Exploring “haunting” as a metaphor for social justice in narratives of violence, loss, and trauma, this public reading by two authors—one a writer of fiction and one a writer of creative nonfiction—will explore the theme of "Ghost Stories as Social Justice." Weaving grief, terror, and the art of storytelling with the desire to know the unknowable, we will demonstrate and explore the concept of haunting as memory and how haunted memories can live in our bodies but also transform trauma through narrative avenues of healing while leading to social justice by giving voice to the voiceless. Social justice for survivors and victims of violence may be illuminated and represented through the power of trauma narratives weaving the real and the speculative in innovative and experimental ways. As witnesses, storytellers, and survivors, we are all haunted by our past, but crafting a narrative gives us agency to shape our present as it silhouettes our future.

Join us for a non/fiction reading followed by a brief Q and A to discuss narrative craft, writing methods, and the ghost-story as a literary genre in fiction and creative nonfiction.

Doel Reed Center alumna and scholarship recipient, Lucy Emerho, took home the $1,000 grand prize for her submission to the Doel Reed Center’s 2025 t-shirt design contest.  A panel of judges reviewed over 25 entries before deciding that Emerho’s design best captured the spirit of the Doel Reed Center. Emerho, who studied in Taos in 2023, has recently begun her PhD program at OSU and reflects that “studying in such an inspiring environment sparked my creativity in ways I never expected.”  Look for Lucy’s t-shirts on campus and read her full interview here.