A Reflection of the Storozynski Writing Fellowship by Joan Reilly (2024-2025 Writer in Residence)

The Storozynski Fellowship transformed the book I’d been working on for years from an amorphous idea into something “real”—figuratively at first, as I prepared for the residency with a renewed sense of purpose, and then literally, as I spent every day of my month-long stay in South Bend writing the script for my graphic memoir, and willing it into existence, word by word. Since returning home, I’ve been creating illustrations for the book, turning each page of the script into an object that exists in three-dimensional space, and not just in the air between my ears. This process perfectly embodies the Old English origin of the word “draw,” (Dragan, meaning “to drag” or “to pull”) because it truly does feel as if I’m pulling the book out of the ether and into the earthly plane.

 

Visiting the campus and discussing the book with students and professors helped to draw it out even further, as they interrogated the ideas I was attempting to communicate, and inspired me to articulate them more clearly. To be specific: One student pointed out my frequent references to popular culture in the book, and asked what role they play. My answer was that these references, which might seem frivolous at first, are tools for symbolizing integral parts of my personality, and weaving them into the narrative is my way of opening up and sharing more of myself with the reader. But honestly, until that student pointed it out, I had barely noticed the frequency with which I inserted these references, so answering that question was just as revelatory to me as it was to the class.

 

This residency was an invaluable gift—one that will continue to confer its benefits throughout the rest of the creation process, and on into the book’s release and dissemination.