New voices from Middletown : research in fiction

Researched fiction may sound daunting, but it is certainly no less creative or fun than what some may consider more traditional literary fiction. Researching the time, place, history, culture, etc. of the subject matter of one's story allows the author to more fully inhabit this quasi-imagined world and to write convincingly. For this project, I delve into 1960s Muncie, Indiana, and project my research onto the fictional Middletown, Indiana, crafting a short story about young love, the Vietnam War, being gay in 1966 Indiana, and figuring out where to go and who to be at the crossroads of high school graduation. In addition to the story, I include a detailed author's statement explaining my research process, how it informed my creative writing, and how I have grown as a student of English and as a researcher.