Death of the Author Student Conference Program

Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID)

8:00 to 8:30 AM: DROP-OFF

• Arrive and check-in at Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID)
• Students presenting at Poster Sessions set up at WID, then go to Union South
• Students presenting at Plenary Session proceed directly to Union South
• Breakfast available in Union South in front of Varsity Hall

Union South (Varsity Hall, Second Floor)

8:45 to 9:00 AM: WELCOME

• Eric Wilcots, Dean of the College of Letters & Science at UW-Madison
• Danielle Weindling, Assistant Director, Center for the Humanities

9:00 to 10:15 AM: PLENARY SESSION

10:15 to 10:30 AM: BREAK

• Please stay in the near vicinity of Varsity Hall
• Student ambassadors should meet at the stage immediately following the Plenary Session

10:30 to 11:15 AM: KEYNOTE

Nnedi Okorafor, Author of Death of the Author

11:15 AM to 12:00 PM: LUNCH

• You may eat in Varsity Hall or one of the designated four break-out rooms on the third floor: Agriculture, Industry, Landmark, or Northwoods
• Sort your lunch trash, recycling, and compost near the welcome desk outside Varsity Hall
• Students who ordered lunches with dietary restrictions will find their lunches listed with their name, school, and dietary restriction on a separate table staffed by GWT volunteers

12:00 to 12:15 PM: PASSING PERIOD

Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID)

12:15 to 1:00 PM: POSTER SESSION 1

• Group 1 Schools: Present your projects
• Group 2 Schools: Tour project sessions

1:00 to 1:45 PM: POSTER SESSION 2

• Group 2 Schools: Present your projects
• Group 1 Schools: Tour project sessions

1:45 to 2:00 PM: PROJECT PRIZES

• For those of you disposing your project before leaving for home, volunteers from UW-Madison will be on hand to assist you to sort and recycle your project materials

Union South

Varsity Hall is located on the second floor of Union South. Bathrooms are located on all floors of the facility and you may find the gender-neutral bathroom on the third floor by the elevators. Please eat lunch in Varsity Hall or one of the four break-out rooms on the third floor. Please bring all your rubbish to the station by the welcome table on the second floor outside Varsity Hall to sort into trash, recycling, and composting.

Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery

The announcement of prizes at the end of the conference will take place in the digital projects area (Deluca Forum). If you are disposing of your project before leaving the conference, please see the UW-Madison volunteers on your way to the pickup area to sort your cardboard and recycling.

COVID-19: We encourage all conference attendees to practice healthy habits to protect against the spread of COVID-19 and other illness: wash hands thoroughly with soap throughout the conference, use hand sanitizer, and wear a mask in crowded spaces. Hand sanitizer is available throughout the conference. For the most updated information from UW-Madison on COVID-19, please visit this dedicated resource from University Health Services (UHS).

Personal Belongings: The Center for the Humanities is not responsible for the care or maintenance of any personal belongings of participating students, teachers, volunteers, or other attendees. Please remember that both Union South and the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery are campus facilities that are open to the public.

• Dodgeland High School, Zoye Hilby & Leila Heidner, The Hollow Tree: Where My Roots Tell Many Stories

• KM Global School for Global Leadership and Innovation, Amelia Sell, All Eyes on You
• La Follette High School, Arlo Skaifenhess, Aaliyah Xiong, Claire Kornell, Death to the Reader 
• Lake Mills High School, Jack Halbleib, Sophia Pertzborn, and Violet Thompson, The Eco + Exo System of Zelu
• Milwaukee Highschool of the Arts, Daniel Yang, Outsider Poems

• Necedah High School, Skylar Hudson, Food, Identity, and Culture in DOTA

• Oconomowoc High School, Addyson Mason and Trinity Stephan, Dillon Sandholm, Accessibility

• Oshkosh West High School, Brooklynn Knoll, The Art We Live

• Osseo-Fairchild High School, Sera M. DeLashmutt, The Grass is Purpler in Lagos

• Rock University High School, Damaris Romero Martinez, The Grove of Perennial Friendship

• School of Options and Applied Research Charter High School, Kiera Minx and Emma Dinkmeyer, Two Sides of the Same Page

• Southern Door High School, Elise Jackson, Oji Speaks: The Reconstruction of Meaning in a Post-Author World

• Southern Door High School, Portia Hah, Oga Chukwu: We Cannot Survive Divided
• Southern Door High School, Reese Vogel, Ijele Reimagined: AI as a storyteller
• Whitnall High School, Emily Koeppel, Ijele
• Wisconsin Connections Academy, Rachel Weaver-Brady, American Teenager (Ethel Cain)

Totino Grace High School, Kebron Gebre

Necedah High School, Olivia Nelson

Osseo Fairchild  High School, Elizabeth Zimmerman

Southern Door High School, Elise Jackson

Oconomowoc High School, Helena Haselbeck

Whitnall High School, Abby Ryer

MKE Arts High School, Kira Banks-King

Monona Grove High School, Zion Ozulamoi

Oshkosh West High School, Faateha Ahmed

Lake Mills High School, Zoey Flood

SOAR High School, Emma Dinkmeyer

La Follette High School, Kamia Hutchins

Lucy Christensen, Cole Gilles, Lundin Karnes and Brett Schaefer

“The Death of an Author” 

Physical Sculpture

Our project utilizes the jarring nature of death and mechanical life to convey Zelu’s complicated relationship with technology and her family’s traditional values. This project uses a mix of lights, motors, and vibrant cloth to garner attention in a similar way her dynamic character did in the book. We decided to reveal her legs to represent how she was viewed all through the book by close family, and fans… only for her legs.

Kyran Marr

The Wave of Destruction and the Helpful Hand of AI

Collage/Poem

This project uses different images to portray the themes of AI’s destructive state towards the environment, society, and the impact towards creative outlets and ideas. But also how AI and technology help improve efficiency, decrease error, and increase the quality of human life (ie the ability to walk for Zelu). Through images that are inspired by the book’s themes on technology and AI towards the environment and society as a whole, this collage compares the pros and the cons side by side. The accompanied poem explores the idea that technology can negatively impact society and the natural world, but also help it.

Aria Stoner

Wheelchair Bound

Pencil/charcoal Sketch

The drawing represents the struggles of living with a disability in a family that is so traditional and hardworking. It is supposed to highlight how losing one’s ability can not only change the physical ways they live their lives, but also the emotional ways. It is also made to highlight the struggles that societal expectations may present to someone with a disability since there is so much discourse about how people should handle their struggles.

Aubree Truscott and Camryn Ramis

Tree of Life

3D Interactive Board

What sparked our project idea from the science fiction drama, Death of an Author by Nnedi Okorafor, was the realization Zelu faced as she became more thankful. We focused on the symbolism of the tree Zelu climbed. From the outside she trusted the tree to support her but in reality it resulted in a dead, beetle infested interior that snapped. Afterwards, Zelu had many encounters when it came to her physical body, experiences, and life decisions. Our project is assembled into a 3D, and interactive board that holds a replica of the tree that Zelu trusted and had flashbacks to throughout the novel. We encourage others to write something they take for granted onto a note card, and pin it to the board. When the next person visits they may leave one and take one. Together, through community, we can cultivate a deeper gratitude for our resources. 

Zoye Hilby and Leila Heidner

The Hollow Tree: Where My Roots Tell Many Stories

Tree Sculpture

Our project is a tree sculpture that represents Zelu as a whole and her connection to nature; the trunk shows her strength and identity, while the roots represent different people in her life, including her relationships and her growth within those relationships. Quotes from the novel and symbolisms from each interview are woven into the piece to give her story a voice, and Ankara cloth honors her Nigerian heritage. Ankara is placed at the center of Zelu’s tree to signify not only the connection between her and Zelu, but it also shows how Ankara is always in the hollowness of Zelu. The sculpture shows how all parts of her life connect, growing together like a living memory. 

Kayden DeNure and Sebastian Velazquez Cabrera 

The Reflection

Painting

Our project is a painting that illustrates Ankara looking down into water and seeing Zelu as a reflection instead of herself. It is set in a forest with lush green grass and periwinkle colored flowers. It incorporates small details from Rusted Robots and Death of the Author that describe how the environment, and characters, may have looked.

Abby Oestreich and Olivia Downey

Sculpted Flavors of Nigeria

Physical Display

Our project is a clay sculpture of a traditional Nigerian meal. It includes foods such as jollof rice, fried plantains, beef and fried chicken, and a baobab drink. The meal is displayed on a placemat that represents a traditional Ankara print. We incorporated the robotic elements of the book through the silverware, which have robotic and mechanical elements. The color scheme of the plate and cup are the same as the book to symbolize how Zelu’s Nigerian culture shows through in Rusted Robots.

Andy Kelley

Zelu’s Masquerade 

Mixed Media

My project depicts a mini Ijele Masquerade made up of found fabrics and cardboard. The alternating squares of patterns, some traditional and some more chaotic in their color and pattern, help to represent a complex identity like that of Zelu in the novel. The four clay dolls on the Masquerade each represent a part of Zelu’s identity. The Robot, Ankara, represents herself through the story of Rusted Robots as a scholar and creator. The paper doll represents Zelu as a writer in her own story and her fame turning her public image into nothing more than that. The doll with the exo legs represents who she really is to herself, having more casual clothing and her signature blue braids. The final doll represents who she is to her family, sporting her wheelchair and a more traditional Yoruba headpiece. 

Savannah Bubolz 

Who are We?

Poem

This poem is a dialogue between Zelu and Ankara, exploring questions of identity, creation, and authorship. At first, their voices are distinct, each questioning who the other is and who holds the power to create. As the poem progresses, the boundaries between them blur, with their words reflecting, interrupting, and reshaping one another. By the end, they realize that they have created each other, and their identities merge into a single, intertwined voice. The poem ultimately suggests that meaning and selfhood are not fixed or singular, but co-created through interaction, perception, and shared experience.

Kaleb Cousineau and Laurence Oneson

Duality of Humankind and Computers

Two Acrylic Paintings

This is an acrylic painting that was first sketched then painted on a small canvas. It was then given to Google’s AI, Gemini, to recreate everything. This combination of a painting done by an AI and human is all done to represent the humanity and the robot-like aspects of Death of the Author. Humans are known for being high-intelligent and capable of adapting and learning, but this all due to them making mistakes. Our interpretation of the book is that we will reach a point in time where robots and AI may be overpowering, but will still be very human-like. They are and will be imperfect like us, and are simply just another type of human: smart, imperfect, and mistake making.

Lola Miyashiro 

Visual Art 

In Death of the Author, a crucial part of the novel is how Zelu and Ankara reflect and shape each other’s lives. Zelu writes Ankara’s world, and Rusted Robots changes her life. I wanted to represent the cyclical nature of the relationship between author and creation through this art piece. They create each other.

Anastasia Kuester 

Visual Art 

My piece represents the trauma Zelu has experienced and how it shows itself through the exoskeletons. The background of the piece is different shades of purples and blue. Purple is a color often associated with trauma, and confusion, which connects with what Zelu has experienced. The blue is similar to that, but represents the sadness that she experiences with her trauma and losing a lot of her independence when she lost the ability to walk. There are red spirals that are coming off of the page because her trauma, fear, sadness, and guilt manifest as anger, especially when she’s in the public eye or when she feels like her family doesn’t understand her. The focus of my project is the exoskeleton legs. The exos are supposed to be a positive thing in her life, but it has had a negative impact on her life. There are beetles crawling on the exos to show that walking again is causing hard moments for her.

Haze Gabrielse 

Creation Creates Creator

My project Creation Creates Creator represents how Ankara and Zelu are reflected into each other. I chose this name because Zelu is a creation herself, she created a book and the book ends up recreating her life in a way as well. The tree represents Zelu’s accident that shifted her life and her family, the robot represents Ankara. The blue line in the middle shows water (Zelus’ love for the dolphins). The orange and blue backgrounds were inspired by the book cover ankara pattern. My project is meant to show pieces of Ankara and Zelu that may be in common or completely different from each other. The entire point of my project is to show the consistency of Zelu’s life that is reflected in Ankara either through similarities or complete shifts.

Justice Boehmer 

Jagged Truth 

No one likes to acknowledge their flaws, they themselves become blind to them, with the only way to see them being the input of others. The jagged edges along the silhouette shows how people are unable to see our own flaws, Both Zelu and Ankara struggle with this, they are only able to grow as characters when others point them out, represented by the twine threads connecting all the dots, others, and the silhouette, the self, even then Zelu and Ankara resist listening hiding themselves away as shown by the snapped threads.

Gabby Chapa 

Visual Art 

For the Death of the Author book project, I have decided to create a mini scrap booklet, which will include the five main themes that are represented in the book, Identity, Disability, Family + Culture, The Power of Storytelling, and The Relationship between the Creator and the Creation. Each page of this booklet will have a different theme on it, with its own picture and design to represent that theme, along with an explanation of the theme and how it is represented in the book, and a quote from the book that represents the theme. The materials I have/will be using for this project are colored pencils, pens, scrap paper, lacing, and stickers. I have chosen to create my project this way because including sketches and illustrations will provide visual structure, add emotional context and fill in missing details that words alone may miss. All of this alone can help guide the viewer’s eye to understand and make the different themes and events in the book more engaging and interactive for the audience.

Elsa Wiest 

Visual Art 

My art piece is a portrait of Zelu draped in symbolic ankara cloth patterns. She exists simultaneously as a real person and as a plot device for both her and Ankara’s stories. Zelu looks away from the viewer, unable to see beyond her own world. Spiderweb-like strings come out from her in the background, representing all the connections and tethers she makes despite her insistence on independence. She ties people up and often leaves them hanging.

Harper Symicek

The Destruction of Culture

Nigerian Style Pottery

My project is a piece of Nigerian style pottery portraying one of Zelu’s cultures. The pot’s shape was inspired by the style of pottery Nigeria uses. This shows how Zelu’s culture was a main part of the Rusted Robots book. However, I added lots of details like “cracking” the pot and adding random graffiti which portrays how the Rusted Robots movie changed her book. There are specific graffiti styles that show how Zelu felt and what they did to her book. Some of these include a spray painted word “Divest” which means to deprive of power, rights, or possessions. Another is a sticker of a frustrated/mad face which portrays the frustration of Zelu when they twisted, ruined, and took the culture out of her story.

Audrianna Kniseley

Picture of life

Collage

My project is a collection of pictures/quotes that represent Zelu and all that she has been through in her life, leading all the way up to the end of it. Using imagery to show some of the important events in her life, along with quotes that show her mindset during these events. All of the photos I chose have some sort of significance to Zelu/her life, and make up what I perceive to be who she is as a person. While she is not solely defined but what she has been through, I believe it helps refine all of what makes her, her.

Allie Sylla and Hannah Ekern 

Bipolar

Tri-fold/poster 

Bipolar is a mental disability that not enough people are aware of. On our poster we added a description of the disability and facts to go with it to raise awareness. On the top of the description is a diagram representing a person with bipolar disorder. One side the head shows the calm side before the bipolar storm and the other side shows during the bipolar storm. To the left and right of our poster (on the folds of the tri-fold) we added examples and evidence to support our interpretation of Zelu’s bipolar disorder. Evidence and examples included such as the fact that multiple times she has been described as unstable, her impulsive and risky behavior, her coping methods, her extreme emotional highs and lows, her emotional episodes, and her high drive and low points.

Hadley Sylla

Comparing Disability Rights in the United States vs Nigeria

Tri-Fold

My project uses a tri-fold to compare the differences in disability rights and public perception of people with disabilities. I dive into different laws each country has passed to protect people with disabilities and what they actually do to enshrine those unalienable rights. I also connect Zelu’s personal experiences in each country to how public perception treats and views people with disabilities.

Katelyn Kampa and Breeley Kampa 

Disabilities vs. Mental Health 

Tri-Fold Comparison

Our project compares mental health and disability in Death of the Author and real life. We used quotes from the book and research from articles to explain what mental health and disability are. We connected Zelu’s expressions from the book and what we learned about each condition and put it into our own words on how Zelu showed signs of mental health and disability.

