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Hillary Jo Foreman earned her MA in Creative Writing with a concentration in fiction from Ohio University in 2020. She is a current MFA candidate in creative nonfiction at the Ñý¼§Ö±²¥, where she is also serving as the 2024-2025 editor-in-chief of CutBank literary journal. Her stories and essays have been published in Relief and Barren Magazine.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

Combining visual art in the form of a quilt and creative writing in the form of a crown of sonnets and research-driven prose vignettes, this project will demonstrate how trauma interconnects and repeats, much like patchwork. In its hybridity, this project will demonstrate in form as well as in content how traumatic experiences repeat and blur together, amplifying their effect in the survivor’s life.

Katelyn Melcher is a graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Program.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

The Em“BODY”ment of College-Age Dancers explores disordered eating and body image concerns, which are unfortunately common among both college Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ and dancers. The purpose of this project to explore the relationship between body image and disordered eating among college dance Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ at the Ñý¼§Ö±²¥, focusing on how dance training influences these phenomena. By integrating quantitative measures and qualitative interviews, this interdisciplinary study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of college dancers' body image concerns and their impact on psychological well-being.

Alexa Runnion is a second-year graduate student in the Communication Studies Department, with a concentration in Advocacy and Social Movements and a certificate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She is originally from Bozeman but moved to Missoula in 2018 to pursue her undergraduate degree at UM.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

This project explores the experience of transmasculine birthers. This project specifically focuses on the narratives told by transmasculine birthers to see how they navigate and redefine their reproductive bodies within the context of dominant discourses that say only women bear children. My goals are to understand how transmen’s experiences as birthers intersect with assumptions about the healthcare system's role in birthing and reproduction, as well as broader social norms and assumptions surrounding gender, sexuality, parenting, and family.

Emily Senkosky is a writer, photographer, and editor who is inspired by new surroundings. After making a life for herself as a journalist in Medellin, Colombia, she returned to the Western U.S. where she is from to get her master's in environmental science and natural resource journalism at UM. For her graduate work, Emily is exploring the theme of "water justice" where she takes a closer look at the communities that are impacted by the anthropogenic manipulation of river systems.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

"A River’s Reciprocity" is a photo story. Returning from two months of reporting in Southeast Asia this summer, she is fresh off the heels of documenting the impacts of dams and climate change on communities of the Mekong River. The visual narrative aims to explore the ecological, environmental, and cultural significance of free-flowing rivers. Through community engagement and visual storytelling, the project looks to explore the impacts of biodiversity loss and cultural erosion caused by hydropower, ultimately challenging it as a green energy source.

Skylar Lynn Tibbetts is a hybrid writer from Seattle, WA. She now splits her time between the high desert of the Colorado Plateau—where she guides river trips through canyon country—and Missoula, MT, where she is an MFA candidate in creative nonfiction.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION:

'Index of Obsessions,' the title essay for my MFA thesis project in creative nonfiction, explores my experience with obsessive-compulsive disorder. It is an experimental piece of life-writing that seeks to demystify the disorder and illuminate its individualistic nature. I plan to use the Ridge Library Collection to expand the investigative element of the essay, presenting research-based writing that will balance the more abstract lyricism.