Story and photos by Logan Jackson
- Josiah Anderson – junior English major
- Research Mentor: Phong Nguyen, professor of English and the Miller Family Endowed Chair of Writing
Josiah Anderson has spent the past two years at Mizzou searching for every available opportunity to improve his writing skills. Last summer, he was able to explore the short story genre through the Cherng Summer Scholars program. This summer, he’s returning for a second year in the program.
“There are not nearly as many creative scholarships when compared to research scholarships, which I completely understand,” said Anderson, a junior English major. “But as a creative writer, I would obviously love to be paid to work on a project that I’m passionate about. I did quite a bit of shopping around and found a few grants out there, but they lasted longer than the summer. Instead, I thought I would give the Cherng Summer Scholars program another try. It’s honestly the best scholarship for what I want to do.”
The Cherng Summer Scholars program, supported by a gift from Peggy and Andrew Cherng, is a nine-week research or creative scholarship program for Mizzou students pursuing the Honors Certificate. The program allows students to participate in individually designed projects under the mentorship of a Mizzou faculty member. Students also take part in a weekly seminar course and present their research findings during Mizzou Office of Undergraduate Research’s Summer Forum.
“This is literally a dream program for me,” Anderson said. “When I came to Mizzou, my primary goal was to become the best writer that I can become in my four years. Even if I never get published, that’s what I’m focused on. The Cherng Summer Scholars program is allowing me to further my craft. It’s truly been a blessing.”
Anderson is working on a fantasy novel this summer, with a specific focus on the editing process. He said he wrote nearly 150,000 words leading up to the summer and spent the first part of the scholarship getting his first draft to a place where he could begin receiving feedback.
It’s been a change of pace compared to his project last year.
“I don’t know that short stories are really my wheelhouse, but I’m glad I was able to explore that genre last summer and gain a better understanding of it,” Anderson said. “When I applied for the second time, I knew I wanted to pursue a novel, and that’s been a really exciting process. My goal was to have most of my first draft complete so that I could spend my time in the program revising my work.”
Anderson is working closely with his research mentor, Phong Nguyen, a professor of English and the Miller Family Endowed Chair of Writing. Nguyen, who is also the director of the Creative Writing Program, served as Anderson’s mentor last year as well and has been a vital editor as Anderson grows as a storyteller.
“Dr. Nguyen has been published in numerous genres and has his finger on the pulse of how those different genres operate,” Anderson said. “He’s so great to work with. He has a couple different editing processes that I’m hoping to incorporate into my draft. Once I get further into that process, I’m planning to share the full story with friends, family and peers to see what type of feedback and advice I receive.”
Anderson said his novel features classic adventure elements and pulls a bit from the grimdark subgenre, which typically features anti-heroes and complex politics. He’s also exploring theology and even brainstorming potential fictional religions.
“It’s not a fantasy world like Dungeons and Dragons or The Lord of the Rings; there are no elves or dwarves,” Anderson said. “The subgenre I’m writing in features morally gray characters, and good actions don’t necessarily have positive outcomes. It’s been super fun to dream up the entire world.”
While the Cherng Summer Scholars program has been fulfilling from a project perspective, Anderson added that interacting with the rest of the cohort has been equally rewarding.
“I just love talking to passionate people,” Anderson said. “I don’t need to understand a word they’re saying. If they’re excited about what they’re talking about, it’s fun for me. Being able to spend two years in the program has introduced me to so many intelligent and thoughtful peers who love what they do. It’s an honor to be part of those discussions.”