By Nicole Wakeland
Twenty UC Santa Barbara students presented their year-long research projects featuring an array of academic articles, reports, memoirs, novellas, zines, and videos at the 2022 Raab Writing Fellows Showcase, last week.
“The Raab Writing Fellows Program provides a rare space in which the personal intersects with the academic,” said Ljiljana Coklin, a continuing lecturer in UCSB’s Writing Program and the director of the Raab Writing Fellows Program. “A lot of the projects are deeply personal or creative in nature, and these are the modes in which students don't get to work often enough.”
Jinx Martinez introduced their group “Exploring Gender and Sexuality” at the Raab Writing Fellows Showcase last week.
The fellowship is made possible by writer Diana Raab, a former UC Santa Barbara Foundation Trustee, and is open to any student interested in developing a project incorporating academic, professional, creative, or multimodal writing. Each Raab Writing fellow receives a $750 stipend in support of project needs, and works collaboratively with a Writing Program faculty mentor and the cohort of other fellows during a year-long seminar.
The showcase gave students the opportunity to present writing stemming from their personal interests, identity, and past experiences in a positive and encouraging environment. This year, the Raab projects fell under four main categories: health and healing, innovating in reading and writing, memoir writing, and exploring gender and sexuality.
Nick Cerofeci’s project, “The Effect of Text Dimensions on Reader Retention and Interest,” was an experiment probing whether adjusting the dimensions of a text improves the reader experience. Joshen Mantai used a multimedia zine to look at mental health among college students and the impact of insufficient funding for therapeutic services in universities in her project, “A Storied Mind.” Charlie Prindle completed a draft of a young adult science fiction novel titled “The Eidolons,” which was influenced by the works of Brandon Sanderson, Orson Scott Card, Christopher Paolini, and Stephen King.
Grace Wilken presenting her film project “Days and Nights: An Anti Manic Pixie Dream Girl Film” at the Raab Writing Fellows Showcase.
Several projects seemed aptly timed for Pride Month this June.
Kenny Moody, for one, examined the ways in which race, gender and sexuality have been coded into the performance of tap dancing throughout history in their project, “The Sound of Queerness in Tap Dance.”
Moody’s final project is an Instagram page which includes taboo-breaking depictions of tap dancing through choreography and song choice. “My purpose for this project is to create some of the media that I needed to see when I was growing up, trying to define my own queer and Black identity,” said Moody. “As a tap dancer, I have seen very few Black crossdressers, trans people, or drag queen and kings doing what I do. I hope that by increasing the number of creators by just one I can show many young queer dancers and queer people that people like them exist.”
With no limit on what they could research and produce, the students said they found the program freeing and affirming of their abilities.
Grace Wilken sharpened both her writing and critical thinking skills and produced a screenplay, “Days and Nights: An Anti Manic Pixie Dream Girl Film” during her time as a Raab Writing Fellow. The project explores how female characters are often depicted in stories solely to teach and transform the male protagonist.
“Being a Raab Writing Fellow has been transformative,” said Wilken. “Under the guidance of my mentor, I was able to craft a story that felt true and impactful.”
Several students investigated their academic and creative endeavors through zines, a tool for sharing narratives outside the mainstream. Zines originate from queer-forward punk and counter culture movements and have often been used to document queer history.
With “Breaking Binaries: A Zine on Gender Non-Conforming Experience,” Julia Barrera compiled a resource for other nonbinary individuals like herself. The project encapsulates the rich diversity of experiences, identities, emotions and perspectives of gender nonconforming young people while also creating a space for emotional healing, self-exploration and community bonding.
Ljiljana Coklin, far right, a continuing lecturer in UCSB’s Writing Program and the director of the Raab Writing Fellows Program, guided the undergraduate students through their year-long writing projects.
“During the pandemic I was very isolated and didn’t know anybody who was nonbinary before I came back to school,” said Barrera. “This project allowed me to explore my identity and find other people like me in a way that I never have before.”
With help from faculty members, these students were able to generate resources for other students, resources they wish they had on their own journeys of self-discovery.
Kiyan Atrian’s zine, “A ‘Chosen’ Ministry: Drag Performance and Queer Religious Trauma,” aims to bring stories and narratives to the table that aren’t otherwise expressed in conventional publications. Atrian’s faculty mentor Patricia Fancher was “affirming and compassionate” throughout the process, “she always knew how to keep me grounded and motivated,” he said.
“The most rewarding part of the program is seeing the students grow as writers, critical thinkers, and individuals,” says Ljiljana Coklin, director of the program. “They discover what matters to them, and they learn the importance of prioritizing their creativity and cultivating their passions.”
Nicole Wakeland is about to graduate with a major in Communication and a minor in Professional Writing. She is the Social Media Intern for the Writing Program.