Final Undergraduate Portfolio / Adv. CNF Spring 2026

Portfolio Requirements
Your portfolio should include 3 revised hybrid works, plus a process letter.

1. Revised Hybrid Works (3 pieces total)
Your portfolio must include:

At least two substantially revised earlier projects, selected from:

Hybrid Assignment #1 (lyric essay / poetic memoir)
Micro-Memoir on a Word
Travel / Anti-Travel Essay
One formal adaptation: a “picture made of words.”

This adaptation must:

be based on material from one of your earlier projects
significantly rethink the relationship between language, space, and meaning
use the page visually or spatially (for example: blocks, columns, diagrams, erasure, mapping, sequencing, or other non-linear layouts)
This is not an illustration of the original piece. It is a new (adjacent) work that emerges through a change in form.

What We Mean by “Word-to-Image” / “Picture Made of Words”
In the Pictures Made of Words section of Family Resemblance, writers treat the page as a field, not a container. Meaning is generated through placement, spacing, repetition, absence, and visual logic.

As you create your adaptation, ask:

What did the original form allow—and what did it limit?
What becomes visible when the material is reorganized spatially?
How does the new form generate new associations, emphases, or questions?
You may discover that the adaptation reveals material that was not fully accessible in prose form.

2. Process Letter (2–3 pages)
Include a reflective process letter addressed to the reader (me) that discusses:

Which pieces you chose to revise, and why
What changed during revision (structurally, conceptually, formally)
How the word-to-image adaptation altered your understanding of the material
What you learned this semester about genre as affiliation rather than category
The process letter is a critical part of the portfolio. It should demonstrate thoughtful engagement with form, revision, and risk.

Format & Submission Guidelines
Submit your portfolio as one PDF whenever possible.
Each piece should clearly indicate its title and (if relevant) its original assignment.
For visual or spatial work:
Make sure formatting is preserved in the PDF.
If necessary, include a brief note explaining how the piece is meant to be read.
Evaluation Criteria
Your Final Portfolio will be evaluated based on:

Revision: Evidence of substantial re-thinking and re-forming
Risk-Taking: Willingness to experiment with form and uncertainty
Formal Awareness: Thoughtful engagement with hybrid strategies
Process Reflection: Clarity and depth in the process letter
You are not graded on polish or perfection. You are graded on attention, intention, and engagement.

A Final Note
You are encouraged to let your portfolio feel a little unfinished, in the best sense. Hybrid work often resists closure. What matters is that your pieces show movement, listening, and transformation.