UWM Honors College “The Beast” Event Sparks Conversation and Connection

The Honors Association for Research and Publication (HARPY) of the UWM Honors College hosted “The Beast” on Friday, May 7, an event creating a space for connection and storytelling among students, faculty and staff about dealing with the “beasts” they live with both within themselves and in the outside world.

HARPY is a student-led organization based in the UWM Honors College dedicated to “fostering undergraduate research in the humanities and social sciences,” according to their website. The organization has a peer support network where students with research experience can mentor students new to undergraduate research. HARPY also hosts two annual conferences, the “Monster Conference” in the fall semester and the “Beastly Conference” in spring.

This year, instead of the “Beastly Conference,” HARPY decided to host the virtual storytelling event “The Beast” to give students a break and allow them to celebrate the art of the story instead of asking everyone to prepare for an academic conference, according to junior classical civilizations major and President of HARPY Jess Plotkin. The virtual semester and stress of the past year influenced the organization’s decision to take a break from the regular conference.

“Rather than stress over properly cited sources and contextualized evidence, we chose to celebrate the most fundamental aspect of humanity: storytelling, and to structure an event that would allow open communication of what it means to be human- generally and amid an unprecedented pandemic,” Plotkin said.

The event, which went from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 7, included 13 pieces, varying from essays to personal narratives to short stories. The organizers curated the pieces into different categories to inspire conversation and reflection among the participants, including “Animal Narratives: Idylls,” “Personal Narratives: Perseverance,” Personal Narratives: Arrival,” “Animal Narratives: The Hunt” and “Grief and Change.”

The event sparked conversation among the Honors College students, faculty and staff about mental health, physical health, life, death, asking for help and other topics, never shying away from the hard topics. Faculty advisor of HARPY Jacqueline Stuhmiller said the theme of the event was connecting through the art of storytelling.

“Putting these stories together in a way that creates maximum impact is kind of like architecture, you don’t necessarily notice the building that you’re in, you just notice the feeling that it gives you,” Stuhmiller said. “Kudos, kudos, this is an amazing program.”

In discussion, senior psychology major and Co-Chair of HARPY Sofia Mattson said, “We’re all wanting to help each other, so share, share as much as you can, and this conference is just the place to share. So, I’m glad we’re all here today.”

Amy Reyes, a freshman majoring in biological sciences, spoke about her history with an eating disorder in her piece entitled, “What Food Means to Me.” She shared her story about when she was thirteen years old and began tracking her calories, the physical and mental toll from living with an eating disorder and how she has been able to become a “foodie” now who loves to bake.

“We all have a beast of some sort. My beast is food. I’ve learned to befriend it and use it for good,” Reyes said.

Mattson played “Le Complainte de la Blanche Biche,” or in English “A Warning for Women Who Wander in the Wood,” on the harp, after sharing her story about learning a young woman was murdered in the ditch she played in as a young girl just days before the murder occurred. She said she has been working on the story for years, developing it over time to get it just right.

Kevin Monohan shared his short story entitled “The Fable of the Dragon-Tyrant,” about which he said “the dragon to him is aging, death. It’s something that everyone has to go through. I can’t think of it as anything else now.” The story has helped him process the passing of his grandfather, he said. Others contemplated what the dragon meant to them, offering their insight into what this beast could represent. Stuhmiller offered her perception of it, saying that to her, she read the dragon as climate change.

Other speakers at the event included Olivia Nuechterlein, Bailey Flannery, Zoë Brown, Min Kwon, Kari Mrotek, Alex Nelson, Zella Haase and Faith Wrycha. Several honors college students, faculty and staff joined the event in the audience, and participated in the discussions throughout.