Sydney Sura 

The Future of AI Storytelling 

Infographic Poster 

My project summarizes that in Death of the Author, Nnedi Okorafor tells us that the future of storytelling could rest in the hands of future AI. She tells us this by showing us how past humans have influenced the way Humes view and tell stories, how storytelling influenced Humes & Ghosts, and how Ankara’s novel is important to the Humes and their future. This poster is a great representation of Death of the Author book because it shows how the future of AI storytelling revolves around future humans, future technology, and future places.

Richard Reyes and Josue Tecalero Alejo 

The Progress of Creativity in Ankara’s Character

Timeline Poster

My partner and I’s project is a visual educational tool that maps the journey of our protagonist from the book that we’ve read, Ankara from Rusted Robots. By highlighting key events of Ankara’s development in creativity in chronological order, we are able to compare the character and story’s events that begin to define their personality. This timeline poster will help our audience understand the structure of our character’s development and themes.

Garet Bouzek and Darion Gibbs

Ankara’s Playlist

Music Playlist Style Poster

Our poster is made to look like a Spotify playlist. It contains songs which we felt Ankara would resonate with. The music contains themes which she expresses in the novel through her duality and unique stance on the events in the story of Rusted Robots. We also chose some songs which mirrored the events which took place in the story. We found war songs and songs of duality pushed the themes already established in the book best.

Brianna Blanco Muñoz

Differences Between Humes and Ghosts 

Trifold Poster 

The Humes and the Ghosts both have things in common but have different perspectives. Their stories, beliefs, rules, bodies, are different. They also have been through difficult events which have led them to get different emotions or even for the first time get to feel emotions. Which has made them realize not everything is emotionless and accepting each other’s differences. In each box on my poster there is information about the characters and how they associate to the book and each other. Both: means how they view things together.

Brandon Montalvo Tecpile

Rusted Robots

Manga

What types of storytelling ways are there? My name is Brandon Montalvo Tecpile or “Takefusa Endo” is my stage name for the manga adaptation of “Rusted Robots”. From my interruption, the main point of Rusted Robots is Ankara learning about human culture and why humans were creative in story and storytelling. There are a lot of ways to do storytelling like normal text, made up legends, or comics or manga. Mangas are books specially in black and white paddles and are known in Japan and are very popular in countries like Japan, Europe and other countries with making their version of manga and influence with many mangakas from Japan.  In Japan, making mangas must include the story to be the center or idea and using Kishotenketsu. The Kishotenketsu is a structure that many Mangakas use to make their stories. For making my project of adaptation of Rusted Robot 3-12 chapters to a manga, I went and started to mix different formats of manga that are like a one shot and running series. I learned how to make a manga from youtube videos and using Akira Toyama volumes on Dragon Ball and watching Anime learning and getting inspired by different mangakas like Akira Toyama, Kohei Horikoshi, Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Ken Wakui, and Yuki Tabata.

Joey Matchey and Aiden Blaha

Ankara’s Traits

Poster

We made a poster about Ankara’s traits, and how the fabric she based her name upon connects to her traits. We made a drawing of Ankara and described what her colorful design represented. This is relevant in the novel because her design on the poster is colorful and vibrant, and in the book she is a nice and vibrant robot. This is relevant in real life because it shows us about different cultures in Africa and across the world, and how important Ankara fabric is to Nigerian culture.

Citlaly Reyes 

Judgement in the System

Collage 

In the book we see how both Humes and Ghosts judge each other for every aspect they have and how they are seen differently by both Humes and Ghosts. Each one has most of the same aspects but they don’t like each other at all. They both are basically discriminating against each other for being different and who they are. Like in society our nation judges and discriminates others for what they look like, where they came from or for being different sometimes for being a different gender. In my collage there are symbols and pictures that show inequalities within both people, Humes and Ghosts. They show and tell how both are similar and different at the same time but have judgement towards each other.

Carson Klimek

Society Reflected by Artificial Intelligence

Slideshow Accompanied by Description

My project explores how human society is reflected through an Artificial Intelligence robot. Zelu, a character created by Ankara, a robot, explores themes of human created societal ideas. This robot “Ankara” explains human society through themes of racism, sexism, ableism, and media. I explore these themes and how they shape the novel and compare them to real life instances. By analyzing each theme of the novel separately, a greater outlook of the novel and how it relates to human society in real life is created. Every slide of my presentation is accompanied by an explanation of how this theme explored in the novel relates to a real-world issue.

Blake Slaby

How Anxiety Affects People

Slideshow

The project I have chosen to do is a slideshow about how anxiety can be caused and how it affects people. I decided to do a slideshow on how anxiety attacks people as well as connecting it to the book from different parts. Zelu had anxiety which affected her differently throughout the book because of her not feeling loved completely. The story is centered around Zelu and how the characters and events affect her within certain circumstances, which cause her to react differently with each response. A lot of people could relate to the anxiety portrayed in this novel, and I wanted other people to see how anxiety is a big problem.

Xavier Curtis and Kenneth Buschman Rodriguez

Two As One, Rusted Author

Trifold

We took a trifold and made it look presentable so that we could add quotes and connect events that happen from the books Rusted Robots and Death of The Author together. We used the two books to kind of connect how the events in both stories are almost the same but are told in a different perspective or through different events. For example, one of the events is when both Ankara and Zelu lose control of something. For Ankara that is her code being re-written and getting repaired by Ngozi, but for Zelu it is that she doesn’t have control of her mechanical body so Hugo brings Zelu mechanical legs that adjust to her biometrical body. These events eventually lead up to the ending where we find out that Ankara created Zelu’s story and Zelu believed she created Ankara’s story.

Viririana Morales Cervantes

AI Dominion 

Ceramic Portrait Sculpture

In the future, AI and humanity will most likely be intertwined into one. The relationship between both creates tension as technology becomes greater and takes control slowly. Though it is out of our control, we can still carry out humanity as it is and show our spirit through being ourselves. My Ceramic Portrait Sculpture digs deep into how AI could potentially blend in with humanity. The open brain represents the wires in a robot. I included this because in the book Akara is programmed to do whatever the “robot standards” are. As the days pass the usage of AI increases, and this project can give us a glimpse of what the future holds for us humans.

Arianna Blanco Munoz and Natalie Konter 

Uses of AI BAD VS. GOOD 

Trifold

Our project “Uses of AI BAD VS. GOOD” is about how AI is affecting people today and how you can see these uses of AI in the book Rusted Robots. It explains that AI can help people a lot, but it can also cause some problems depending on how people can use it. AI can be really helpful but it can also be kind of dangerous in real life like in Rusted Robots. It shows that AI can make things easier and improve people’s lives, but it also shows the dangers of AI use being taken too far. It can cause some serious problems depending on how humans choose to control and to use it.

Stacy Alejo Fernando

Ankara Robot Art Patterns

Ankara Design on Poster

For my project I created an Ankara pattern based on characteristics of the character Ankara in Rusted Robots. First, I researched Ankara Fabric and explained why the character Ankara in Rusted Robots is named after Ankara Fabric. Next, I brainstormed the character “Ankara” and what I think her fabric design might look like based on her characteristics while using evidence from the book Death of the Author-Rusted Robots. I ended up having three patterns characteristic of Ankara and also three random patterns.  The first was a design with an eye crying. I chose this pattern because it represented that Ankara was developing emotional sadness. The next pattern was a robot holding hands with a human. I chose this pattern because it represents the connection and friendship between Ankara and Ngozi, a human. The last pattern I chose has a ghost. I chose this pattern because of Ankara’s relationship with the ghost, Ijele and how it affected and changed her life. It was fun drawing and challenging myself since I like to draw to keep my hands busy and create new drawing patterns based on what I did for my project.

Lia Sandoval Reyes

The Mirror: How Zelu’s Fictional World Relates to Her Life

Visual Poster

My project uses both stories, Death of The Author and Rusted Robots. Using both stories, on my poster I compare Zelu’s real life experiences with her story. I used her culture/family, power of storytelling, and her disability to describe Zelu’s fictional life she had expressed in her book, Rusted Robots. Also, I added drawings that relate to the topics in each section to add some details and creativity.

Braden Daley and Logan Aylsworth

The Digital Pulse 

Drawing 

Our project is a drawing that shows the hidden side of artificial intelligence. Our drawing features Zelu from Death of the Author.

Skylar Gabrysiak

Story Blooms

Multimedia/pipe cleaner flowers 

My project is a pipe cleaner flower bouquet. Each flower represents a different feeling or trait from Death of the Author. In addition to the bouquet, I’ve provided instructions for flower making and students/viewers can attach a card to the flower they made and explain why they chose that flower and emotion. All of the flowers are in one vase, making a bouquet of story emotions.

Molly Hudson and Charlie Ravenna 

Freedom of Space

Oil Pastel Art Piece

We created this piece to represent how you can overcome anything and to communicate that anyone can do anything if they just put their mind to it. We made our art piece using oil pastels, based on a space theme because of how Zelu went to space at the end of the book. We gave the art piece a robotic-like theme. We want our art piece to show how having a disability doesn’t limit a person; we hope our piece inspires people to realize they are limitless.

Chloe Lietzau and Nadia Olson

The Transformation

Drawing

Our project portrays the face of a Nigerian woman who is half robot. It emphasizes the “growing mind” of AI technology. This shows the significance of AI and Africanfuturism within Death of the Author. The drawing was inspired both by Death of the Author and by our research on AI. We were inspired to make this project by both Zelu and Rusted Robots.

Mason Micale

Why stories matter

Canva slideshow

In Death of the Author, I was inspired by how stories made such a difference in the characters’ lives. I wanted to dive deep into stories, giving meaning to each character as an individual. I took quotes from the book and when participants view the slideshow, they will understand the meanings of different stories.

Hadley Lessard and Cass Nighbert

The Faces of Truth

Interactive Illustrations and Artist Statement

We created an infinite folding card featuring a woman drawn in red; a robot in blue; and two half robot/half girl images. This symbolizes how multiple realities can coexist at once. We combined our interpretations of the two covers to view how they would mesh together, seeing that multiple realities can be true at the same time; it just takes a change in perspective.

Cora Smart and Grace Deubig

Death of the Author book cover 2.0

Art piece

Our project is a new book cover for Death of the Author. Our new cover shows the similarities that we see between Zelu and her world versus Ankara’s futuristic world. In our minds, we picture Ankara as Zelu, but in a robot world. This art piece depicts half of what we picture Zelu to look like and half of what we picture Ankara to look like. In the background, we included geometric shapes to show how robots are expected to be: precise, perfect, and stiff. We used AI to create a single character that is half Zelu and half Ankara, because Death of an Author is an Afrofuturist book. The AI that we used is to represent the futuristic, technological scene that is created in Rusted Robots.

Connor Stonger and Samuel Ruppert

The Mingling (A mixing of humans and AI)

Poem 

This poem explains how human and AI experiences are similar and different and makes connections to Death of the Author. This poem explores the nuances between humans and AI, as well as their experiences. Readers are asked to read the poem and answer questions at the end of the poem. We hope the questions allow students to more fully engage with the poem. We also want to mention that our poem is open to personal perspectives, yet still includes our own.

Amelia Sell

All Eyes on You

Watercolor painting

This painting uses watercolor to shine light on Zelu’s true character. Throughout the book, many of Zelu’s friends and family members gave her constructive criticism because they were worried about her; however, Zelu always took the feedback as a personal attack. This piece uses color choice and surrealistic elements in order to represent and symbolize her friends’ and family members’ true intentions, Zelu’s perspective on their criticism, and the unhealthy ways that she often handled those situations.

Maddie Herbert, Lucy Heller, and Olivia Thompson

AI Differences 

Spot the difference game

Our project uses the idea of a spot the difference game. In this game, students test their skills in telling the difference between something that was generated by a human or by AI. We took representations of African culture (like Ankara fabric) to tie to the novel Death of the Author. Our game asks participants to guess the difference in a written piece and an image.

McKynlee Faulks

Tree of Life

Poster

Using evidence from the text, I created a family tree. I used different fonts for each character. The font I chose, I wanted to represent the character’s personality. I used the book plus my personal ideas to create the family tree.

Ava Drake and Natalie Lietzau

Book Cover Redesign

Book Cover

We made two book covers: one using AI and one we designed ourselves. We wanted to compare them to show why AI cannot beat a human designer. AI can make images fast, but it only uses math and patterns instead of feelings. It copies styles without understanding the story, so the art often looks okay but feels empty. As the human artists, we thought about every small detail to show the heart of the book. We hope by viewing these two covers, students realize that real art needs a human touch that a computer prompt just can’t give it.

James Daase, Mason Pett, and Conner Manhardt

The use of AI

One pager

Our project is a one-pager about prosthetics, as well as types and usages of AI. We were inspired by the Africanfuturism theme of the book and wanted to explore how technology can be used for good, like it was in Death of the Author.

Sawyer Vogds and Ryder Setter

Connections Between Realms

“Murder Board”

Our project utilizes the concept of a murder board. We used red twine to connect characteristics of characters from the Death of the Author to the robots in Rusted Robots. 

Emerson Weber

Human vs. AI Survey

Survey comparison

My project used a survey to compare the differences in AI and human thinking. Using a short passage from the book, I asked my classmates and AI to respond to the same prompts. After the survey was complete, I summarized the data and compared said summaries. This project reflects the importance of AI in Death of the Author and shows how AI can never truly replace human thinking.

Margeaux Wiley

Untitled

Painting of African patterns

My project showcases African patterns based on characters in Death of the Author.

Alana Davenport and Jewel Freeman 

The reality of storytelling 

Four stories 

Our project features four stories. We each wrote one story and had AI write two stories with similar topics. We wrote different types of stories: Alana wrote a heartfelt and emotional story; Jewel wrote a humorous story. Through this project, we explore if AI can replicate the sadness and humor we wrote in our stories. Death of the Author talks about storytelling and if AI can replicate human emotions. Our project asks, can AI write stories that will replace human written stories?

Juliana Carini

Sake of say wan do am (Because she wanted to)

Essay

I wrote a brief essay about chapter 51 of Death of the Author. In my essay, I included Zelu’s relationships and how the book explores storytelling through original creation and technology. I also took parts from Rusted Robots and showed how the book was influenced by and connected to Zelu’s personal life.

Sawyer Kiefer and Robert Lang

The Spider

Pen on paper

This artwork utilizes smudged and shaded pencil. This is a visual representation of a Rusted Robot scene (Chapter 6, The Terrible Information, pages 44-53). We hope this image brings to life an important scene and we are interested in hearing how our interpretation of the scene compares to other students’ interpretations.

Jolie Kowalkowski and Cassidy Anderson

Ankara pattern

Poster 

Our poster features an Ankara pattern that represents Zelu. We were inspired by the pattern featured on the cover of Death of the Author and were intrigued by the significance that the pattern had in the book. When reading more into the book, we learned what the Ankara pattern means in African culture. By learning about this and more about Zelu, we created an Ankara pattern that we thought would represent Zelu.

Liam Swinehart

Humans vs. AI

Human and AI experiment and summary  

My project is an experiment and paragraphs to determine if humans are more creative than AI. I gave myself and other humans a prompt and saw how creative each was. I did the same with three different AI models. I want participants to read the paragraphs and to ask themselves which is more creative. The summary I wrote further explains my experiment.

Elizabeth McLean and Sophia Nielsen

Poems From Each End

Poems and Art

We were inspired by the futuristic elements of Rusted Robots and wanted to create art that might be used in a world taken over by robots. Our project is two poems, one from a human and one from AI. We drew a picture based on the poem, and also asked AI to create a picture based on the poem. We want viewers to compare and contrast the human and AI created poems and drawings.

Lucas Fritsch, Caleb Kinley, and Myles Bryne

African Futurism in Bars

Song/Rap Song

We wrote lyrics based on the concepts of African futurism, using quotes and facts from Death of the Author. Lucas rapped the song and we hope the project evokes deep emotion. Please enjoy this original expression. You can follow Lucas on social media @p_dennis_king.

Stella Diedrick and Lina Bunzel-Kramer

Important moments in Zelu’s Lifef

Collage 

We took powerful quotes from Death of the Author and combined them with AI pictures to show themes from the book, specifically how Zelu had a hard life. We hope our collage helps other students see the book from our perspective.

