Faculty Award: Daryolyn "Lyn" Jones, Assistant Teaching Professor of English

Daryolyn "Lyn" Jones, Assistant Teaching Professor of English
Sitting at the Feet of our Muncie Elders: Stories of Resistance and Resiliency.

In spring semester 2020, Lyn received a Provost Immersive Learning Grant for her students to interview and publish the stories of Muncie Senior citizens as a part of a Creative Writing in the Community course. The students immediately began interviewing elders in libraries, coffee shops, and senior residences. The participants were asked to remember when they stood up for something or someone, overcame the impossible and kept moving when they thought they could not. In all, 52 stories were collected by midterm. 

When the pandemic hit in March and classes moved online, the project encountered countless obstacles. The students no longer had in-person access to their senior collaborators, work had to be done remotely, and communication was difficult. Some seniors moved out of the residences and were difficult to reach. Still, everyone remained committed to the project. As the community partners worked to keep their residents safe, they continued to assist the class in obtaining the seniors' approvals for the stories. Paper shortages and rising publishing costs were other hurdles that emerged. Even after the semester ended and things did not look good for the project, students remained in communication with Lyn throughout the summer and helped by making phone calls and emails to finalize the stories.  

In the fall, after months of persistence, the project was complete. Lyn and her students were able to find 51 of 52 senior contributors. The resulting book – an anthology of poetry and essays - tells stories of grit, grace, and gratitude through the eyes of our local elders. As we continue to live in a pandemic world, these stories and their messages are more important than ever. Congratulations, Lyn, on this outstanding contribution to Muncie Seniors, your students, and our community.