09/06/2024
English professor Gina Shafer, advisor to the student-produced WALL Literary Journal, reminisces about her time with Martha Mimi Phillips:
“Beauty, indeed, often comes from brokenness.” Those were words written by Martha Phillips as the closing line in her personal narrative, “The Arrowhead,” which appeared in the 2018 edition of WALL Literary Journal, an award-winning publication featuring the work of Saddleback College students. The story describes a childhood incident involving her accidentally dropping an arrowhead belonging to her beloved grandpa. The mishap, which tarnished the prized possession, led her to adult wisdom concerning the ragged lives many of us face and the grace and strength it takes to survive them. Although Martha herself ended up following in the footsteps of her grandfather, who suffered from alcohol addiction, it never overshadowed her own inner beauty.
In 2018, Martha served on the staff of WALL as a Personal Narrative Editor and a Copy Editor. I recall her gracious, compassionate sensibility as well as her eloquent and understated way with words. She would later go on to contribute stories to the school newspaper, the Lariat.
Over the years, Martha kept in touch to let me know of her continuing immersion in journalism and creative writing. It was always a pleasure to catch up with her.
We will miss Martha’s cheerful smile and easy-going attitude. We will miss her passionate interest in self-expression. We will miss her kind, gentle way of relating to her friends, classmates, and teachers. We will miss her beauty. Rest in peace, Martha.
Gina Shaffer
Professor of English
Faculty Advisor, WALL Literary Journal
See the link below for the 2018 edition of WALL that Mimi wrote and edited for.
