Department of English Adjunct Lecturer Rebecca Cuthbert.
Department of English Adjunct Lecturer Rebecca Cuthbert had her poem, "In Memory of Exoskeletons," published in the Memoryhouse Magazine's "Albeit" issue.
鈥淚n Memory of Exoskeletons鈥 was inspired by the birth of Ms. Cuthbert鈥檚 nephew, Elliott, the first child of her brother, Eric. 鈥淚 have been an aunt since age 15, and I was surprised by the 鈥榥ewness鈥 of this nephew 鈥 something about Elliott being my 鈥榣ittle brother's鈥 baby affected me deeply, yet left me feeling disoriented,鈥 she explained.
鈥淓lliott was still a baby when COVID hit, and of course we were in the mire of Trump鈥檚 presidency at the time,鈥 Cuthbert said. 鈥淚 felt exposed and defenseless.鈥
Cuthbert, primarily a writer of fiction, wrote the poem during the beginning of the pandemic, but production of the issue was delayed by COVID. She makes occasional forays into poetry and nonfiction as a break from a larger project, a collection of speculative short stories that she plans to begin submitting next year.
The poem can be accessed .
In the magazine鈥檚 winter 2021 issue, contributors explore the theme albeit through a variety of memoir-style nonfiction pieces that transcribe moments of pause and attenuation.
Memoryhouse is a student-run publication that curates the personal narratives of the University of Chicago community and from others through creative writing and visual art.
