ABOUT project damp
this website is a hosting site for my fall 2023 project for my eco-literature graduate course at the university of west florida.
i'm just a student, so don't expect anything fancy. however, i put a lot of effort into this site and the works within it (including losing my mind at my own poor design choices). for all links, references, and .png sources, check out my acknowledgements page here
what is beetlepunk diary?
because of my repeated history in online/webspaces, i went with a frequent username that i've used across multiple platforms [beetlepunked]. this isn't a diary, but anything else felt too formal.
the site was creating using wix (all my homies hate wordpress)
the meaningful stuff
i'd be lying if i said this was solely inspired by whatever's happening in my brain stem, this project is a part of an assignment. despite that, this is an issue that is important and relevant to me and you. it sounds preachy, but i want readers to recognize their space within the world that was given to us, whether it be physically, emotionally, or as this project is, virtually. the blue light of the screen is blue for a reason, and you couldn't call it blue if you didn't see it in the water. for something that takes up a majority of our planet, the water is becoming a place uninhabitable for everyone, not just us. just because we cannot explore it, that doesn't mean we can ignore it. so, i brought the water to you in a language you may understand. i'm speaking for the ecosystems, large and small, that flow through our lives even when we may not see them.
i pull a large amount of inspiration here from our home on the web, as we now are witnessing the crumbling of our final escapist movement. i'm not a believer in blaming the consumer entirely, moreso the politicians and corporations that fuel the greed of modern consumerism. dot com and our environment have this in common: they took over the land meant for the people as their own. we are being shoved into parking lots, or stories, or concrete jungles, or reels/fyp/slides/wtf. my advice is to water your garden and create. consider the wildflower lawn much like html/css elements, take back the space and say it out loud.
heal something.
lauren watkins is a master's degree seeking creative writing student at the university of west florida. she studies feminist literature, contemporary poetry, and graphic novels. she enjoys care bears, interior design, the aesthetics wiki, her pets, and her boyfriend. she hates short sleeved tee shirts and orange juice. approach with caution.