Just about everyone in academia has read, referenced or endlessly pored over niche articles in academic journals, but how many people can say they’ve written one? Presidential fellow Aaron Gordon and English professor T.J. Martinson can.

This past summer, Purdue University’s academic journal “Modern Fiction Studies” accepted “Narrative Scarring in Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad,” an academic essay two years in the making. Martinson and Gordon will present an overview of their findings on how trauma is the driving force behind this 2016 postmodern slave narrative at 4:30 p.m.  Monday, Nov. 18 in Faculty Hall 208.

So what is “narrative scarring?” Gordon said it is the notion that trauma is the thread sewn through the novel, acting as its driving force more than even the plot itself. The term first appeared in a conversation between the co-authors during a different iteration of the essay, inspiring an entirely new direction for their argument. Martinson said they examined the text as a body and its unusual characteristics— such as overlapping timelines that confuse the novel’s chronological order— as scars.

“We see (overlapping time) as the novel’s traumatic scarring in the same way that I could have a scar on my arm,” Martinson said. “Now, this scar represents something that happened a while ago. It’s healed, but it’s still there. It’s an indicator of some originating trauma.”

Gordon and Martinson said they hope for a decent student turnout at their upcoming presentation. Gordon will be leading the bulk of the presentation. He called it a “victory lap” for the two of them and said he hopes their argument will inspire constructive conversation.

“Narrative Scarring” is the first co-written piece either author has embarked on. Martinson said he is excited to celebrate Gordon’s work and the high accomplishment of publishing, especially as an example of how student voices can be heard in academic fields.

“I think it’s valuable for undergraduates to hear about what that process is like from the mouth of a peer,” Martinson said. “I think it’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s exciting that students at Murray (State) are doing such cool, innovative research.”