Professor Kristy Odelius is excited about her students’ imaginations and the opportunities to nurture them that are inherent to North Park. “As a close-knit community, students have real opportunities to work alongside others in creative disciplines, like art or theatre or philosophy,” she says. Her students create deep, thoughtful connections between visual, written, and performance art forms.

Odelius explores new ways to encourage interdepartmental collaboration. She is developing opportunities with the Philosophy department for their students to think critically and creatively about “urban naturalism,” reflecting on environmental experiences in both rural and city settings.

In her classes, Odelius teaches work that addresses the experiences and traditions of all her students and provides writing workshop sessions. She hopes that she and her students all maintain a close connection with cultural shifts and the ways that creative writers and thinkers can contribute to and lead social conversations.