James Keherly

In his young life, James has written graphic novel, narratives, poems and songs, and recently he qualified for the state finals in Power of the Pen. This year, James became inspired to stretch his writing skills even further. He decided to write his own novel for his Junior Research Fellows presentation. It is entitled Dark Days: Maddock, and it is about a man named Abraham whose goal is to destroy the corrupt government.

At his presentation on Thursday, April 16, James discussed how he modeled the structure of his story after the Hero’s Journey, a pattern of narrative identified by the American scholar, Joseph Campbell. He then read an excerpt and shared personal details about his writing process. He told the audience, for example, that he likes to write at night, on his bed, while listening to hard rock music through his earphones. Also, his inspiration for Dark Days came when he was angry one day and needed a venue to vent his emotions.

James was lucky to have a strong, dedicated mentor, Mr. Charlie Oberndorf, to guide him through this ambitious project. Mr. Oberndorf also connected James with several local authors, Mary Turzillo and Geoff Landis, who advised him to use the Hero’s Journey as a framework.

James and Mr. Oberndorf worked hard for several months, and the results certainly were impressive. Congratulations, James, on becoming a Center for Excellence Junior Research Fellow.