By JOHN MURPHY, College Relations
CHADRON – “Scattered Moments” is not a typical poetry book.
Written by Chadron State College student Natasha Schwartz, a senior from Severance, Colorado, the book of poetry describes her work for a homicide detective in Maryland, as well as her extended stay in a hospital when she was 15.
“It isn’t the happiest book in the world and I recognize that, but I’m very proud of it and I hope people who read it like it,” Schwartz said.
She said “Scattered Moments” took around a year to write and is available on Amazon.
“I owe it to Dr. (Steve) Coughlin, Mr. (Markus) Jones and everyone else who I’ve met in the English Department for telling me I’m a good writer,” Schwartz said. “This could be my one and only book or it could be my first of many.”
The first section of the book, about the internship, contains five poems.
During her internship, Schwartz spent time at medical examiners’ offices, delivered evidence and observed autopsies. She earned criminal justice credit for completing the internship between her sophomore and junior year at CSC.
“My experience with my internship made me appreciate all the different areas of criminal justice. It’s a lot different to have the hands-on experience instead of just learning about it in the classroom,” she said.
The second part of the book consists of seven poems about months Schwartz spent in the hospital when she was 15 with a rare medical condition, Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM).
AFM is a polio-like illness that usually only affects babies and toddlers, according to Schwartz.
“I had viral meningitis that progressed into AFM, and they don’t know how to fix it. They’re working towards a cure,” Schwartz said.
Schwartz would like to pursue a career in forensics or the legal aspect of the criminal justice system after graduation.
Schwartz, who has antibodies in her blood due to having AFM, donates blood to help develop a vaccine for the disease. The antibodies protect her from contracting AFM again, but she will always have symptoms, such as chronic back pain.
Since her internship and time in the hospital impacted her life so much and were so unique, Schwartz decided to write about both experiences.