Though I originally sought out to write a series of fiction pieces utilizing dark humor, what transpired over the course of the fellowship was a rigorous lesson on adaptability, flexibility, and revision. The bulk of my project consisted of a set of autobiographical non-fiction works that, while featuring occasional dark humor, focused more so on the theme of loss during childhood than trying to perfectly emulate a specific genre.
While at first, I found it slightly frustrating to, despite my best efforts, tell stories from childhood solely through the lens of dark humor, the sage of advice of my advisor Dr. Paul Graham helped me realize a fundamental of writing - let a story be told how it needs to be told.
The fellowship opportunity gave me the time and resources to reflect upon a subject matter that has shaped my worldview as a daughter, sister, friend, and writer. From the more familiar essay style to experimenting with flash pieces, I unpacked moments that initially might have appeared trivial, but upon careful rumination were paramount in shaping my identity. I explored how and why we use humor and sarcasm as a coping mechanism when processing grief, and how to incorporate these naturally as opposed to forcing them for the sake of categorizing work into a specific genre. Moreover, I grappled with what it means to "succeed" when growth as a writer is a relatively intangible product.