Jacob Hoelz

Mythology in Gambia

Graphic Narrative

I created this graphic narrative because I was inspired by the mythological creature Ninki, which is important to Gambia. I used Africanfuturism, which I learned about in Death of the Author, to create my graphic narrative. I wanted this graphic narrative to show how cultural beliefs and stories are shared in cultures, much like was done in Death of the Author.

Brogan Burtenshaw

Robots Helping Zelu

Drawing

My project is an art piece based on Ankara and uses characters like Zelu and the robots “Humes” in the background. This piece is primarily black and white and uses important aspects of the story in color (like the turquoise on the dolphin) and orange in the background.

Lucy Franke and Piper Weinkauf

New Death of the Author book cover

Bookcover

Our project is a bookcover for Death of the Author, and it reflects the importance of the story, main ideas and some pieces of the book along with quotes.

Jailen Clark 

A Robot Could Try 

Model 

My project shows how Akura wants to try to write stories even though it is known that robots can’t write stories. It also shows she is doing this next to dolphins because dolphins are an important symbol in the book. Even though Akura can’t write books, she still tries because she wants to be tied to humans in a way.

Mei Gavin 

Misunderstand 

Documentary video 

My documentary is about educating people about the deaf world and how they are related to disability. How society treats the deaf and disabled. I want to show people the disabilities that there is a lot of misunderstanding and discrimination from the society who have no idea about. In a book, Death of the Author, there is a strong representation of disability vs society. I want to add the deaf part because the deaf do have a lot of separation from the hearing community.

Miesha Henley, Da’nay Scott and Lelia Timberlake 

The Treasure 

Poetry and Visual Art 

The way the author’s family treats her highlights a separation between her personal life and her writing , supporting the idea that a text’s meaning should not be defined by the author’s experiences .  Our project is a narrative poem based on a treasure hunt of Zelu’s life dealing with her family not seeing her for her and dismissing her and her goals and achievements. As the reader reads the poem, they go through the adventures of Zelu’s life and all the family obstacles that come across on her journey. As the poem comes to an end so will the journey of zelu’s treasure hunt, and readers will find what our group thinks is the true meaning of this book “the treasure.”

Arlo Skaifenhess, Aaliyah Xiong, Claire Kornell 

Death to the Reader 

Sculpture and makeup look 

Our project is an open book with an oceanic scene, a towering robot, and a creative robotic makeup look. The robot is meant to represent Ankara, while the model is meant to represent Zelu and her involvement in the story. (spoiler alert) The twist at the end of the book is that Ankara is the author, not Zelu; the model intertwined with the robotic makeup look is set to represent the reader’s belief that Zelu is the author, when in reality it is automation itself. Ankara uses stories to escape and connect with humanity. The ocean represents Zelu’s inner freedom and self acceptance she discovers throughout the book, she often shares how the ocean is her escape. So we wanted to show that idea by having the robot looking down onto Zelu’s intertwining both of their escapes. AI is currently a very polarized topic with many people turning against it. This book introduces the concept of morality and humanity through the eyes of AI. We chose to introduce this by having a human who looks like a robot, in hopes to highlight the humanity that Zelu inserts into her robots.

Anderson Avila Luong & Phoenix Mittag 

The Rewatchables 

Podcast 

Our podcast explores the wide variety of themes presented in the novel. Using pre-made questions to extract key moments and main characters that we support based by what actions they took throughout the book. This will make it so we have multiple opinions of the book and can compare thoughts through detailed explanations and arguments. By having separate or even alike opinions, we demonstrate separate perspectives based on each theme presented by our questions.

Miles Peterson, Kevin Guevara Sanabria, and Noah Thill 

Whitewashing in Film 

Multimedia/Poster 

Our project uses edited movie posters to explore the idea of whitewashing in film. We use specific examples of when films have been changed from the book:, for example, a white actor being cast as an Asian-American, in order to raise awareness to the microaggressions in Hollywood. We also discuss how a book being made into a movie is a great example of the ‘death of the author’ and an author losing ownership over their works.

Sogie Rhyne, Melody Austin, Kurtis Thao, Shannya White 

Nature vs. Nurture 

Zelu’s Case Study 

Our group chose to create a case study on Zelu, focusing on how her character develops over time using different psychological perspectives. We will use the nature vs nurture theory to show how her environment and experiences shape her personality and identity throughout the book. Utilizing specific chapters, we will also analyze how her career as an author, her culture, and her family dynamics influence her confidence, decisions, and emotional growth.

Maya Ronquillo and Jaylah James 

Deeper Root Of Who We Are 

Quilling art based project 

Our project uses quilling art to demonstrate the uniqueness, diversity, and beauty of who we are as humans and represents our family tree. Using textual evidence related to Zelus’ disability trauma, we are able to demonstrate how something may seem so big and beautiful on the outside, but highlight the idea that there is always a “deeper root” or meaning to every story that some might not see. We based our project off textual ideas related to the themes of disabilities, family dynamics, and mental health; this is in hope to contribute to the theme of how the beauty of something doesn’t always fully represent the authenticity.

Per August Svensson  

Narrative and Empire 

Multimedia / Historical Presentation and Analysis 

My project explores the themes and narrative of Death of the Author, by Nnedi Okorafor, drawing connections between the story and the historical processes of colonialism and decolonization in Africa. Examining how the book reflects struggles over identity, authorship, and control of narrative, paralleling the ways African societies were subjected to imposed authority, cultural erasure, and external systems of power during colonial rule. My project further connects these themes to the lasting effects of colonization, including ethnic tensions, fractured national identities, and conflicts that emerged in the post-colonial period. By analyzing both the book and historical context, my project highlights how storytelling can mirror broader political and cultural shifts. By extension this book and following research has inspired me to go on and create an informative social media profile, which I intend to utilize to go on to create short form historical analysis to then share and post.

Patrick Toomey, Kyla Gant, Joshua Lemus-Montes, Eric Montes, 

Digital Diaspora: Afrofuturism online 

Video 

The essential question is; how does afrofuturism influence the way we use and view social media on a daily basis? There are many layers to this question; this video explains what afrofuturism is, answers the main question, talks about the voice and influence in the novel, and how the robot story looks into the future, showcasing the future aspect of Afrofuturism. This is not an easy question to answer by any means, it is complicated, which makes it a great question to answer. It also speaks on how we view the success of someone differently if they are a minority, rather than white male.

Patrick Downy, Logan Casey, Ethan Ceron, Will Cogdill 

Yankee and Dot: An Imagining 

Movie 

Our project has two main parts to it: a short collection of scenes, somewhat altered, from the book, and an essay going over the history of whitewashing in movies, history, and also gentrification as a broader phenomenon. We will discuss films that used source material from a particular culture, and adapted it to a movie while forgetting the culture. We will discuss examples of gentrification of cities, which causes loss of culture, such as New York City and Los Angeles. In our short film, we will act out scenes from the book, with a twist: the culture of Nigeria and Afro-futurism will not be present, instead replaced by white norms and status quos. In this way, we are imagining what the whitewashed movie described in the book might look like, and we are satirizing an egregious case of whitewashing.

Brylin Goossens 

Tech and Thrive 

Collage / One pager 

My project shows how the developmental theme of technology makes people perceive things differently and how maintaining self confidence is needed. Using examples brought up in the book, I show the pros and cons of keeping self confidence vs. not and the overall effects each one has on individuals.

Olivia Kenney-lee 

The Real Death 

Collage/One-pager 

My project uses imagery and detail to express the title of the book and the real reasoning and meaning behind it. Various quotes and images from the book show what the title really means and gives readers an even stronger and deeper understanding of it. I took quotes from all the things people would say about Zelu’s book and the way it hurt the author to represent the “death” of her slowly throughout the story.

Chloe Lor, Lucian Lao, Alina Kouang 

The Scrap Of The Author 

Multimedia narrative/Scrapbook 

We wanted to create a visual adaptation of the novel that focused on the chronological order of events of both Zelu and Ankara’s story and how the two are intertwined. We wanted to include sentences from the book and twist it into a visual format as a way for it to be interactive and for the audience to really get a feel for the book. Scrapbooks are a creative way of storytelling, and we wanted to take what we saw and show everyone how we were able to visualize the book and its characters.

Piper Masters, Elizabeth Duncan, and Brodie Copus 

Death by social media 

Social media campaign

Our project is an instagram account that shows the book’s story through short engaging skits. Each post creatively interprets key moments, themes and characters from the novel. By using humor, dialogue, and visual story telling the account helps viewers better understand complex ideas like identity, power, and social media. The overall project combines literature and social media to create an interactive and entertaining way to explore the book.

Gabrielle V Medina-Pujol 

The many faces of “blue dolphins” 

Cubed Poster 

My project is a cubed poster that explores how the color blue and dolphins are seen symbolically in The Death of an Author. Each panel shows a different meaning, with quotes from the book and artwork to support the ideas. The color blue reflects changing emotions and themes, while dolphins represent ideas like freedom or escape depending on the context. This design shows how the same symbols can have multiple meanings throughout the story.

Sayalie Rodriguez and Neri Hall-Miller 

Interwoven 

One-pager 

Our project consists of a robot poster that describes both Zelu and Ankara, the robot she created in her story “Rusted Robots.” The robot on the poster serves to analyze the perspectives of Zelu and Ankara, which are different but ultimately interwoven. Both create by using storytelling as a way to cope with and share their reality, Zelu writes to escape her restrictive lifestyle and her disability, while Ankara writes to preserve human history. Another way Zelu and Ankara connect is the way both characters want to shape their own stories but struggle for control. Zelu was fighting with the industry about labeling her work although she denied the idea, while Ankara fights for her independence you could say. Technology is a major way Zelu and Ankara are connected. In Zelu’s story she was using advanced technology, exoskeletons which restored Zelu’s mobility, which connected to Ankara’s existence as a physical “hume”. In each story Zelu and Ankara connect by experiencing similar interactions, experiences and feelings through their different perspectives.

Ajiefatou Sagnia, Aubrea Kilgore, & Kamia Hutchins

Culture 

Multimodal Visual Representation 

Our project uses drawings and images to depict how important culture is to our protagonist. Our project includes exploration of cultural roots and significant characters explaining the meaning of cultural backgrounds including the significance of AI. Using characters, drawings, and cultural images, we are showcasing the importance of culture.

Carlos Vela, Beckett Kenndedy, Nigel Her, and Damien Jasso 

Afromindframe (AI Generated) 

Game 

Our Project uses a board game format to underline major themes within the book such as what it means to be human and if AI can replicate human writing and embody them fully. But also highlights many other parts of afrofuturistic culture. Throughout the game to move along the board you must correctly guess the answer to questions on notecards which all relate to topics in the book and are made to try and prompt you to think deeper about the question and the topics or even learn something new. We want this game to try and get people to think about different views and truly experience AI and these themes firsthand through these questions. All around the goal of this game is to learn, think deeper and have fun with a little interactive activity.

Alicia Jones and David Yang
The Many Faces of Snow
Multimedia narrative/scrapbook
Our project uses multimedia narrative to explore the different ways “snow” could be characterized and personified. Using specific quotes from the novel to inspire each piece, we combined fiction and non-fiction to create different “characters” that express various themes in the book, and combined graphic novel, cartoon, drama, and poetry with news articles, obituaries and diary entries to show how “snow” can mean different things to different characters.

Jack Halbleib, Sophia Pertzborn, and Violet Thompson

The Eco + Exo System of Zelu

Biophilic mixed-media installation

We have assembled a green wall that incorporates twelve different plant species to symbolize core areas of Zelu’s identity. We have created five plants native to Chicago and five plants native to Nigeria, which show her deep connection to her ancestry, family tribes, and her hometown. From each of these countries, we constructed one plant to symbolize her royal heritage, and an invasive plant to represent how dark times can either inhibit oneself or challenge resilience and growth. The circuit board which the plants grow from, like a growing medium or soil, reveals the deep-rooted impact that technology has had on her life.

Mikaia Boswell and Kylie Flores

Journeys Beyond the Page

Travel guide and Tri-Fold

We created a travel guide scrapbook showcasing the different locations throughout Zelu and Ankara’s stories. We show how their environment changes and how locations affect them. The travel guide goes through many different locations that we found were significant to Zelu’s or Ankara’s journeys and how each place impacts how they grew as a person/robot. We will also be showing specific similarities we noticed between Ankara and Zelu and a couple themes we found that resonate with both characters.

Asha Herald and Clara Branzolewski

Blue Ankara

Digital presentation with Ankara fabric

To interpret the text and Zelu as a complex and multifaceted character. We thought a creative way to help us interpret the text and Zelu as a very complex character was to design our own Ankara fabric and then go through the process of making it. We chose symbols that represented Zelu, Ankara, their journeys, and the parallels between them. Each choice with our fabric was deliberate – from the symbols of the sun, half-dead tree, waves, and Ankara – as well as the color of blue we chose. To make the fabric, we chose to follow a traditional batik dyeing process, as it is very similar to the ankara technique. 

Aubri Moreno, Isabella Wepking, Nevea Bonsack

Memory Box

Hands on elements within a box

Our project uses hands-on elements to depict the important aspects of Zelu’s life. Symbolism is seen throughout the book and we wanted to express that in a physical hands-on format. We included a mini book, fabric, dolphins, and little trinkets and toys to represent her symbols throughout the book. We picked them with Zelus’ thoughts in mind and showcased the importance of each and every one of them.

Kaia Cummings, Shae Hamilton, Sophie Hooper, and Mollie Cooper

Zelu’s Meaning Of Life 

Symbolic Quilt

Our project consists of little pieces of Ankara fabric that are sewn together to make a quilt. On the Ankara cloth we painted (in white) important symbols and important characters’ names. We have chosen to include the symbols of water, the cultural differences in her family, a book/storytelling, Hugo, and Wind. We incorporated these different types of symbols because they play a major role in Zelu’s life and show multiple themes that are shown throughout the novel. 

Bailey Ciesiolka and Danayara Garcia Chino

Living in Zelu’s Mind

Psychological Case Study 

In this project we are creating a case study on Zelu. Our goal is to identify major psychological disorders she may be expressing. We will do this by using the eight interviews from Zelu’s friends and family that reveal any insights we can gather to diagnose her with any disorders. This way her friends and family or maybe even herself can allow the reader to better understand her mind. This reflects on how chaotic her life may be, and ways she can cope. 

Max Springer and Henry Fleig

Investigation of Zelu’s Character

Interactive Trifold Presentation

For our project, we created an interactive criminal board that centers around investigating Zelu’s personality and traits. We answered these prompts by investigating and connecting between inside and outside influences that the story shows. Some of the evidence we have are major events that move the story, personal connections, and physical evidence that shows who Zelu is throughout the book. We then have a final case report of Zelu’s character footprint that we believe will narrow down her traits and personality.

Zoey Flood and Brianna Newhouse 

Beyond the Surface: A Journey Within

Perspective Sculpture with Quote Integration 

For our project, our goal is to show how Zelu is portrayed versus who she really is. We made a multi-media sculpture of the chest of a Hume. The chest is cut open to give the observer a chance to look inside and see quotes that describe Zelu’s true personality. The observer also gets the chance to choose to see Zelu from the outside or the inside. We have the Hume rusted and overgrown and filled with nature to represent the “death of the author” that Zelu’s story is completed. This sculpture encapsulates Zelu’s true emotions and feelings through Ankara, hence the Hume sculpture. 

Regan Zastrow, Victoria Popowski, and Gracyn Comstock

The Road Not Taken: A Scrapbook of Alternate Realities

Comparative Scrapbook

Our project is a carefully pieced together scrapbook that explores the possibilities of Zelu’s life if certain events had gone differently. We use different media elements to display events that happen in Zelu’s life and compare those events to the other possibilities. The media elements include ankara fabric, photos, newspaper clippings, drawings, and social media posts. All of these elements help us convey the many themes throughout Death of The Author. Each page shows an important event from the book and the following page shows the alternate realities. Different lessons and themes could have happened throughout the book if things were different and that is what we chose to explore.

