Who I Am via What I Packed for College

Hey hi hello, 

Today's topic is my identity! 

Who am I? 

When confronted with that question, an Audre Lorde quote immediately comes to mind: 

"There is no single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives." 

The struggle to pinpoint who I am is wrapped up in the pressure to be one thing, something simple. 

Typically, my introduction goes as follows: "My name is Madison Zickgraf. I'm a double major in Political Science and English, and I'm from Nashville." 

As students, we have the tendency to reduce the complexity of ourselves into quick facts of majors and hometowns. Although that intro covers most of what a new acquaintance may need to know, in personal introspection, we should really strive for something deeper. That is precisely the point of participating in Honors Colloquium. The last class we were asked to analyze our identity based on the physical (or metaphorical) things we brought to college with us.  A lot of my classmates had lovely and interesting answers about little reminders of their families or friends. For me, the overwhelming answer is books by sheer quantity. For the purpose of demonstrating the amount, I've gathered them all together from their respective homes -- on and below the desk, under the bed, stacked on the window sill-- and conducted a photo shoot. 

The books featured above are less than half of my personal library, the remainder of which is still in my room at home (much to my chagrin). However, the presence of these books in my college dorm makes it feel like a room that I really live in. For all of my life, I have been a reader. Stacks of books have been a permanent fixture in my decor, beginning in childhood. I can remember following my dad around in bookstores as a young kid, begging for something new to read, even when I already had plenty of unread novels still waiting. Something about the smell of the pages and the promise of a new book made me too jazzed to have self-control. 

Over the years, my interest developed from Junie B. Jones to James Joyce, from Harry Potter to Hemingway, and continues to grow as I discover more of my passions. In fact, the stack on the right is focused almost exclusively topics of social issues and political history/biographies. These books not only give me knowledge when I'm reading, but remind me to keep pursuing knowledge even when I'm doing something else. Frequently, I will look to Madeline Albright's face on the cover of her autobiography to encourage me to push through my millionth hour of studying for International Relations class. To her, I respond, "Thank you, Madame Secretary." 

 I suppose I could just google a nice quote or take advantage of a local library, but I enjoy the permanence of a book that is all mine. I've lived my entire life with books surrounding me and shaping my personality. I believe that words matter, and I constantly find inspiration, shelter, and support in some good old-fashioned printed pages.

(PSA to support your local bookstores. Print will never die!!!) 

Yes, my love for reading is quite intense, but my love for my family and friends shares the same fervor.  Below are pictures of the rest of my dorm decor, featuring pictures --of my family, best friends, perfect boyfriend, and a duck that I like to visit-- intermingled with postcards of my favorite place in DC or pieces of artwork that I enjoy. 

Archibald the duck is pictured in between
"American Gothic" and the March on Washington.
He's an advocate for social justice. 

Please notice the three most delightful men in the world:
My boyfriend, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden.

Look! Another memento of my love for books!
Also featured again: my guy, Grayson. He also likes
to surround himself with words and happens to be the
greatest person in this state, country, world,
and probably universe. 

So really the point is: we are more than one thing. All of us have an identity that is wrapped up in the different roles we take on: student, daughter, sister, girlfriend, best friend, citizen, woman, but we can find value in the combination of all parts of us. I may be a political science student who loves to read, but I also love to eat tacos and feed ducks and wear fun socks and laugh at Lebron James's tweets (I love Lebron. We'll get back to that some time.) 

For now, I've got some work to do. 

 

Until next time, 

Maddie

Oh oh oh, I forgot. The name of my blog is inspired by one of my favorite books A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce. I changed it to Colloquist because I am doing this blog for Colloquium class, and a "colloquist" is someone who engages in meaningful conversation. That's who I hope to be.