Alyssa Explains It All
Welcome to my online portfolio!
There is an overlooked depth behind words put together to create meaning, as if the ability to do so correctly is not arguably in and of itself both a form of art and an indication of true intelligence. Writers are not merely writers, they are analysts of reality and the human conscious, connoisseurs of cohesiveness and clarity, and extremely well-practiced in purposeful communication.
Content Projects & Copy Writing
The following is my work for RoundSphere, a software development company in Athens, Georgia that primarily focuses on tech startups and SaaS integrations. While I did lend assistance to many areas of the business, most of my projects were for RoundSphere's brainchild DataAutomation. At the time, I was their sole copy writer/editor.
Gwinnett Daily Post Bylines
From January 2016 to June 2016 I participated in an internship program through Georgia Gwinnett College with the Gwinnett Daily Post. This opportunity introduced me to the world of journalism as I learned proper formatting, editing techniques, and even how to conduct on-sight interviews for lifestyle articles. I was also responsible for editing and keeping up with the music and arts event pages on a weekly basis.
Literary Portfolio
The following are several pieces I wrote to help earn my bachelor's degree, from peer-reviewed essays and research dissertations to creative short stories and even a 10-minute script.
Writers, Quit Selling Yourself Short!
Although there are unique challenges attached to careers in content writing, this piece examines how an English degree (and a bit of personality!) can help one overcome even the most difficult setbacks.
Culminating Reflection of an English Degree
A review of personal growth through the experience of earning my bachelor's degree in Writing and Rhetoric.
Black Girl Magic 101
A rhetorical analysis of Candice Benbow's Lemonade Syllabus; a collaboration of works surrounding Black Womanhood inspired by Beyonce's sixth solo project Lemonade.
Comedy Against Corruption
This critical discourse analysis of Saturday Night Live and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee explores how late-night television has become a form of resistance in response to our current political climate.
President-Elect Donald Trump: A Master of Performance
This piece breaks down the pathos-saturated rhetoric used throughout Trump's campaign and offers a thesis as to how the 2016 election was won despite a complete disregard for legitimate logos and ethos.
Canon Complications
American literary critic Harold Bloom defines individual thought within the Western Canon as anything but political. Using modern works from popular contemporary authors Junet Diaz and Elena Ferrante I examine the absolute necessity of both politics and cultural morality when accurately recreating the individual in thought.
The Sound of the Southern Aristocracy Dying a Slow and Painful Death
An essay surrounding the societal decay attached to patriarchal norms through analyzing the Compson brothers from William Faulkner's classic The Sound and the Fury.
America Can't Handle the Truth: The Watered-Down Consequences of Prevailing Racism
Part literary analysis, part research paper; this piece calls for a more critical understanding of A Raisin in the Sun by African-American playwright and activist Lorraine Hansberry. The overwhelming majority of criticisms based upon Hansberry's most popular work fail time and time again to shed light on the allusions and elements that underline the white supremacist ideologies America's past and present are undeniably drenched in.
A Heart Turned to Stone
A careful analysis of Margaret Atwood's short story, Stone Mattress, through a moral and philosophical approach. I discuss Atwood's probable intentions to showcase the complicated consequences of growing up female in an environment void of feminism.
Digital Mapping Project of Ulysses by James Joyce
For this project I have created Tumblr accounts for Stephen Dedalus, Leopold Bloom, and Molly Bloom; the three narratives found in Ulysses. These separate blogs are written in the sense of what each character’s inner monologue would be like if represented as personal, online journals with the addition of respective photography posts before and/or after each entry. Because Joyce's work is considered to be the second hardest book to interpret in the English language, sculpting a summary project in this way creates a tool that can easily be used alongside reading the novel for the first time.
The Flower Shop
Eva must find the most perfect shade of yellow tulips for her daughter, but the occasion is not what it seems.
​
Contemporary fiction short story using third-person omniscient point of view.
Change of Heart
Richard is an aging baby-boomer who comes to realize his hard work isn't enough to save him in the way he truly needs to be saved.
Contemporary fiction short story using third-person limited point of view.
Drowning in Doubt
Lynn finds her own answers to the complicated epidemic of sexual assault.
Contemporary fiction short story using first-person limited point of view.
The One Who Knocks
After another long night of work, Oliver finds himself face-to-face with a modernized Death knocking on his front door.
A 10-minute script, contemporary fiction.
Alyssa Marie McNerney
Alyssa is a freelance writer/editor, small business owner, and activist. She currently resides in the greater Atlanta area where she received her bachelor's in English/Communications at Georgia Gwinnett College in December 2017. While earning her degree, she chose concentrations in Early Education, Technical Writing, Creative Writing, and World Literature.
​
She has garnered nearly three years of experience in her field, from content writing and editing for e-commerce businesses to social media management and having both op-eds and lifestyle pieces published.
Alyssa is also the owner, operations and social media manager of vintageembers.com, an online boutique where curated, hand-picked vintage meets hand-poured candles like never before!
Alyssa's dream is to continue using language and communication as a tool to provide clarity, provoke thought, and bring communities closer together.
Angela Davis​
"I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change, I am changing the things I cannot accept."
Contact Me
Thank you for reviewing my Writer Portfolio. Please get in touch to inquire about freelance work, an updated copy of my resume, or for any other information!
Located in Atlanta, Georgia