Jesse Becker and Jonah Rane

Pre-Disaster Wargame

Hypothetical In-Book Wargame

The main setting of the wargame will be between two main factions, the “West African Federation” and the “Alliance of Sahel States.” This is roughly based on real ideological blocs in current day Africa. Both are fighting each other for the scarce resources of what remains of West Africa, while the climate around them continues to decline in quality for habitation. This is a wargame speculating what the end times looked like for most of humanity, using a modified version of Krieggspiel, a wargame developed by the Prussian military in the 1800s. The war system itself is simple, being a combo of 6-sided dice and interpretations from umpires, taking place on a large campaign map, with each team having time to discuss their plans and actions, and hand it to the Umpire(s).

Mia Bridger and Vanessa Feirtag

The Post-Human Nigerian World

Multi-Medium Model of the Post-Human Nigerian World

Our project is put together with aspects of Zelu’s life and the post-human Nigerian world. As Ankara ventures towards Cross-River City, she comes across growing vegetation, old human structures and architecture, bodies of water, and other robots as shown in this project. The river symbolizes Zelu’s love for water and how it makes her feel at peace, while the dolphins represent storytelling and Zelu’s father. The vegetation represents Zelu’s growing confidence and self-esteem throughout the book, and it shows how nature reclaims its territory after humanity is gone. The rusted metal is included in this project to show how humanity continues to exist even after all humans are gone, whether it is the physical effects of humanity or the internal effects. This project was made to contain many small details to symbolize Death of the Author, leaving viewers to interpret their meaning.

Ava Plitzuweit

Layers of Authorship and Identity

Collage

The goal of this collage is to display Zelu’s life and creativity. The collage incorporates the themes seen in the book such as identity and authorship. A variation of different images has been pieced together to  represent major concepts in the book. This includes Ankara patterns, books, and torn images. Through these images, I aim to showcase the novel’s storytelling, African culture, Zelu’s identity and personal growth, and how the concept of “death of the author” is a big part of Zelu’s story. Quotes have also been included within the piece that have connected the images with the themes I am trying to highlight. The collage is within a silhouette of Zelu’s head to have the elements demonstrate what makes her Zelu. 

Natalie Vega and Patricia Winter

Zelu’s Boutique

Website

Our project is a website that simulates an online store selling significant artifacts that appear in Zelu’s story and help advance the plot. For example, we’ve included her wheel chair, her exos, her book, and more. Further, our items depict a profound understanding of the book’s theme, plot, and character development through the description of each product. Instead of describing the characteristics and functions of the product, the description illustrates the significance that the object plays in the story, how it promotes Zelu’s evolution as a character, and how it is important for the plot.

Ace Everson, Luke Everson, and Jack Vogel

Unlocking Potential Escape Room 

Interactive Game

The Unlocking Potential Escape Room is an interactive escape room based on Death of the Author. There are puzzles that include codes, locks, and multiple choice questions that players will decipher. The puzzles cover different themes, imagery, and symbols that are expressed in Death of the Author. These puzzles consist of the topics of Artificial Intelligence, African Futurism, and Disabilities. The puzzles lead to unlocking Zelu’s potential. We made a poster board that helps guide the escape room. The poster portrays that the project is an interactive escape room and guides them along their road to escape. 

Jeremy Lutes, Ben Rehm, William Kirchberg, and Harrison Pitzner

Death of the Author-opoly

Interactive Game

Death of the Author-opoly is a Monopoly game based on the book, Death of the Author, written by Nnedi Okorafor. The board is themed with Ankara designs as the property space colors, a huge part of Zelu’s Nigerian culture and identity. The names of the properties feature both places from Zelu’s personal life and her book, Rusted Robots. The chance and community chest cards contain information about the Nigerian culture from the book. They also contain information about both big and small events that happened in Zelu’s life and her Rusted Robots book, such as selling movie rights for a lot of money. 

Mason Wollin and Brandon Lea 

The Power of Storytelling 

Canva Project

In our project, we have assembled a slideshow displaying how stories shape identity, the power of AI in storytelling, and how stories create emotional truth. Each slide dives into how these themes relate to Zelu’s story as well as the story of Rusted Robots.

August Fritsche

The Topography of Time Between These Pages

Presentation and Timeline

This project details and interprets the timeline of the book. The book features the manipulation of time throughout the story through time skips intertwined with closely examined moments. We are thrown forward years into the future in two pages, only to spend twenty on a single event. Writers focus on the important parts of the story, but understanding why certain parts are detailed so thoroughly and why some are simply skipped over presents a new way to interpret the text. This is my way of visualizing the time spent in terms of hours, days, or even years, and comparing it to what amount of the actual story it takes up.

Kimberly Gonzalez and Frida Cabrera 

Where the Story Splits 

Multi Media Book 

​​Our project is a multimedia-style painting inspired by the covers of Death of the Author and Rusted Robots, along with two interior pages—one focused on Zelu and the other on Ankara. The composition is designed to highlight both characters individually while still connecting them through the overall theme of the book.

Karol Alcala

Relax, Let it All Go, Move with It

Canvas Painting

My goal for this project is to create an art piece that hints at the significant symbols and themes of the book while revolving around water. I included the imagery of freedom provided by the water and its significance to Zelu. Including the ocean as a setting in this piece makes it possible to focus on Zelu’s connection with it. Focusing on Zelu reflects how she feels alone even when she really isn’t truly alone. The main themes I translated into art are that a feeling of isolation combines with a feeling of exclusion (anomie); and water represents an outlet that allows one to gain a feeling of control and strength. The piece resolves to a feeling of ultimately being at peace and accepting these emotions.

Lillian Mathias and Madalynn Steigerwald

Writer’s Corner: Zelu Onyenezi-Onyedele, Author of Rusted Robots

Interview-Style Podcast

For our project, we created a fictional podcast where we interview authors about their literary works. Our guest for the episode we’re creating for our project is Zelu Onyenezi-Onyedele, who we ask questions ranging from topics about her writing process to what inspires her stories. Excerpts from the book are retold in a podcasting format.  

Lilian Doerr, Morgan Everson, and Madelynn Sherry

Zelu’s Orbit

Heliocentric Model

Knowing Zelu’s love for space, we attempted to capture her complex and stubborn mindset in a way that represents that love. We did this by making a solar system symbolizing Zelu’s thoughts. At the center, we have a sun that depicts things Zelu can’t grasp about her life,  such as what Wind told her. These ungraspable concepts are at the center because it’s the place we cannot go in our solar system. Surrounding the sun are three planets that all symbolize Zelu’s point of view. These opinions and thoughts are planets because Zelu can land on them in her rocket ship. 

Isabella Jaegler

The Family’s Ankara

Digital Art Piece

For my project I designed ankara fabric for all the family members to wear. The symbols woven into the designs represent their connections to each other as well as my feelings on them. One example is Zelu sharing the dolphin with her father, symbolizing multiple things, her connection to water and the freedom it gives her, her father’s love, protection, and guidance he gives her, and her free spirit and playfulness.

Drake Krauss 

Zelu’s Journey 

Website 

I compared Zelu’s journey to the hero’s journey in other media like movies, video games and music and designed the website similar to the book cover. I wrote a paragraph to explain how that part of the hero`s relates to Zelu`s  

Thomas Blanke 

Comparing Exo Concepts 

Trifold Poster 

This is a detailed comparison of modern day military and everyday exo suits in comparison to the exos in the book. I’ve also included a drawing of a likely non-functional exo suit of my own. 

Ellie Daubert

Mirrored Souls

Multi-Media Art Piece 

My project is a multi-media art piece representing the parallels between Zelu and Ankara through the use of two canvases. Zelu’s canvas is brightly colored to represent her outgoing personality. It features several ankara patterns and colorful accessories. The colors featured are shades of blues, yellows, oranges, greens, and pinks. Zelu stands in the middle of the canvas looking toward Ankara’s canvas. Ankara’s canvas includes a textured canvas with several shades of gray. I chose to add several pieces of artificial plant material and other textures to Ankara’s canvas to represent her connection to her environment. The colors I chose for Ankara are gray, green, white, blue, and silver. Ankara stands in the middle of her canvas looking back at Zelu. The goal of my project is to show the similarities between Zelu and Ankara.

Piper R. Seib

Three Drawings of Events in Death of the Author

Drawings

I made graphic novel styled drawings of three important events of the Rusted Robots portion of Death of the Author.

Isabella McFarlane

Inside Zelu’s World

Instagram Page and Digital Story Telling

For my project, I created an Instagram page representing Zelu, exploring her inner world and her connection to the humanoids. Each post includes images, captions, and some quotes that reflect her perspective, thoughts, and the way she interacts with the technological and human elements around her. I designed the page to showcase Zelu’s Control, creativity, and isolation, using visual and commentary to highlight the complexity of her character. My goal was to bring that lose mind to life digitally, showing her unique voice and the way she sees and manipulates the world of the humanoids around her. 

Julia Schremp and Elsa Frandy

Fabric & Water

Mixed Media Art

These are two paintings acting as one. We chose to use two canvases and make two separate paintings because we wanted to show the distinction of Ankara and Zelu while keeping a flowing feel to the work to show how Zelu relates to her book, Rusted Robots. We chose to include fabric by hand painting Ankara. Our goal with this Ankara was to represent her mixed cultures, and her love of space. Throughout the book, her family doesn’t approve of the way Zelu expresses herself, but the water does. I tried to use the blue fabrics as a representation of the water. The ankara fabric also has the solar system on it with an emphasis on the sun just before it fades into blue. We chose to make our paintings a mix of realism and abstract because Zelu isn’t perfect. She is expressive and unique. 

Quinn Sitzler

The Invisibility of Certain Disabilities

Short Form Video

The book Death of the Author explores profound themes of disability and the treatment of people with impairments in our modern society. I decided to hone in on this subject by focusing on the active discrimination and problematic system our world has in place. The structure of my short, yet informative videos opens up the conversation about disability in youth and the invisibility of disability, similarly to the book. Our systemic biases against disabled people are non-coherent, as disability is the only minority group that anyone can be forced into at any time. Accessibility in daily life is helpful to more than just the disabled community and should be prioritized more. This is why I decided to reflect on the book this way.

Phoebe Hartwick and Rylie Neis

Death of the Author – Fashion

Fashion Focused Sketchbook

Our project is a fashion sketch book of themes, ideas, and symbols. We have sketches of Zelu and of Ankara, as those are the main characters in the book. Some of the main ideas that are included are: going into things with clarity, connecting to your culture, and being yourself, etc.. Some of the symbols included are, the sun, her exos, and books, etc.. Some of the ideas included are, perseverance, and support systems, etc..

Hade Avalos

Anakara Cloth 

Fashion Painting

I made a painting that I think symbolizes Death of the Author. I used a 11×19 canvas and acrylics as well as pencil. I wanted to show the fashion aspect of the book, how Zelu chooses to express herself through the ankara patterns. I believe it’s an important aspect considering how she named her robot character after the patterns as well. The way one chooses to express themselves fashionably is like showing a glimpse of their soul to the world, and that’s what I tried to convey through this art piece.

Bella Lopez

Zelu’s 

Painting

Analysis on Zelu-It will include how Zelu is seen through the eyes of others-mainly hinting at the judgement and disapproval of her family that she receives. However, it’s like an image in her head. The lack of detail represents her act of “not having things together” as it’s what she’s recognized as. The eyes from different angles of how the painting is tilted shows how consistently she receives it. This painting holds symbolism and juxtaposition in what it represents and how it compares to the other eyes of judgement. The theme that’s being represented is supposed to show how judged Zelu was by others, including her family and peers. She rose above it in doing what she wants to do, listening to her own judgement/opinion.

Calvin Renner & Muachang Thao

Urban Robot Wildlife Preservation

Image

It is an image of a run down human city with robots and wildlife moving about. The image is a 3d image looking down a street with robots walking and flying around one side is Zelus world with her creating the book of death to the author the other side of the picture is Zelus book that represents her story and the city of robots. The rhetorical devices we are using are Imagery to show what Zelu was writing in her book in the story and Personification because its shows non-human objects, animals or concepts of human characteristics. Plus a lot of Juxtaposition. One side shows what is going on in the present and the other side is Zelu’s story. (Credit to Owen for the half and half idea and George for the rhetorical device.)

Ruth Nelson

Untitled

Oil painting

For my project, I crafted an 18.5” x 24” oil painting on masonite. The cubist, geometric aspects of this painting, as seen in the background and on the woman, highlight the realism of the eyes and the ornateness of the mirror by using juxtaposition. These contrasting styles represent the differences between Zelu’s challenges in the real world and the struggles explored in her novel Rusted Robots. The eyes watching the figure explore one of the main themes, identity, meant to emit a sense of uneasiness and discomfort to display how Zelu feels out of place, whether it be in her family or in America/Nigeria.

Maddie Moroder

untitled

Ankara pattern on sourdough bread (accompanied by a short video of the process)

My product is a sourdough loaf painted with an Ankara design, addressing the two opposing aspects of Zelu’s identity as someone of Nigerian culture also living in America. The bread utilizes symbols, with the Ankara pattern representing Zelu’s outward expression of her Nigerian identity and with the sourdough symbolizing the Western landscape in which she finds this expression. Throughout Death of the Author, Zelu wears Ankara patterns just about everywhere, from public interviews to family events to her airport travels. Her use of these patterns is similar to her choice to set her renowned book Rusted Robots in Nigeria, both of which attempt to connect and associate herself with her Nigerian culture while in a Western setting. Despite her assertion of her Nigerian background in Rusted Robots, the powerful industries in America remove the African aspects from her book, seemingly making them more appealing to Americans. This westernization of African culture is shown by the juxtaposition of an Ankara pattern on top of the sourdough loaf, representing how Western culture takes an African product and “westernizes” it, erasing the African culture at its core. 

Clara Corona-Forte

The Exploited Luxury 

3-D Impasto Painting 

My painting depicts the dish that Zelu first eats after being kicked out of her apartment and forced to live with her parents. She mentions that her food is a luxury and shows that it may be taken for granted. This dish is so simple for her, but it’s such a delicacy due to her current situation. I chose this dish because it demonstrates how we commonly take things and ideologies for granted, and we don’t realize the significant relations within our souls. 

Lena Schroder 

Synthese

Drawing

“Synthese” is a drawing that represents the imagination of Ankara. How the human body and the robots are melting together. The title is German and translated means synthesis. In this case it is the synthesis of the human and robot body. The drawing makes use of the imagination of Ankara and the other characters in Zelu’s book. It is a hyperbole of the future of robotism and the coexistence with human beings. At the same time it is a symbol of the further development of robots in general. All in all it is saying and kind of representing the future of robotism and human beings.

Marcelo Gonzalez

Splintered

Illustration

“Splintered” is an illustrated compilation of some of the prominent symbols across Zelu’s and Ankara’s stories, focusing on the comparison of the two. The title of the illustration draws attention to the dynamic between Zelu and Ankara as each other’s creators. The illustration makes use of imagery and parallelism pulling important symbols from the story, and laying them out in a way that incites the comparison of the two. As a whole, the illustration aims to visualize one of the central themes in Death of the Author: the strength of storytelling, showing how much it blurs the line between reality and fiction throughout the story, and how it feeds into itself, generating a cycle of creation.

Bailey Wirth

Scrambled 

Virtual Collage 

This project is essentially a visual representation of the whole idea of “The Death of the Author”. This showcases the main color scheme, with pictures that show the main themes of the book, like family, identity, artificial intelligence and the power of literature. 

Riley Khouanlak

Robot Movie

Short Film

This short film explores the unique relationship between technology and humans. Humans and technology might not seem to get along well, but eventually they end up working together like in the book “Death Of The Author” The film starts off with the teacher explaining an anecdote about a past war between the robots and humans which resulted in a mutual hate between the two groups. Gabe is the human protagonist in this film who later gets turned into a robot via usb stick. The robot tries to infiltrate human society by trying, but finds obstacles in blending in with the humans. The tone is set when the robot does very unusual things such as making weird gestures, comments, and noises in a funny way. Imagery comes to play as the viewers don’t know a lot of the background and everything in the film. Some parts are hinted and implied such as the bathroom scene where the robot makes some questionable noises. Another way this film shows imagery is how the movie creates images in the viewer’s head through their eyes. Finally, the film comes to a close where the robot gets married to a human and they live happy lives as a married couple after the movie. This eventually solves the lingering conflict between the two societies and discovers a new relationship between humans and robots. 

