Reading and writing as self-care: New research from recent English Department graduates
It’s long been understood that reading fiction can help us be more empathetic with others. Two new studies from SUNY New Paltz students are demonstrating how literature can also help us take better care of ourselves.
New Paltz students Summer Mohrmann ’23 ’24g (English) – a 2023 SUNY Chancellor’s Award winner – and Brina Novogrebelsky ’24 (English: Creative Writing; History) capped their undergraduate experiences at the University with extensive projects supported by the Research, Scholarship & Creative Activities program.
Mohrmann outlined a framework in “Realities of the Imagination: Narrative Reclamation and the Therapeutic Application of Story” where patients read narrative works on emotional trauma and use it as inspiration to write about their own experiences. At the end of each session, patients share both their writings reflecting on the literature with the rest of the group as a pathway to personal healing.
Novogrebelsky drew on personal experiences for her project as well. “Procreating with a Sharer of the Language: Romance, Nostalgia, and Identity Formation in Immigrant Literature by Jewish Women from the Former Soviet Union,” explores traditional attitudes of interfaith courtship and marriage in the Eastern European Jewish culture in which Novogrebelsky grew up.
Mohrmann was interested in exploring the idea of how reading and storytelling might help people who are dealing with trauma. A trauma survivor herself, she designed a study that hinged on a unique group therapy model that combines elements of a book club and a writer’s workshop.
“I’m interested in the concept of writing about something related to personal experiences without writing about them directly, to get to a core truth about what you’ve been through,” she said. “Maybe there’s some untapped potential there to provide a literature-centered therapy for trauma survivors.”
Novogrebelsky’s study similarly used expressive literature as a means of defining and nurturing identity, though her interest was more focused on the experience of individuals relocated from one country to another.
“The goal with my research is to be self-reflective of how my identity defines me and the way I relate to people,” she said. “Every immigrant deals with questions of whether you marry for love or for preserving heritage, but there is a common thread of humanity linking each of these experiences.”
She further developed her work as a contributing writer in this year’s Stonesthrow Review, the New Paltz Creative Writing program’s literary magazine.
“People see me, and they see my background, which I’ve been open about,” she said. “But reading and writing about it gives me a greater understanding of where I see myself in the world.”
Both young scholars say they gained a greater sense of self-awareness through the interdisciplinary approach that is common across New Paltz English Department courses.
“Each of my professors focused on different ways of approaching what we read,” said Novogrebelsky, “which allowed me to understand the material I studied in new ways.”
“Seeing other disciplines incorporated in our study of English makes our studies more enlightening,” said Mohrmann.
English Professor Michelle Woods served as faculty advisor on both projects, culminating two longstanding student-faculty partnerships.
“It was wonderful to see conversations we’ve had for two years about different topics of interest blossom into these projects,” Woods said. “They had the freedom to read outside of assignments in the classroom, exploring topics they find interesting while gaining a new understanding of themselves.”
Click here for more information on the Department of English at New Paltz.
Students interested in learning more about undergraduate research opportunities and funding can visit the Research, Scholarship, & Creative Activities Program website for application information and deadlines.