Pang Alina (Xiai)
Creative Writings
White Dream
Summary:
This short story focused on coming of -age about friendship, racial division, and resilience. Through the eyes of Tariana, a young Black girl, the narrative explores her secret friendship with Linda, a white girl living just across the neighborhood fence. Despite the barriers imposed by their families and society, their bond builds in the woods, until painful realities of prejudice and separation intervene. Years later, a chance reunion at Linda's mother's funeral reconnect them, reminding them of the enduring power of memory, forgiveness, and hope.
When the Allies and the Axis Both Lie Within
Summary:
My flash fiction piece is an historical fiction that traces the significance of identity through the story of Manfred Gans’ experience in the X Troop, a small group of refugees that Churchill’s military uses for special combat and intel during WWII. I open the story when Manfred Gans is an old man, finally able to share his stories of the war with his son, Daniel. He begins by explaining how he came to be Fred Gray, a member of the British army, specifically the X Troop, for which he must reject his old identity - that of a Jewish German refugee in Manchester - to become British. The next scene flashes forward to June 6, 1944, the D-Day landing, where I reveal the fact that Fred Gray’s origin identity will ultimately save him and his men. I was struck in the original historical story by how both sides of the war inhabited this figure, and this is why I have zoomed in on this particular moment for the flash fiction. Because he can speak fluent German, he is spared and helps to turn the tide on the war in favor of the British. When the father concludes the retelling of the story, the son, who has been listening intently, is deeply touched by his father’s bravery and sacrifice. This is why the last line of the piece presents his gratitude: a mix of English and German language - a clear indication of the preservation of both identities embodied by his father.
The Peacocks to the South East Fly 孔雀东南飞
Summary:
It's inspired by a famous ancient Chinese poem of the same name, which tells a tragic story centered on a woman's struggles. In my piece, I explored the female experience portrayed in the original poem, reflecting on the themes of marriage, family duty, and social expectations. I then connected these ideas to my own feelings and contemporary perspectives on women's autonomy and freedom.
The Legacy of El Pintor
Summary:
My screenplay is an historical fiction biopic that traces the relationship of Jacob Kloot and Galinka Ehrenfest, a real Jewish man and a real German woman who met in Amsterdam, Holland as art students during the Nazi occupation of WWII. Under the backdrop of Nazi terror, they find love and the strength to begin publishing children's picture books under the name El Pintor. The film is framed by modern times when a young boy, Pete, discovers an old book in the attic of his Grandma’s house. His Grandma has no recollection of the book. Later, a chance moment wakes the Grandma up from her afternoon reverie when she hears an advertisement mentioning El Pintor books to be displayed at a NY City Antiquarian Book Fair. She goes to the exhibition to unlock the mystery behind the company. This is when the film flashes back to our two lead characters meeting, growing close, and beginning a journey of resistance art through the guise of bright, vivid children’s picture books. Always present in the story is a fear of the Nazis discovering their intentions - to support the Dutch resistance through the sales of their books - and ultimately, taking Kloot away. By the end, the fate of the couple, their publishing company and their lives weave into the present day when the Grandma brings their story back to her Grandson. It is then that the present and past overlap under the setting sun, leaving the audience hopeful that their legacy will continue on.
The “Best” Marriage
Summary:
This poem tells the story from a female first person narrative perspective of her marriage to a man who is seen as perfect under the social standard: wealth and high social status. However, the resultant marriage destroys the woman’s ability of self perception and identity because she is absorbed within the successes and reputation of her husband. The poem starts with the description of a luxury wedding and then foreshadows the fate of the female narrator through the mention of Pandora’s box. The poem then progresses past the wedding and into the experience of her married life. The stanzas that follow demonstrate a paradox between the people’s respect and envy toward the “perfect” marriage, and the inner struggle of the narrator. I allude to Greek mythology of the ferryman Charon and Cerberus to imply the self-fishness of her husband constantly abandoning her to the home, a sort of hell in itself. Finally, when everything is fading into fire and conflict, the female narrator finds herself standing all alone. People start to disdain her and she realizes the distortion of herself, which I allude to through the metaphor of Picasso’s portraits of women. The poem is structured by time at the beginning of each stanza to reflect the slow, daunting passing of years stuck in this situation. Even though the poem is told from a first person perspective, there is a sense created by her voice that she feels like an outsider to the story, out of body, hovering over the action to reflect how women might feel unable to control what happens after marriage.
Distance Created by History
Summary:
This flash fiction follows an elderly man's lifelong yearning to return to his homeland after being forced to leave China for Taiwan during the civil war. Separated from his family for decades by political isolation, he holds onto memories, hope, and a promise to reconnect. When borders finally reopen, he returns in research of his village, only to find it transformed beyond his memory. Years later, news of his family's survival reconnects his spirit, and he crosses the sea once more, finally coming home.