Sofia Sendelbach and Peyton McConley

Perspectives and Pressures of Life

Illustration 

“Perspectives and Pressures of Life” is an illustration of an outline of Zelus’ face with glasses. The glasses show drawings of what her family expects from her, and how that makes her feel. It shows two lenses on the left and right of the glasses, the left is the negatives from her family and what they think about her through a negative lens. The right side shows the positive things her family thinks about Zelu.  It utilizes Juxtaposition by showing the contrasting opinions and influences in Zelu’s life that have affected changes in her identity. In the book, the author writes many anecdotes from Zelu’s experiences that have influenced her identity, including breaking her legs, and being in a wheelchair, both of which heavily influenced who she was. This is shown through words and drawing in the glasses that reflect what makes Zelu the person she is. This addresses the theme about pressures from family and society Zelu has experienced. 

Miles Batton

Last On Earth

Novel

¨Last On Earth” is a sci-fi novel about a family of 4 who are the last humans on earth after robots took complete control over all other humans. The title is simple yet sets the tone of the novel, as this family is literally the last humans on Earth. As mentioned before, this novel uses tone to convey the meaning of events, repetition to emphasize that they are the last humans left on Earth, and satire, as it is a fictional take on what would happen if robots took over the world. The theme of this book is similar to that of the “Rusted Robots” part of “Death Of The Author” by Nnedi Okorafor, in that it explores a world in which much of our world is roboticized.

Josie Mueller

Innovation

Collage

“Innovation” is a mixed media collage using recycled magazines and newspapers. The piece depicts a massive conglomerate of various technologies. The variety of technology and machinery featured alludes to our recent necessity and reliance on technology in the way that it is a part of almost every aspect of our lives. The age and use of the different devices juxtapose each other by making some seem useless, innovative, or extreme in comparison to the others. The work comments on an important theme of Nnedi Okorafor’s Death of the Author, being that each person has their own balance in their relationship to machines, and it hopes to inspire the viewer to think about what kind of technologies they embrace or don’t embrace and what aspects of their identity influence that choice. 

Willa Browne and Eden Strigel

In Between

Collage

“In Between” will be a collage depicting the lush, overgrown, and organic environments of Lagos, and the futuristic, bustling, rigid cities of Chicago through juxtaposition  and imagery from the book.

Kelsey Henderson

Before and After Life

Creative Writing

Before and After Life will be a series of letters exchanged between Zelu and Ankara, each writing knowing the other is not really there. While reflecting on the idea of family, how it can look and what it means to a person, the letters will use parallelism as a reflection of how our pasts stay with us, juxtaposition of the two viewpoints to represent the different ways the main characters have been affected by their familial struggles, and tone, which instills a sense of loss and melancholy reflective of the suffering of the storytellers. Through these devices, a strong theme of Death of the Author will emerge: that family, while extremely complicated at times, is what keeps us tied to this earth.

CameronMoses Swan

Ankara shirt 

Sewn Shirt

I will design and create an ankara cloth shirt that is beaten and tattered. This shirt will represent Zelu’s mental health state after almost being kidnapped. The theme being explored is how fame and fortune has dark and traumatic side effects. This shirt will almost look like she went through an intense dangerous situation like a kidnapping with this garment on. 

Abe Zolik and Florian Hagen

Abe and Flo’s Cooking Show

Cooking Tutorial

Our project is a cooking show where we make one of Zelus’ comfort foods from the book: Fried Plantains and Jollof Rice. This project leverages the idea of food as a cultural connector. Throughout the book, food tradition is highlighted and works to strengthen Zelus’ family bonds and cultural identity. We replicated this theme by preparing and sharing the dish together. We have created an in-depth step-by-step tutorial on how to cook both dishes. 

Bintou Jabang

3/28/2097

Journal entry/Scrapbook

Journal entries from the perspective of Ankara that touches on the theme that storytelling is an inherently human thing that serves as an outlet for intense emotions, both positive and negative. The entries will be from different parts of Ankara’s journey, starting from before she found out about the terrible information, to her time spent with Ngozi, to the days right before the trippers come to earth, and an epilogue. The logs will show Ankara’s desire to write and to tell a story and what feeling went into making her novel that saved the world. The rhetorical devices I used were anecdotes and a paradox. Each journal log is an anecdote that gives the reader into Ankara’s thoughts and feelings, and the central plot of the entries is a paradox; a human-like machine who wishes to create an original novel.

Ms. Emma’s English 2 Classes

The Universal Web

Quilt featuring student Ankara prints

Our classes co-created this quilt as an homage to Udide the Great Spider is the first weaver, the first gatherer of sacred scraps to create a new whole. This quilt is a response to Death of the Author and Rusted Robots through the lens of Igbo and Yoruba cosmology and spirituality: the interconnectivity of all creation. Igbo lore describes Udide gathering the infinite pieces of matter after the Big Bang and connecting them all with a single thread, creating the tangible universe; Udide is the creative force that connects us all. Quilts are a patchwork of stories, products of sacred scraps that may be discarded or dismissed if not understood to be part of something larger. Quilts are utilitarian artworks, often dismissed for this reason, but how many works of art can keep you warm, can hold you, can feel like home?

Trystan Sargent

Untitled

Ceramic Vessel

My project is inspired by the ceramics of the Igbo women of Ishiagu (which translates to “Head of the Leopard”), Nigeria. I wanted to center labor and art that is not as celebrated because of its utility, and also because of who the artists are (women). Often, when women create and nurture, it is taken for granted and not celebrated as the art it is.

Liam Conner

Exos of Tomorrow

3D printed Exos

The exos are a pretty big part of the book; they help Zelu regain autonomy and give her the ability to escape danger. They are such an important part of the story, I wanted to bring them to life.

Fantasii Helgerson

Tarot of the Universal Web

Custom Tarot Cards

This custom tarot deck features Death of the Author and Rusted Robots characters (and some chapters) represented by tarot cards to further understand the characters and relate their experiences to the experience of the reader. I also intend to include some Igbo and Yoruba deities in the deck to find similarities between Igbo/Yoruba culture and the events in the book. I chose this focus because I wanted to personally learn more about Igbo and Yoruba culture and how it relates to Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor, and to educate others about it in a fun way. I chose this form because I’m very passionate about tarot and think it would be helpful to describe each character/deity using an archetype. I also thought it would be cool to add to the divination tools already used in Igbo and Yoruba cultures.

Orion Hale

“Robot Woman”

Ankara Print

I wanted to focus on the experiences of all the “robot women” in  Death of the Author/Rusted Robots, but especially their experiences of autonomy and identity. Creating an Ankara fabric to represent my analysis is authentic to the book and honors the characters and their identities more than just sharing it on paper, in my opinion.

Netta Martin

“The Hume and the Goddess”

Diorama

I wanted to represent the culmination of Ijele’s journey to having a physical body shown in a physical art piece. I chose my focus of physical body and impact because there is such a connection between creating something three-dimensional and real and having love and appreciation for your own form/body. It also helps to represent the way creating can affect the creator and the choices they might make for themselves.

Destini Denton

Representation of Africans and Africa in the Media

Poster

My project talks about what changes Zelu faces when her book is white washed out into the movie, how Zelu’s culture is perceived by the readers, and how she was kind of shamed in her family from being different from the basic norms of her culture.

Precious (Alaba) Fadele

Lifeless

Painting

My painting shows legs with exoskeletons on a background of dark colors. The legs are surrounded by words of affirmation and thoughts Zelu may have had.

Fawad Gojar

War

Poster

My poster compares the war in the book with the current war in Iran.

Azzie (Lyla) Kurdylo

The Sudden Death of Drug Abuse

Fiction: alternate ending

In this alternate ending to the book, Zelu continues to use drugs and then instead of being able to save her baby when going to space she gets hospitalized for abusing drugs. They have to rush and try and save the baby through a C section before it is too late. But at the cost of what?

Francisco Muñoz

Social Media in Death of the Author

Poem

A lot of people use social media. Zelu opens social media when she is almost kidnapped. She can publish to all her followers, but it’s a problem when people criticize her after the interview. My poem shows how the book teaches us to be careful with social media.

Mareme (Ndeye) Ndiaye

Disability in Death of the Author

Poster

My poster shows what I have learned about disability from Zelu’s story and how it connects to the experiences of real people with disabilities.

Alayna Palmer

Drug Abuse

Poem

In this poem inspired by the events of the book, I reflect on how drug abuse affects a user’s loved ones by drawing on my personal experiences. In the book, Zelu used marijuana to cope with her issues. I’ve been exposed to such things and want to express my feelings about it.

Aiden Pownell

Space Travel in Death of the Author

Fiction: alternate ending

In this alternate ending, Zelu dies from some of the hazards that can be found while traveling in space. It shows the dangers of traveling in space and talks about possible solutions to those hazards.

Lily Schmidt

The Takeover

Drawing

In this picture of Zelu, she has a phone in front of her face. This represents how much she relies on social media.

Avery Sturm

Celebrity and Privacy in Death of the Author

Fiction: alternate ending

This alternate ending to Zelu’s story focuses on the themes of celebrity and privacy. In the story, Zelu’s celebrity level increases after she returns from her space mission. The story focuses on how she deals with that.

Khadi Sylla

Zelu and Ankara’s Road Trip

Poem

My project talks about Zelu’s and Ankara’s lives and how they started down to get up. It talks about the difficulties and challenges that they overcome and how family, friends, and fans impact their life in a good way and also in a bad way for both of the characters.

Shang Xiong

Prosthetics and Assistive Technology in Death of the Author

Slideshow

This slideshow compares the prosthetic and assistive technology in the book with what is currently available and in development for people with disabilities.

Axel De Robles

A Voice in the Darkness

Digital Chatbox

In the book, Death by the Author, by Nnedi Okorafor, we dive into the theme of African futurism. In which we get introduced to a hume named Ankara. She names herself Ankara because of the many different types of designs that women use in Africa. She is a hume and is meant to “protect” humanity by learning stories and passing them down or keeping them. When I was reading the Rusted Robot chapters, I kept asking myself, “ What if Ankara was in our world?” As AI is evolving and more robots are in our daily lives, technology has increasingly become more useful and more advanced. So for my project, I incorporated technology and knowledge of stories into one. I created an Ankara IRL, I wanted to create something unique. Something that other people didn’t think of doing. I designed the AI to act like it was Ankara in the book. It can tell you what’s happening in her world right now, what her purpose is, etc. I did this also because it kind of feels that you are really talking to the real Ankara. I believe that in the near future, Ai is going to take over. It’s getting to advance for it not to. So maybe by this project, it can show people the greatness of an AI robot. 

Lance McCloud

Cross River City Roblox Game

Digital Videogame Platform

The goal of my project was to accurately depict Cross River City in a more virtual setting as it was described in Chapter 35 of the book as to visualize the literary element of imagery that is shown in that chapter to the best of my abilities. My project actively shows a first person point of view of what it would look like to walk through Cross River City as it was depicted in Death of the Author/Rusted Robots. The first person scene represents Ankara’s personal view as she went into Cross River City and explored it. The project mostly looks like an abandoned city, trash and scattered litter all over the streets and sidewalks, symbolizing how the humans who left truly abandoned everything to leave the planet, especially the things that they didn’t care much about, being that trash. You will be able to see lights of blue in the trees symbolizing the data clouds for the humes along with some abandoned buildings and other things of the sort to really show how desolate the humans left the world. My project also features an icon made by yours truly of a robot made by robot itself in a black silhouette in african colors such as red yellow and black with a red background somewhat like how rusted robots is depicted on its hidden cover page except for the colors. So that’s really the purpose of my project.

Jesus Herrera Briones

Interview: Kwasi- Why do I Feel this Way?

Podcast/Interview

The reason I chose to do an interview was because I wanted the information straight from the source – someone like me. I wanted to deepen my understanding about other cultures as well as relate to someone, especially when I felt like I was the only kind of person like me. I knew that Kwasi was someone like me, someone who was born in the US but his parents were immigrants. I wanted to know if other children of immigrants from other countries felt the same kind of feelings that I feel about being chicano. There’s a sense of not belonging anywhere, and it really messes with my emotions and my own perspective of myself. If I’m not Mexican enough for Mexico and I’m not American enough to be American, then where do I belong? There was some comfort in knowing that the people who are close to me feel the same way. I also found the themes from Death of the Author really interesting and thought provoking, and I wanted to know what someone from any of the countries in Africa thought about them. I learned that Ghana and Nigeria are very similar in the fact that the people there are not harsh but pretty serious. I learned from Kwasi how he gets treated when people find out he can’t speak Twi that well. In interviewing Kwasi, I got to talk about a book I loved as well as the topic I don’t usually share with anyone – feeling like I don’t belong.

Oliver Kloss

Changing the Lens

Photography

My project is a physical poster board made up of photographs that I took at a wheelchair basketball event hosted by my school. The purpose of the event was to support people with disabilities and to give able-bodied participants the opportunity to experience mobility from a different perspective. Through these photographs, I wanted to explore how disability is often misunderstood or overlooked, which is a central theme in Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor. The inspiration from this project came from both the novel’s main character, Zelu, and a student at my school, Gianni Quintero, who is paraplegic. Like Zelu, Gianni challenges common assumptions about disability. While people with disabilities are often treated as invisible or defined by limitations, Gianni is a well-known athlete at our school and Zelu becomes one of the most successful science fiction writers in the world. Both Zelu and Gianni disrupt the idea that disability stops achievement, independence or visibility. In addition to photography, I conducted a survey with participants from the event to better understand how experiencing wheelchair basketball changed their perspectives. Many participants expressed surprise at how physically demanding the experience was. These insights are similar to Zelu’s experience in the novel where her disability alters how she can move around in her world and how people around her perceive her. Overall this project argues that disability is not a weakness but just a different way of navigating the world. Like Death of the Author, this project shows that understanding doesn’t just come from observation, but requires real experience, reflecting and listening. 

Matt Joseph and Junior Herrera

Death of The Author

Cover Art

In this cover art, we decided to include many details about Zelu, not just one specific detail. Throughout the novel Nnedi Okorafor included how Zelu dressed, Ankara theme clothes,  her exos, her love for swimming, and how she thinks, the reason why she or Ankara wrote Rusted Robots. For example, in the top of the cover we drew her swimming in the water, showing her love for this hobby, because ever since she was paralyzed and even before she loved swimming. Then on the left we have a mechanical dolphin which has connection with Zelu’s habit and the watching of fishes by Ankara and Ijele. The dolphin also connects to Zelu’s love for her father’s story of swimming with dolphins while out on a fishing trip when he was younger. Which conveniently is also a safe space for them during their journey together and during the war between the Humes and Nobodies. Then at the bottom we drew Zelu again but walking up the stairs away from her wheel chair, showing the freedom and fame she received upon the exos, while the stairs show the summary of the second to last chapter, going to space. In all, this cover art shows the timeline of Zelu’s life and how it unveils to us from her being restrained by her family, like if she were a baby, to being able to walk again through the exos Hugo made for her, showing her some sign of hope. 

Nolan Lautz

Public’s Perspective on AI

Survey on the effects of AI in the real world

The purpose of my project is to connect the portrayal of artificial intelligence in Death of the Author to how the public actually perceives AI in the real world. The survey I created collects a wide variety of data related to the demographics, experiences, and opinions of the people taking it. In the novel, AI is prominently featured through Zelu’s exos and the ghosts in the “Rusted Robots” chapters, where AI’s powerful presence is deeply connected to creativity and identity. These connections raise the question of how AI affects the role of humans in the world. The data collected through my survey helps show how prominent AI really is in everyday life and how people use it. Responses indicate that AI is mostly used for studying, schoolwork, work productivity, data management, and problem-solving. This mirrors how the book depicts AI as a tool that can enhance human intelligence and development, while also raising concerns about whether or not humans are too dependent on AI. By comparing real-world perspectives with the fictional representation in Death of the Author, my project highlights similarities and differences between fictional literature and modern society. As AI continues to rapidly advance, the topics discussed in the novel are becoming more and more prominent. This comparison helps convey how literature can reflect real societal norms as well as the expectations that humans have for technology like artificial intelligence. As long as AI continues to develop as rapidly as it is, humans will become more and more dependent on it for simple day-to-day tasks that should be completed independently.

