As readers across the Ingham County area take part in the Capital Area District Libraries’ Summer Reading Challenge, Michigan State University students are helping guide the way — one graphic novel at a time.
During the spring 2026 semester, students in the Readings in Graphic Narratives (ENG 325) course taught by Julian C. Chambliss, professor of English and Val Berryman Curator of History at the MSU Museum, partnered with the CADL to create a comics-focused display and a series of thematic reading lists, transforming classroom learning into a public humanities project for the broader Lansing community.
The comics display, designed to connect patrons with graphic narratives that reflect a wide range of perspectives and experiences, can be seen at the CADL’s downtown Lansing location, 401 S. Capitol Ave., during the Summer Reading Challenge, which runs June 5 to Aug. 8.
Chambliss, who serves as the faculty lead for the Graphic Possibilities Comic Research Workshop housed in MSU’s Department of English, designed the project as an opportunity for students to consider comics as more than entertainment — instead, as a dynamic archive of American experience and a powerful way to understand culture, history, identity and human experience.
“We are in a unique position to foster deep and meaningful exploration of comics because of the Comic Art Collection at the MSU Library and our long legacy of research and teaching about comics in the College of Arts & Letters,” Chambliss said. “I wanted this project to leverage those resources while also allowing students to apply an understanding of comic history and scholarship to support our local library system. In my experience, projects like this bridge the gap between the theory and practice in a way that is always meaningful for students and the public.”
The 30 students in the class worked directly with CADL staff to think critically about how comics and graphic novels invite readers into conversations about identity, family, growth, memory and social change. Jill Abood, community engagement specialist for the CADL, visited the class and collaborated with students as they developed ideas for the display and reading recommendations.
The CADL Summer Reading Challenge encourages people of all ages to read and participate in activities throughout the summer.
“It was a pleasure working with Professor Chambliss and his students. They provided an outstanding collection of graphic novels that patrons, of all ages, are sure to enjoy, and it is always cool for children and teens at the library to get book recommendations from another source; especially college students,” Abood said. “The MSU student’s recommendations will be updated on the display throughout the summer, so visitors should be sure to check it out each visit.”
Designed to create an engaging reader experience, the thematic reading lists developed by the students introduce library patrons to the richness and complexity of comics and graphic narratives. Themes include coming of age, parent-child relationships and self-discovery, incorporating multiple genres to appeal to readers with a range of interests.
For students, the project offered an opportunity to move literary analysis beyond the classroom and consider how scholarship can serve public audiences. Rather than simply analyzing texts for a class assignment, students were asked to think about how readers discover stories, what themes resonate with different audiences and how comics can spark curiosity, conversation and understanding.
“This project was unlike anything I’ve had the opportunity to do before, and I was very excited to work with my fellow classmates to create a list for other people our age who are into comics,” said Cyteriell Harmon, an English major. “Throughout the project it not only reinforced my love for comics and graphic novels but taught me how important it is to pay attention to and highlight the cultural and historical aspects of graphic novels. I would definitely recommend this type of project for other classes because it was not only informative, but fun as well. I thoroughly enjoyed being able to use my creative freedom to fit graphic novels into our specific categories, and it also gave me a chance to find comics to read myself.”
Ultimately, the collaboration connects student learning with community engagement while highlighting the MSU Department of English’s broader commitment to recognizing graphic media in all forms as powerful tools for understanding culture, history, identity and experience. By contributing to CADL’s Summer Reading Challenge, students applied classroom ideas in a public setting, helping readers discover graphic narratives as spaces for reflection, connection and exploration.
This story was originally featured on the College of Arts & Letters website.
