of Jason (of the Argonauts) in our campus production of Medea. But from there, “argonaut” reminds of the journey we are all on to varying degrees. We’re…

View On WordPress