Nate Clarke

Mancala African Board Game

Woodcarved Board with Mineral Oil

This board game, known as Mancala, is a strategy game that originated in Africa approximately 8,000 years ago. It’s a two-player game where the goal is to collect more stones than your opponent. The word Mancala means “to move,” which is fitting because the goal of the game is about moving pieces around the board strategically. This game connects to the book Death of the Author, by Nnedi Okorafor, by mirroring Zelu’s writing about Ankara, a robot in the second text written in the book. Ankara tells the readers how stories are a major part of how her robot species, the Humes, operate. Stories are seen as a piece of the robots, and they pass them down like a tradition. When the Humes travel the world, they gather information through many stories, just like how the beads are collected in Mancala. In our game, we used pine wood, which is mostly found in North America, to show how Afrofurturism is present in our world today. By using pine wood, we signify how Africa and North America can come together to inspire the creation of a traditional African game made from pine wood. This game reflects how the players are like Ankara, and the glass beads are the stories that Ankara collects throughout her journey to Cross River City, her main destination in the book, to meet with the leaders of the Humes to help protect the earth from a threat coming from the Ghosts. We chose Mancala because it is easy to play, a board game that is appealing to everyone, and an accessible board game that people with disabilities are able to play. 

Charles Gittins

Exploring Nigerian Culture Through Literature and Cuisine

Nigerian Culture Paper and Meal 

The goal of my project is to explore Nigerian culture and its influence on the characters in Nnedi Okorafor’s novel Death of the Author. While reading Okorafor’s novel, I noticed that Nigerian culture had a significant impact on how she, as an author, incorporated Nigerian pre- and post-colonial traditions in her writing. Before reading this book, I had not known much about Nigerian culture, and after reading, I wanted to learn more. To do this, I explored various aspects of Nigerian culture, including its customs, traditions, and cuisine, in my paper and meal. I first introduce basic geographical information about Nigeria and how it is divided, whether by geopolitical zones, religion, or tribe. Then, I describe the different cultural traditions of various ethnic groups found in Nigeria and how their culture influences them. Later in the paper, I show how Nnedi Okorafor ties together various Nigerian customs and traditions in the novel. I also explain how I cooked my Nigerian meal, which included Beef Suya, Jollof Rice, and ginger tea. While cooking, I used various spices for the meat, some of which I had never heard of before, including yaji, a traditional spice that is a nutty and spicy dry rub consisting of ground roasted peanuts and various peppers. I then end my paper by explaining how learning about Nigerian culture through both Okorafor’s novel and my own research changed the way I read her work. Exploring Nigeria allowed me to appreciate Okorafor’s writing on a deeper level, and it encouraged me to keep learning about the histories and traditions that shape the books we read.

Daniel Yang

Outsider Poems

I wanted to capture the perspective of Zelu in poems.  The first two poems are about themes of Identity and being an outsider.  I created four different types of poems(Sonnet, Haiku, Tanka, and Acrostic). In my final poem, I connected my own experience to Zelu’s sense of isolation.

Rezuan Abusufian

Artificial Empathy 

The project is a drawing of  Ankara the robot and Ijele (the ghost) waiting near Ngozi’s grave. The project was inspired from the section of the book where they carried the last human on earth (Ngozi) into her grave. The drawing is to show that robots/AI could eventually get advanced to the point where it can understand human emotions as shown in Death of The Author By Nnedi Okorafor.

Andrevea Avant & Angel Brooks

runaway 

My partner and I made a lyrical dance about two beings sharing one robot body. I am the body, and  Angel  is the brain that controls it. Because we are stuck together against our will, we start out hating each other. We spend the beginning of the dance fighting for control and trying to break free.  However, as time goes by, our feelings change. We spend so much time together that we learn to understand one another. That hate eventually turns into a deep, loving connection. We stop fighting and start moving as one. The tragedy happens when the brain finally finds a body of its own. Even though we wanted to be separate at first, the moment we actually pull apart, we both feel a deep sadness. The dance ends with me trying everything I can to find my way back to her, realizing that we were better off together.

Kira Banks-King 

“Normal” is something i’ll never be, so i’ll be something different.

Zelu describes how she felt after getting her new “exos” and the outcome of it by her family + herself mentally and physically to adapt. She begins to write how she feels figuratively to describe how she feels with everything going on in her life. Zelu wants change, she wants to move on even if it hurts, even if her family wants her to be invisible because of her disability, she determined to become something else, something not invisible and her “exos” is the very first step to be seen. 

Reyna Brown

Redefined

This art piece is a disabled African women in the center. Her body is partially mechanical and is contrasted with her human side that is warmer and less cold and rigid. I used elements from African patterns and fashion. I want this work to invite viewers to confront their assumptions about disability, normalcy, and value.

Chevelle Burks-sims

In Plain Sight

This picture shows a person sitting in a wheelchair, a bit far from everyone else. One their half of the picture, the colors are more muted and dull whereas the people running around a tree trying to get each other are more vibrant and lively. This symbolizes not only the physical disability, but the distance; the isolation it puts between you and people who don’t have one.

Makiyah T Dowl 

My piece is of a women african american and a robot, the two are looking at each other as if they are the same and with admiration for each other and have added little same detail that had have collect from the book. You can see another smaller robot about the main one booing a story which gives a hint to what happens in the ending of the book. I included what i felt like nigerian would look like based on the imaginary of it in the book. 

Sa’Riyah Hobson

Different Bodies, Same Mind

My piece is called “Different Bodies, Same Mind” which focuses on the idea there isn’t always one way to tell a story. Reading Death of the Author has changed my perspective on how stories are told. I made my piece because the way Zelu and  Enkara told different stories but still had the same plot was not only creative but also interesting. It’s  like two worlds colliding in a way that can get you multiple stories. The inspiration for the project itself came from a video I seen where a person made two different rugs that made the illusion of the skin coming off of the body which made me think “what if i did that, but instead of body and skin, its human and AI” so I started working on it and came up with this beautiful art piece.  Everything was crochet by hand by me, this project took me 3 days to finish and I am very proud of the outcome, I am honored to be able to do such a project about such an amazing book.

Tanysia (Rei) Kelley

You Can Take Our Voice, But You Can’t Take Our Soul

My painting describes the feeling of actively being silenced as a black woman in society. When you’re upset, masking it or being completely docile seems to be the best way to go about it as if you do unleash your raw emotions, you’re deemed as just another “angry black woman” stereotype.

Lulu Bell Kristan

Metamorphosis 

This project is meant to represent transformation, which is a significant theme in our book “Death of the Author”. I showed this by using fabric scraps which were previously old clothes and curtains from all different places, then bringing them together to create a beautiful doll with lots of personality and character. 

Zamarie L Ortiz Gomez

Coexistence

My project shows what i like to describe as coexistence. It’s an acrylic painting showing the two main characters in the book and was heavily inspired by it’s ending. I wanted to put our main character Zelu inside of Ankara in a way that helps represent how in a future dominated by robots, us, humans, will still be the important piece to the puzzle. We will always be what makes this world so special. Those who come after us are our creations and it will continue to be that way in my reality.

Kristina O Senethavisouk

One’s a Crowd.

Here I present a digital portrait. One that tells a personal story that I feel nearly everyone has experienced at least once. My drawing depicts a spotlight, unwillingly shining on a single figure. While that figure does nothing to provoke, it receives negative commentary and giggles anyways. This symbolizes loneliness and easy judgement in the eyes of an outsider. But being an outsider can draw emotions that differ for everyone. How that one person feels in the middle is up to interpretation, there is never one answer or feeling. It makes one feel strange, nearly robotic. Almost lifeless, being assessed so unrightfully and thoroughly.

Kameran Steward

MILITARY AI PROJECT EXPERIMENT – 1567

This is a Experiment that was created by human scientist as a military weapon to aid The U.S Army in combat. They used advanced Artificial intelligence and Advanced tech to build and wire and control the Three headed mechanical titan. After the Extinction of humanity the Project was abandoned and the titan was left there to rust for years until in this artwork Udide found and uncovered the Hybrid robot and awakened the titan shown in the drawing the three heads are looking at Udide and are seeing him as a member of its kind and like them were built by humans the lighting represents the power they are admitting a sign of their power being turned back on and it being restored.

Kamaria Summer

AI for Sale!!!!

Attention all consumers, get the first look at the BRAND new Ai robots!!! It can do anything your heart desires! It can clean for you, cook for you, sing, dance, and replace you. That’s right this robot can replace you, isn’t that great? Imagine you have to go somewhere important but want to do something else, just give the robot permission to be you for an hour or two and then you can be at two places at once. This very robot can learn your breathing patterns, movement, speech, and so much more. Would you let this robot into your home?

Stefani Tillman

Cosmic Soul

My project is about how technology is taking over our human identity like in the book. The hair filled with the moon and stars to represent our imagination as big as the universe. The skin has circuits to show how the computers and the data is taking over our lives. I want y’all to know that we need to think about ourselves and not use AI all the time because we are losing our own self, our natural self to the devices and machines we use every day.

Lennox Toney 

LOVE, UNITY NSIBIDI Tribute 

This is a crochet project where I am crocheting a nigerian symbol, that represents love and Unity, using Nsibidi. Nsibidi is an ancient system of graphic communication indigenous to the Ejagham peoples of southeastern Nigeria. 

K’Nila Wade

“From Paper Roots to Iron Branches” or “Ink in the Soil, Rust in the Leaves”

This painting features a tree split into two very different halves to show how art changes once its creator is gone. The two sides might look like they don’t belong together, but they tell a story about how ideas and inventions live on in their own way. On one side, the tree is green and alive, but its roots are actually made of book pages and written words. This represents an idea called “Death of the Author.” It sounds scary, but it just means that once a writer or artist finishes their work, the meaning doesn’t belong to them anymore. Instead, it belongs to the people who read it or look at it. Just like a real tree grows, the meaning of the art grows and changes every time a new person sees it. The other side of the tree is a willow tree and robots, inspired by the “Rusty Robots” style. This half represents things people have built and then forgotten but can also be use for other to create memories with. Showing that even when a creation is left behind, it still carries a “memory” of the person who made it and can be used for good use. Together, both halves of the tree show that whether you create a story or build a machine, it eventually takes on a life of its own and belongs to the world.

Sam Switzky

Oil Painting

Sunshine Schrader and Abella Solano

Thoughts on technology within MGHS

Poster collage

How has social media affected your life? A question we asked many, while creating this project.

According to Monona Grove Highschool teachers this question is not as simple as it may seem. A common phrase kept coming up in our interviews, “ It’s neither all positive nor all negative”. This statement really drove our project and our aspirations higher. For this project we decided to interview people on their perspective on social media, in order to display the evolution of technology and how social media has affected people’s lives individually, and the people had lots to say. We decided to keep asking a consistent 7 questions during our interviews, which turned out well. Our inspiration came from Zelu’s personal experience with social media. We reflected on how she would live with social media and AI throughout her struggles. This interview shows how others around our building do the same and reflect on their lives growing up with social media and watching it take off. 

Nash Buss & Gryffin Eitland

The Evolution of Technology

Trifold collage

Technology has evolved from the past to the present, reshaping how humans lived for thousands of years and continuing to do so. And it will continue to do so as we lean into the future; for all we know, it could end up controlling the world and us. It can alter our lives, dictate how we live, and so much more, as in the book itself, when Zelu gets on social media or at the start of the book in chapter 7, when she first gets into the autonomous vehicle. In that moment, it allows Zelu to feel free, showcasing how technology has evolved so much that it can change one’s own life and feelings, as stated by the author herself ¨More important, it would free her from her family. Whenever she asked one of them for a ride, they responded with this weird blend of pity… Oh, to be free of that feeling¨ PG 56/7. It shows that technology can even make one feel more independent.  That’s what my project is about: the evolution of technology. Some things that inspired me were from the actual book, such as the past, when Zelu´s dad talks about his youth, and how they didn’t have much technology back then. Another thing that inspired me was when Zelu went to MIT and got her exos. I found it crazy that things like that could exist and do exist. One last thing that inspired me was how technology affects my own daily life, and how much I use it every day.  We chose quotes from the book to specifically highlight the evolution of technology, and we chose the photos to highlight those scenes in the book and allow you to get a visual understanding. One thing to look closer at is the future and how it’s possible for robots and AI to truly have control over the world itself, and how it’s possible that our own technology may overtake us.

Autumn Mae Boelk

Zelu’s life

Trifold collage

My trifold project examines the diverse life of Zelu. Her story many can relate to because of the many subjects and ideas that zelus story shares. Reading my trifold you will read about many topics including Zeul’s immigrant experience, culture and food, & her very traditional family. My inspiration was how Zelu’s story told many life challenges and experiences that many people can relate to in many unique ways. I made the choice to include many Ankara prints and food and a painting of a robot to show the diverse and unique story Zelu lived. When you look closer at my robot picture you will notice imperfections like cracks. I made these imperfections to show how no one is as perfect as they may seem and to show how everyone has a unique story like Zelu and it’s important to share this and to also make others feel seen. These cracks in my picture also resemble the walls Zelu broke down in her culture to make it more accepting of diverse ways of life. These cracks also serve as an inspiration for everyone to do that same for a better future for everyone.

Damarys Caballero and Maggie Strong 

Family

Tri-fold collage

Even if you don’t always agree with your family, you can still get through hardship together. We

chose this topic because family is one of the most important aspects of the novel Death of the

Author; it factors into many of the choices Zelu and other members of her family make

throughout the story. Also, many ideas that Zelu presents in her book are influenced by her

family and their culture. With the author Nnedi Okorafor’s Nigerian-American heritage, there are

many aspects of Nigerian culture written into Zelu’s character.

Kennadie Rossing and Mikayla Mcqueeney 

When Worlds Collide 

Watercolor painting

This piece of artwork showcases a blending protagonists Zelu and Ankara in Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor. These two characters merge culture and AI/Technology. Zelu’s character represents the culture of a Nigerian American. Her family celebrates traditions at weddings, funerals, and family gatherings. She represents what being a human is. Zelu represents an old world. She can appreciate her family traditions, and also embrace a future where she uses AI/Technology to improve her life. Ankara symbolizes AI/technology and represents the possibilities in a new world. As a robot, she has many capabilities. Even though she is created by humans, her character represents a blend of humanness with an unlimited possibility for the future. Together these two characters blend and show how someone can hold on to their culture and traditions while navigating a future full of technological advancements. Zelu does not have to abandon her family traditions, rituals, and beliefs when she gets exoskeleton legs, and yet that technology transforms her future capabilities. She can remain true to herself and her family roots in Nigeria, as well as embrace the future of AI/technology. At the end of the story, Zelu has the opportunity to travel to space. At first, her family is reluctant because they fear technology and they fear that Zelu could be abandoning her Nigerian values. Her “uncles” would not approve; however, Zelu chooses to utilize technology to fulfill her dreams. Eventually, her family accepts her decision and embraces it. Chinyere says, “First one in the family to leave the planet. Can”t wait to tell that to our uncles”(401). Zelu’s decision signifies a blending of holding on to her cultural values and embracing the exciting possibilities that technology can offer. 

Lindsey Janda

When Worlds Collide 

Pencil on Paper

This drawing represents how humanity is connected to each other but also how it’s connected to technology. The human hand (with gold bangles & coral bead bracelets) reflects our dependency on roots, culture, community, and other people in our lives, and how we are comforted and taken care of by each other.  On the other hand, the robotic features display humanity’s reliance on technology, innovation, and AI. Together, they illustrate how we are shaped by both emotional connection and technological advancement, and that our progress and well-being comes from using human support and technological tools.

