In the Klinger College of Arts and Sciences, students have opportunities to engage in interdisciplinary research that leads to creative projects. Undergraduate students Raegan Gronseth and Marshall Kopacki dove into the world of research and creative writing through the development of their manuscript, “Morningstar,” a surreal horror-fiction novel.
Gronseth and Kopacki first met during their MU4Gold seminar, where they discovered shared academic interests in theology, anthropology and English. Outside of class, their novel started to first take shape. The two would jokingly create disconnected characters with small storylines, but their creativity snowballed into a full narrative. While neither Gronseth nor Kopacki had previously believed themselves to be creative writers, they felt as if they had no choice but to write together.
The first milestone of Gronseth and Kopacki’s writing career came from the Honors Summer Research and Creative Fellowship, which awarded them funding to continue their creative project. Dr. Ben Pladek, associate professor of English and director of graduate studies in the Klinger College of Arts and Sciences, served as their faculty mentor through their fellowship.
“They’re great writers, wonderful humans, and natural-born storytellers,” Pladek says. “They had approached me to see if I would be willing to supervise their novel and it was a real delight. They are funny, incisive and have an excellent sense of character and story structure. It is a pleasure to be their supervisor.”
Pladek continues to be a faculty advisor for Gronseth and Kopacki, offering hands-on experience for their writing. In Pladek’s English Writing Capstone, students focus on long-form fiction content in a collaborative and reflective setting. Beyond the Writing Capstone, Gronseth and Kopacki continue work on the novel with Pladek through an independent study.
Gronseth and Kopacki took part in extensive research to write their characters as realistically and ethically as possible, especially as they explore the Lakota culture. Their novel tackles difficult questions on the ambiguity of identity, what Gronseth calls the “in-betweenness of life.” To do justice to such deep and topical issues, countless hours were spent reading contemporary scholarship in theology and anthropology to best represent gender, sexuality, multi-racial identities and the instability of relationships found in the book’s characters and storyline.
“We both have personal investment in Indigenous culture and activism,” says Kopacki, who previously researched and designed maps of Native Milwaukee landmarks in the Indigenize Milwaukee Project run by the MU Indigeneity Lab. Gronseth and Kopacki agree that literature needs to give voice to diverse identities, and thorough research is needed for thoughtful representation.
Writing and research have also inspired Gronseth and Kopacki to give back, as they are determined to advance opportunities for other burgeoning writers at Marquette. The two host Honors Creative Writing Workshops that focus on a variety of topics such as developing characters, narrative structure, and any other task a writer may need help with. Beyond this, Gronseth and Kopacki are both fellows working with the Writing Innovation Symposium and have been previously published in the Marquette Literary Review. Gronseth now serves as an executive editor for the 2025 edition of the Marquette Literary Review.
After graduation, Gronseth and Kopacki are determined to finish their novel and seek publication. They are grateful for the sense of community that Marquette provides and are excited for the next steps of “Morningstar.” Below is a brief description of their work given by Groseth and Kopacki:
“Late in the summer of 1997, estranged childhood friends James “JJ” Morningstar and Angela Stigmata reunite in their rural North Dakota hometown over the funeral of JJ’s mother. Upon reconnection, they learn that they’ve both been subject to strange visions and otherworldly messages concerning an oncoming apocalypse. At the same time, Jesuit priest and renowned demonologist Timoteo Arsgoetia has been called upon by the archdiocese to investigate absurd anomalies taking place at JJ’s home parish. “Morningstar” is a surreal psychoreligious horror-comedy that delves into topics such as murder, bees, Revelation, the description of rotary phones ad nauseam, the terrors of the Midwest and the fridgegoyle.”
For more information on “Morningstar” or upcoming Honors Creative Writing Workshops, contact Gronseth and Kopacki at raegan.gronseth@marquette.edu or marshall.kopacki@marquette.edu.
