UT Student publishes her ‘Stories from the Heart’

UT graduate Nastassia S. Fifer released a collection of poetry called "Stories from the Heart" this year.

Fifer, who was born in Ypsilanti, Mich., graduated from UT last year with a degree in political science.

Originally considering law school, Fifer chose instead to pursue writing as a career. She is working on a novel while completing a master's degree in business administration at ITT Technical Institute.

The 93-page collection consists of 80 poems over a range of topics, from parenthood to the 2010 transfer of LeBron James from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Miami Heat.

The broad range of topics in the collection appears quirky at times while remaining linked by Fifer's vision of "a glimpse into my life through my personal experiences, perspective, and memories."

Indeed, Fifer has a rather unique and distinct voice as a writer in lines like "Success, sweet success/I want nothing less/So bring on responsibility, bring on the stress," from the poem "Success."

A few poems deal with issues of faith, such as "Three Diamonds in the Sky" and "My Philosophy."

In particular, "Three Diamonds in the Sky" is a declaration of Fifer's faith in God.

"Oh how magnificent is Your name/It's a blessing to be among the chosen/Lord because of Your grace I will want no more/For there are Three Diamonds in the sky," it reads.

Other poems, like "Cowgirl Boots," are more playful in tone: "Sportin cowgirl boots; clean/Struttin it/Loving all the attention they bring/This is my Ode to Western themes."

Fifer describes the collection as "an intimate journey with a variety of emotions, and ideas," leading her to become the person she is today.

Many of the poems describe perseverance in the face of adversity, such as in "Getting It Together" -- "Swallowed my pride, yet I am proud/My yesterdays no longer concern me."

Critic's Conclusion:

While Fifer's initiative in beginning a writing career is admirable, the level of her poetry is below what it should be. Though she has the obvious drive to write regularly, Fifer lacks the workshop experience to produce poetry of collection quality.

"Stories of the Heart" is unfocused as a collection and appears to have no direction; at some point, it seems to simply be an unstructured stream-of-consciousness account of 80 days of Fifer's life.

However, with some workshop experiences – and a lesson in selecting poems for a single-theme collection – Fifer could develop into a poet with a presence.