Lucas Jordan

When Worlds Collide 

Tri-fold collage

This tri fold is focused on some important parts of igbo culture like history, food, and traditions. I researched in depth about three topics each to give you an in depth analysis about Igbo food, traditions, and history. For food, I focused on dishes talked about often in the Death of the Author like jollof rice, palm wine, and Nkobi. For history, I focused on pre-colonial, colonial and the independence and civil war in Nigeria. Finally, for the traditions and celebrations, I focused on Igbo weddings (like in the book),music and dance which (happened a lot early in the book) and arts and crafts was another big focus of mine in this project.

Zion Ozulamoi and Landon Hoppenjan

AI, Technology, and Robots

Tri-fold collage

Artificial Intelligence has the potential to do great positive things for our world, but it also has the

potential to do some terrible negative things. What inspired our trifold project which is filled with

quotes and symbols is the way that the book showed the great positives and negative of AI in

the book. For example, when the robots mentioned how the humes were relying on their

machines. This touches on the reliance that humans have on robots and connects back to

modern day in the real world because it shows how we as humans are tending to rely on AI and

other forms of technology. This inspired the image of the brain on our poster which the pink

shows the human originality and the red represents AI and its compulsion to replicate human

experience and work. Alongside that, there is an example of when Zelu suspected that someone was wearing robot legs under their pants. This shows a positive side to AI and technology in the fact that it helps the human population by giving them the ability to walk and run if they are not able to. Both of these ideas connect back to the idea of how AI technology and robots have positive and negative impacts both in the book and in society.

Briley Radovan

Mira

Creative Writing

Mira tells the story of a girl who is trying to figure out who she is in a world where she often feels invisible. Even during an important moment like her graduation, she doesn’t receive the support or recognition others do, which shows how alone she feels within her own family. Throughout the story, Mira deals with pressure from her parents, expectations about who she should be, and the struggle to understand herself. What makes this story interesting is how it mixes realistic problems with slightly unreal moments, like when time seems to slow down or stop. These moments reflect how Mira feels—like she finally has space to breathe and be herself. Instead of being a typical “hero,” Mira represents a different kind of strength. She doesn’t fight battles in a traditional way, but she keeps going, even when she feels ignored or misunderstood. This story makes readers think about what it really means to be strong and whether someone needs recognition from others to have value. Mira’s journey shows that even if no one else sees your worth, it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

Adamari Romero

Cup of Zulu

Clay pot

Have you ever wondered what Zulu’s bucket/cup looked like whenever she kept emotions in? Maybe a version of herself inspired by a cup? My project is a small bowl made to represent Zelu’s two sides.  One side represents family, culture and heritage, while the other side represents AI and robots. I thought of making a cup to symbolize the relationship Zulu has with food, AI, and robots. There is also an inside/outside aspect to it: the bowl itself represents her love for food and childhood memories that she values very deeply. 

Evan Rosol

Unbounded But Bounded

Digital drawing

Artificial Intelligence has the potential to revolutionize human innovation and technology, but also withholds limits on its capabilities. Upon reading Nnedi Okorafor’s novel Death of the Author, the concept of AI and its uncertain future deeply resonated with me. This inspired me to create a project that not just highlights the abilities of AI, but also the aspects of human life and society that it can’t replicate. Throughout the novel, Okorafor does a brilliant job in showcasing both sides of this spectacle that I hope to have captured within my project. To exhibit this to my greatest abilities, I aimed to utilize quotations from the novel in its entirety, coupled with small graphics to provide imagery and symbolism as to what I want my greater audience to visualize and take away from my project. This takeaway that I so desire the reader to perceive, goes much beyond the text. It serves as a metaphor for the near future that is bound to occur.

McKenna Sawyer

The Path for Zelu

Watercolor painting

Ankara and Zelu are similar and both understand they are very independent. That’s who they truly are. I chose to draw a heart to show how the two characters are connected and they are similar. I painted the background of the drawing in watercolor with pink and some blue because the cover of the book was red and blue. I then added the African print she has on her skin with red, inspired by some of the book. Some of the quotes that inspired me were “Neither of us will ever learn if we just rely on each other” (Okorafor 425) and “Though I am Hume, I’m also a scholar, so I’ve never felt compelled to a permanent residence with other like minded robots.”(53). Also inspirational was the following portion of text: “Zelu is Zelu. When she needs to go somewhere, that is the only path for her. I’d only have regrets if I had gotten in the way.”(385). These quotes reminded me that like

Jameson Stein

Blood is Thicker than Water

Pencil Drawing

My drawing focuses on the theme of family in Death of the Author. It is centered on the idea that even though there may be tough times, your family will always have your back. These ideas are presented by Zelu in a wheelchair with her family holding her up.

Ava Swenson Stevenson

African Cultures & Connections

Trifold collage

You would think to define the Igbo and Yoruba by their differences, yet “Death of the Author” weaves them into a single, complex form of identity. By diving deeper into the book we discovered that the strongest part of each culture was what they hold in common.

The inspiration for our project was our decision to make a trifold, having Igbo on one side, Yoruba on the other & the connections in the center of the trifold along with a drawing to represent both cultures. Both of us had many successes and many challenges leading to our artistic choices as we dove deeper into the project. A specific success we had was being able to pull connections as we read back into the book. A specific challenge we had was deciding the best & clearest examples for the cultures alone while trying to add as much detail as we could. Our project connects to this text by showing we dove into the book for quotes to make greater connections. 

Nikola Todorov

The Butterfly Effect

Creative Response

Creating this alternate ending, or in other words, fan fiction emphasizes how the two books “Rusted Robots” and Zelu’s story connect and what roughly happened in the years between the two books. It also answers the biggest question in the book which is if Zelu died at the end of the book. We see the development of technologies and  how the butterfly effect in this book works. In my writing we see how technology is extremely important for humanity and how it can determine our existence just like in the book. 

Wil Wright

A Hero’s Journey

Short Story

My short story connects to Nnedi Okorafor’s ideas of AI/Robots/Tech in Death of the Author. I made my creatures robots, the cyclops a robot, and the hydra a robot. One of my characters, SiSi, is a good scientist who is also missing her right hand and has a robotic replacement, similar to Zelu. 

Cora Vack & Nate Tomlinson

Jollof Rice

Cooking show on video

Our project focused on themes of the African diaspora and the immigrant experience, so we cooked a dish mentioned multiple times in the book by both Zelu and her family. Jollof Rice is a dish that her mom makes, her sister makes, and her aunts make. It’s a traditional African dish brought by people as they leave Africa and move to other places. It brought Zelu comfort when she was in the hospital, when her book was failing, and when she visited her auntie in Nigeria. It was served at all the weddings and family gatherings mentioned in the book. It is an incredibly important part of their identities and culture (and also quite delicious).

Victoria Sloniewski

The Author and The Character

Acrylic Painting

My project displays the different meanings that ‘creativity flows both ways’ demonstrates. With Ankara’s teal eyes, and Zelu’s teal exos, they share similarities as two separate characters inside of each other’s stories. The morse code in the background translates to the book titles and names, including “Nnedi Okorafor” and our beloved characters in the story. The black thread on the canvas is the only real, physical, object that connects Ankara and Zelu. A reminder that although Ankara was the true author, Ankara still recognizes Zelu’s realness, in the idea that she existed once.

Brynn Schmitz

Cultural Erasure in Death Of The Author

Slide Show

My project talks about the changes in the story after the cultural removal from the movie when the book comes out. It also touches on some of the techniques that the author uses and the way the author uses them to change the perspective of the book for the reader.

Logan Callaway

Independence, Identity, and Interpretation in Death of the Author

Essay

This project is a critical interpretation of Nnedi Okorafor’s Death of the Author. In my essay, I analyze how Zelu’s disability, identity, and personal experiences shape the way others interpret her work and try to control her story. My interpretation argues that the text shows how people often ignore an author’s real life while still making assumptions about them, which leads to misunderstanding and misrepresentation. By examining characterization, conflict, and the social pressures surrounding Zelu, my project explains how Okorafor uses fiction to challenge ableism and the idea that an author’s identity can be separated from their writing. This interpretation is supported with textual evidence and rhetorical analysis to show the deeper meaning behind the story.

Taylor Freitag

Brain Rewired

Trifold Board  

This project is about exploring and discovering how trauma and loss of control in childhood affect decision making in people’s adult lives. I took moments when Zelu faced trauma or loss of control in her childhood and then compared it with the science of development of the brain and how these events affect how decisions are made in adulthood.

Olivia Nelson

Independence Through the Eyes of a Paraplegic

Essay

Throughout the book, Zelu can be seen utilizing several technological advances to prove to society, her family, and herself that she can maintain her own independence outside of anyone else. My essay discusses each instance in which Zelu chooses to use technology to prove herself, and how each of these instances demonstrates Zelu’s growing independence.

Sandra Panure

Use of Technology

Tri-fold

My project is talking about the ways that technology can be good and bad. I am talking about the good ways by how it assists disabled people in the book and the bad ways on how the robots are almost always against each other unless there is a greater threat that is coming closer to destroying them all.

Allie Erickson

Family Relationships

Tri-fold

This project is talking about the different members of the family and their relationships that they have with Zelu. I’m taking things from the book and talking about how their relationships change throughout the book.

Shayla Elliott-Bell

The Influence of Women

Tri-fold

This project emphasizes how the women in Zelu’s life affects her and impacts who she is as a person. I chose to emphasize the women because they each have a significant part whenever they interact with Zelu. I dove into each woman that is significant in her life, and I explain the negatives and positives of what it does to Zelu and her characteristics. I made a tri-fold presentation to display this project.

Avery Knutson

How Did Zelu’s Disability Affect Her Life?

Tri-fold

My board shows a representation on how her disability has affected her life, even throughout all the changes she has been through. On the board, it consists of the positives and negatives revolving on Zelu’s disability. It also focuses on how her life was before her EXOs, versus after her EXOs. And lastly, it summarizes what she has all learned and accomplished.

Skylar Hudson

Food, Identity, and Culture in DOTA

Slideshow Presentation and Handout

The objective of my project is to discuss how meals referenced throughout the novel represent Zelus’ ties to her Nigerian culture and connect her emotions and experiences. My project does this by highlighting specific meals and how they relate to what Zelu was feeling when mentioned. The meals I reference include jollof rice, pepper soup, and egusi soup. I also created a menu based on Nigerian meals referenced in Death of the Author.

Deziray Klassy

Can you grow past your limitations? 

Pencil Drawing

My project was to discuss how you can work past your limitations. Ankara goes through struggles and shapes her writing of her book, leading to shaping Zelu’s life. As she writes Zelu’s life she doesn’t limit her story to her own struggles, but uses it as inspiration. I wanted to do a drawing as my project so I could show the way I view Ankara and Zelu. The fabric behind my drawing is Ankara fabric representing the importance of it being used in the book.

Mackenzie Hendrickson

Death Of The Author

Model and information board

For my project I examined technology that helps Zelu understand herself and the world. I identified key moments in the text and used specific quotes and page numbers as evidence. Through this analysis, I explored themes of independence, confidence, and the role of technology in empowering people with disabilities. To show this I made an information board and I made a leg model with one showing my interpretation of what exoskeletons look like and a regular leg.

Maggie Stainbrook

Death of the Author

Book Sculpture

My Project consists of my book sculpture with the similarities between Ankara and Zelu along with a detailed explanation as to why all the details are included in my sculpture.

Camryn Nielsen

Death of the Author

Slideshow

Talks about the book and how family is meant to support you and not bring you down just because something you do is against your culture.

Halee Schultz and Sebastian Jardine

Life of the Author

FanFiction

This project is our interpretation of what Zelu and Msizi’s domestic life would be like after Zelu’s adventure to space. Our project consists of twelve, roughly two-thousand word chapters, in our words about what we think different parts of Zelu’s life would be like after she reenters earth.

Madalyn Hoffmann

Death of the Author: Reddit Review

Poster & Essay

This project shows not only the negative reviews on the book but also an essay on what the author, Nnedi Okorafor could have done to make the book enjoyable. This book seems to get all of the hype in class but I would like to show the truth that this book isn’t as great as it seems.

Eden Burke

Disabilities

Trifold Board

My project was to discuss how Zelu’s disability only affected her, but didn’t define her.

Jessica Fandre

Death of the Author

Collage

My project is a collage of real life photos about african culture, disabilities, items that display each character, and photos of fiction concepts in the book. The picture frame is split in half, one side being realism and one being fiction. The college as a whole is an interpretation of overlapping elements and concepts in the book.

Aedan Ard

“Creation Flows Both Ways”

Mixed Media Painting

As I read the book, I thought more and more about how Okorafor’s Death of the Author compares with Ronald Barthes’s Death of the Author. Barthes argues that a book’s meaning is not at all influenced by the author and is created when the reader reads it. From reading the book, I learned that Okorafor believes the author and reader are connected on a deeper level, and that the author’s background, experiences, trauma, and culture all influence the meaning of their work. My project will present an artistic representation of Okorafor’s perspective on metaliterature, in contrast to Ronald Barthes’s “Death of the Author” essay.

James Hudy, Henry Tissot, and Billy Mehr 

Forged In Rust 

Acrylic Canvas Painting 

Our painting combines the characters from Rusted Robots to reflect the book’s theme of identity shaped by struggle. Each character carries “rust” symbolizing damage and experience and blending them demonstrates how their stories interconnect. The distorted, merged figure represents how hardship alters identity while highlighting shared resilience. Ultimately, the painting shows that even in brokenness, there is unity and purpose. We value this piece because its message is universal; everyone feels broken at some point, yet we can all find connection and common ground.

Declan Kleinhans 

Storymaking 

Poem 

Poems are stories, and stories come in many different forms and media. The way a story is told can change how it’s understood. Creating a poem or story that is both personal and relatable is a difficult task, as it’s rare to find a universal connection. My poem honors the various shapes of storytelling represented in the two parallel storylines of Nnedi Okorafor’s novel, “Death of the 

Author.” I attempt to show the challenge of understanding different forms written from an alternative perspective. These intricacies make it more impactful when understood, as shown in the duality of Okorafor’s work. 

James Harris 

Changing Self 

Thread craft 

The project is divided into three distinct sections to illustrate the character’s progression. The first is a woven segment representing her identity—a self built on friendships, external perceptions, and her own self-image both inside and outside the story. The second section depicts the shifting of that view as the threads tangle and rearrange, fundamentally altering how she is perceived by others and herself. This transformation occurs multiple times through cybernetic enhancements and her merging with the ghost, Ijele. The third and final section reveals a new identity, distinct from her starting point. This may lead many to question the author’s intent regarding the obsolescence of the physical body—the very place where she originally built her sense of self and community. One major fault of my project is its narrow focus, as it centers strictly on this internal change while setting aside the wider narrative.

Penelope Butler and Robin Friend 

Phenomenology Divergence 

3D Painting 

Our project utilizes a black-painted canvas to symbolize the inception of consciousness, while vines drape across it to represent the ever-evolving mind. The floral selection reflects the personalities of key characters: Ankara, Ijele, Ngozi, and Zelu. Handmade pipe-cleaner flowers—including orchids, white lilies, African violets, sunflowers, and yellow trumpets—adorn the vines. Predominantly smaller blossoms cover the arrangement to symbolize the characters’ continuous growth and development throughout the novel. Flower Symbolism Guide: White Lilies (Ijele): Symbolizing the ethereal or ghostly transition and purity of spirit. Orchids and Sunflowers (Ankara): Representing strength, admiration, and a vibrant, complex identity. African Violets (Ngozi): Symbolizing loyalty, devotion, and a grounded nature. Costus spectabilis, “Yellow Trumpets” (Zelu): As the national flower of Nigeria, these represent her deep-rooted heritage and the “trumpeting” of a new, bold identity. 

Houston Paschall, Gavyn Keane, Zac Acevedo-Grade and Chase Ellison-Olheiser 

Trip At The Brain 

Mixed media collage 

“For a while, Earth was a sad place. Hot and dry and dark. Humanity hung on for as long as it could. They created us, sent us all over the planet. But they left us behind.”(28) 

This quote supports our vision of humanity moving on without itself. The dark buildings in our piece parallel the discarded past of the humans in the book Rusted Robots. We took photos around the city to explore urban landscapes and decay; these images depict decomposition through neglect, alongside modern cityscapes and innovation. Ultimately, our piece reflects the text by showing how we are simultaneously hurting ourselves as a society while fostering growth, much like the robots.

