This dynamic workshop examines the power of narratives to effect change. Using her graphic novel, Unaccompanied, which tells the courageous stories of unaccompanied refugee minors and the challenges they face in the immigration process, she lays out the core skills and best practices required to produce a clear and effective
non-fiction story. These skills include research methods, interview techniques, synthesis of information, tracking multiple sources, and the unique considerations involved in creating a graphic novel.

Tracy will also discuss the nuanced skills involved in personal advocacy, such as empathy and understanding the audience as well as the importance of recognizing and addressing implicit biases. With this work as background, Tracy will then guide students through examples from other narrative works around immigration and asylum, from fiction to first-person accounts. She will help students evaluate these different approaches while considering how and when each perspective can best be used.

By the end of the workshop, students will have gained valuable insights into the power of narratives to drive social change, as well as practical skills for creating compelling non-fiction narratives.