Elli Meyer 

Generate The Perfect Body 

Acrylic Painting 

“And since humans placed so much value on their private parts, every Hume had a Hume Star, a tiny light between their legs about the size of a pea” (29). This quote deeply resonated with me. My acrylic painting explores the female body and how anatomy is simultaneously desired and shamed. The brightest point of the painting is the Hume Star, reflecting the way women are often reduced to nothing more than their anatomy. Ultimately, the human body is all we have—a physical essence that AI can never truly replicate or attain. 

Aeron Guy 

Heart Like Yours 

Acrylic paint on canvas 

“No automation, AI, or machine could create stories. Not truly. We could pull from existing datasets, detect patterns, then copy and paste them in a new order, and sometimes that seemed like creation. But this couldn’t capture the narrative magic that humanity could wield” (40). This quote resonates with me as an artist, a writer, a storyteller, and a human. Storytelling is the greatest gift humanity has to offer; our imaginations remain completely unmatched. Yet, the humanization of inanimate objects has become our new reality. To me, AI is a mold—a parasite and a disease tainting human creativity. My piece serves as a visual representation of this parasitic nature. The bright, dreamlike lightness of human creativity is shown being corrupted by darkened mold spores as they jet from the robot, attempting to extinguish the light of original thought.

Kat Richard 

The Face and Book of the Author 

Visual of the author’s book and author’s face

My project is a Minecraft build featuring both the author’s face and elements from the book. It highlights the creativity within the story and the ability to build something meaningful from nothing. Applying this principle, I combined art and technology by using my imagination and coding skills to program a bot that helped construct the project. This connects to the novel because Zelu uses her skill and her desire to transcend public perception to eventually rise high above her circumstances. This relates to real life because everyone faces obstacles they wish to overcome; while everyone has the potential to do so, the challenge lies in finding the right path. This resonates with me personally as I prepare for culinary school. I know I cannot simply become a chef overnight; I must rise above my current limitations to earn my place. Creating this Minecraft build serves as a symbol of that journey—overcoming technical boundaries to achieve a larger vision. 

Billie Kelly 

Slowly Forgetting 

Acrylic painting 

The concept behind this painting is very important to me, as I chose to focus on the two characters I perceive as the most “human”: Ijele and Ankara. I decided to paint Ijele in pastel pinks and purples with many flowy accessories. From a young age, I have always associated ghosts with angels, and this personal perspective is a key element of the piece. In contrast, Ankara is designed to look like a rusted robot. Her grey skin represents metal, while her brown hair symbolizes rust; I added specific accessories to enhance that robotic feel. Finally, Ijele’s face is covered or painted over to represent her disappearance at the end of the story. This symbolizes the robot moving on and reflects the fading memory of how Ijele once looked.

Josiah Parks 

African inspiration colors 

Canvas and paint 

My African-inspired color project is based on West African wax print cloth. It inspired me to do more than just point out Zelu’s origin; I wanted to truly represent her culture and her family’s roots. The thought and detail put into these fabrics are beautiful and unique, much like the characters themselves. 

Leen Alnejaimi 

Rusted Robot 

Recycled bottles with hot glue 

I used recycled bottles to construct a robot, depicting Ijele as a ghost departing from its frame. My project reflects how the robots in the book were repaired using salvaged materials, and I wanted to mirror that resourcefulness in my own work. This specifically portrays the moment Ijele leaves Ankara’s body in the final part of the novel. 

Eli Burns 

Why Divide and War are Inevitable, Regardless if it’s Humans or AI.

Typed Paper 

“My project applies various themes from the book to analyze why consciousness is inherently cruel, regardless of the being in question. I draw parallels to real-world scenarios as a rough comparison. Furthermore, I argue that ‘Death of the Author’ serves as a cruel metaphor, illustrating that nothing fundamentally improves, even if you change the ‘speciΩASedrt890-43es,’ for lack of a better word.”

Ziggy Gagliardi 

Her Body 

Acrylic Paint on Canvas 

My piece explores how AI, a recurring theme in the book, dehumanizes us, particularly women. I chose bright red to capture attention; I don’t want people to walk past this unnoticed, unlike the way AI is being forced upon us and then brushed aside in modern media. Her body represents beauty and art, showing that nothing can replace the elegance of anatomy, even when it is vulnerable. Her organs and ribcage symbolize our core; even if it is broken or messy, it is what makes us human; something a robot can never replace. 

Gray Hruska 

Untitled, [Inspired by Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax, 1971.] 

Acrylic paint on canvas 

A vast, fantastical forest grows beneath a drain grate. One passage of Death of the Author (Ch. 6, pp. 44–45) that stuck out to me describes the transformation of Earth’s environment—specifically the mangrove forest and the former metropolis of Lagos. My piece explores the imagery of this passage: “Rays of sunlight could penetrate the forest’s canopy”; “A long-abandoned oil pipeline… like a dead fish”; “A beautiful place to behold now that nature had reclaimed it.” In this world, life coexists with human-made structures, reminding me of green architecture and community gardens. I found this post-apocalyptic setting to be almost eutopic. The “periwinkle grass” is an example of how nature continues even after human interference has left its stain. In our own world, we see a sense of human entitlement over the fate of ecosystems. In Rusted Robots, human biases and paradigms are passed on to robots; consider the theme of war. “Reemergences… Genetic modification… So we helped the planet heal” (Ch. 3, p. 28). The robots “play God” with the Earth, attempting to replicate life and recreate ecosystems. Ultimately, I am exploring the duality of nature’s reclamation—how powerful and dynamic life is, despite being contaminated (both literally and figuratively) by humanity. Although the world is tainted, ecosystems endure as evolution catches up.

Gabriel Gagliano, Will Paynter, Jackson Neuberger, and Brady Kuenzi

Cornered

Poetry

Poetry that describes Zelu’s growth and development as a character. This poem conveys emotional weight and significance through various tones. The poem highlights parts in her story and summarizes her identity. The poem addresses different themes and different viewpoints. The poem is then followed up by in depth analysis.

Kassidy Spahos and Ruby Rott

Blurred Truths

Mood Board

This mood board shows the deeper meaning of the novel by displaying how meaning is not controlled by the author but created through interpretation by its readers. The layered visuals showcase how identity can change depending on one’s perspective. This reflects the idea that readers shape the meaning of a story, rather than simply seeing it as one fixed message.

Maiya Komassa, Kelley Krueger, Athena Helvey, and Helena Haselbeck

What Trauma Leaves Behind

Sculpture

Our project uses a sculpture of the tree Zelu fell from to represent her hidden trauma and its connection to her family and culture. We filled the hollow center of the tree with quotes that illustrate the impact of Zelu’s trauma along with her tendency to downplay its effect on her, while the trunk of the tree contains quotes showcasing Zelu’s positive interactions with her family and culture. The leaves include excerpts that display Zelu’s growth through the novel, symbolizing her transformation independent of her family while also acknowledging her trauma and its importance.

Jocelyn Lu, Madelyn Gartzke, Thomas Zalewski, Hailey Wandsnider

What is Free Will?

Short Film 

Our short film “What is Free Will?” highlights the concept of how having free will provides the blueprint for your life. By using Zelu’s character from the novel, it helps us characterize our main actor to juxtapose the significance of the sparking sides of living life scripted and choosing your own destiny.

Addyson Mason and Trinity Stephan, Dillon Sandholm

Accessibility

Research/Poster

Our project is a poster that is about accessibility. We show the history about the ADA, what the ADA is, and what it does. We also show the accessibility within our town and what the problems are. Lastly, we show the common problems about accessibility and the simple solutions to fix them. We did this by utilizing online research and walking around Oconomowoc.

Grace Peters

The Currents of Life 

Watercolor Painting

This project uses watercolor to express the importance of water throughout Zelu’s life and that being a foundation when the current gets violent, strong, and even peaceful. The visual of water growing into a tree explores the fact that Zelu is more than her past, her struggles, and how she is viewed.

Payton Mathews-Brockway

The Life of Zelu Onyenezi-Onyedele

Poster/presentation

My project describes the different aspects in Zelu’s life that make up and describe who she is and how she impacts the overall story and message. I used puzzle pieces to connect the different parts of her life to show that she is a complex character and that in order to be who she is throughout the story her experiences, family, and truth is what makes up her persona and complexity. Zelu is an important character to understand so understanding who she is and what her circumstances are explains that her role, truth, and experiences are significant.

Marissa Bustillos, Autumn Kislewski, and Hanna Noskowiak 

Strings 

Double sided painting 

Our project is going to share how Zelu and her book share many similarities from things she has grown up with and experienced. This is to show how the author is heavily involved with their creation. This will be also shown through things connecting like a wooden doll representing Zelu with some strings connected showing her deep connection with the book but some strings detached showing her story is not hers alone anymore but rather now allowed to be interpreted differently by the public we will use a book and the wooden doll tied to some strings to represent her connection. The front part of our piece is the experiences that Zelu had in the book and the back side of our piece is the experiences of Ankara in Rusted Robots. 

Hazel Desotell 

Creative Stars 

Painting 

Person with a beam shooting out of their head that shows outer space and all of the stars 

Rylan Nicholas, Cooper Doemel, Matthew Chopp 

The Rusting of the Robot 

3D Printed Model 

For our project we will be having people paint a 3D printed robot with rust colored paint. This symbolizes the change from Western culture to African culture. From the westernized shiny pristine condition of the robot, to the beaten down and rugged idea of African Sci-Fi.

Maxton Collins 

Death of the Author 

Game

A game designed to frustrate the user on what it’s like for your work to be interpreted differently. Our game ties into the book because it shows the distraction of being an author and seeing your work being interpreted differently than intended. 

Teja Hilson, Elena Voss, Natalie Petersen 

Build-A-Story 

Interactive Collaboration Story 

People will write a story together sentence by sentence, but they only get to see the sentence before theirs which will make one big story. Once it’s done, no one will know who wrote what sentence except for that person; death of the author. 

Ya’Nais Mills, Ajak Awak, Amarah Jones 

How disability meets judgement in life 

Trifold 

The project we will be creating uses facts and pictures to educate people about how a physical disability can affect someone’s entire life and why they should not judge the next person with a disability. This connects back to the book because Zelu went through a lot of judgement from her fans, family, friends, and peers throughout her journey, they judged her without taking into consideration how affecting that could be for someone with a disability. 

Felyx Walker 

Replacement, Betterment. [In pursuit of true self] 

Sculpture/drawing and coloring. 

“In the book, Zelu gets the exos as a sort of” “replacement”” for her legs. That whole chunk of the story kind of reminded me of my experience with my chronic pain problems and the very real desire that sometimes comes up to completely remove and replace parts that are bothering me. 

Elaina O’Donnell, Star Vang 

the divide 

Painting 

On one side of the paper is Zelu’s wheel chair and surrounding that is all of the negative words that people said to her when she was using it, and on the other side of the paper is Zelu’s prosthetics and surrounding it is all of the negative things that were said to her when she’s using them. This connects to the book because it shows that even though she changed how she deals with her disability the negative words never stop. 

Ahna Schlies 

Life after Robots 

Painting

My project demonstrates the effects of AI and robots in our society. This connects to the book Death of The Author because Zelu’s book, Rusted Robots, talks about this idea. 

Penya Richards, Elanor Paulsen, Zita Loiacano 

Exploring Culture Through Art 

Trifold poster and art piece 

This project is a poster about the cultural and personal significance of ankara cloth along with sketches of clothes and an ankara fabric we designed for Zelu based on what she was going through in certain moments of her life. This connects to the text because her culture is very important to her and she often expresses it through her traditional clothing, so our project will cover both the cultural and personal importance of it to Zelu. 

Alexia Lor, Keeley Ulrich 

Finger-Prints of Origin 

Poster board + painting 

“A poster-board that will have facts about Nigerian culture and examples in the book. As well as a stamp/paint that people will interact with by placing their thumb-print in it and placing it on the poster board with their name. Keeley and I will be the first to show as an example. The connection the book shows Zelu’s importance to her own culture, one of the main focuses in the book is ethnicity and origin of your own culture.”

Amelia Marquette, Nolan Farnsworth 

The take off 

Poster 

We’re going to be making a poster with her takeoff from earth with the quote “And onward she’d gone” on page 118, there is going to be a rocket and water connecting the earth to her rocket, the water being the fire that comes when a rocket flies. In the water is going to be things that will stay with her for life, her cat, swimming, being an astronaut, robots, her cat ect. And on the earth will be things that kept her at her lowest, family, trees, her wheelchair, social media ect. 

Kiley Musha 

Seen Not Heard 

Clay Sculpture 

These clay sculptures represent everyday beauty products that promote ongoing and historical beauty standards. The brand name comes from an elected American politician who is commonly associated with degrading women. The makeup palette’s shade names are common terms used to label women, whereas the palette itself is full of neutral shades that women are promoted to wear daily. The lipstick-shaped super glue represents how women are expected to “keep their opinions to themselves” and to “stay quiet.” Within the book “Death of the Author,” Nnedi Okorafor explores themes tied to feminism, social pressures, and even identity searching. This project is simply a metaphor found throughout the book: women should be seen, not heard. 

Isabel (Apollo) Cameron 

Double sided poster project 

Visual – Painting 

Double sided poster project showing how Zelu and Ankara are mirrored. Includes vague quotes from the book. Is supposed to represent connection to art and artist.

Ace Doemel 

Poster 

In the book, Zelu wears prosthetics and this explores more about prosthetics. 

Chifeng Moua, Eddy Vang, Eli Lor 

Augmentation Sculpture 

This is an interactive sculpture that can be worn on the arm, augmenting it. When you wear it, is it a part of you? Is it enhancing your human arm or obscuring it? 

Zoey Hodge 

Poster

Visual comparison between different ethnic groups in the book and different Native American cultures (specifically focused on Ho Chunk) 

Meena Singharath and Elora

Enrique Alatorre, Landen Mohry, & Michael Schwister

“The Dual Adaptations”

Colored Pencil Poster

For our project, we decided to create 2 posters to contrast the different ideas of what the Rusted Robots story should be. One of the posters was made to reflect the American ideals infused within the story, and it is meant to show the soullessness and corporate butchery of the novel we see within the book. The other poster was made to reflect Zelu’s vision of the movie with multiple details made to represent different aspects of the novel, serving as a more faithful and respectful adaption of the story.

Faateha Ahmed

“Under the Lens”

Multimedia Model/Display 

My project uses the destruction of a book and physical lenses to represent the struggle between a creator’s truth and the public’s gaze. While Ronald Barthes views the “death” of the author as a liberation for the reader, this display argues that for creators like Zelu, this is not a peaceful hand off: rather it is a symbol of cultural theft. The 3D model features a ripped up and destroyed book suspended in mid-air, it’s original pages replaced with fragments to symbolize how an audiences scrutiny, emphasized by hanging camera lenses, erodes an author’s history. By incorporating Ankara patterns and mechanical cogs, the design roots Zelu’s life in her cultural history, while showing the transition into her own narrative with her novel Rusted Robots. 

Eren Camlibel, Carson Marchant, & Hunter Swatiski

“Zelu’s Life”

Interactive Website Playlist

Our project focuses on how Zelu’s identity is misunderstood throughout the story and we represent her past trauma through song by making a playlist that relates to her life. We also focus on aspects of Zelu’s life and how her true identity is shown through her come up and not past trauma. A playlist is a great way to show how many quotes throughout the book share connects to a song which also makes it easier for the observer to connect to the book. Overall our project will be focusing on how music can connect to not just Zelu, but can connect to others that view our project and have read the book Death of the Author.

Addie Coe, Alania Malecki, & Haleigh Russell

“Rusted Reflection”

Colored Pencil Drawing and Interactive Mirror

We decided to use the the quote “We cannot escape our creators… You can’t erase that which made you. Even when they are  gone, their spirit remains. This should be okay” (Okorafor 92). Parts of a creator’s life will always be shown through their work is something that we’ve learned through analyzing this quote. We also understand that creation reflects the creator, which is our inspiration for the project. A creator’s life experiences shape their creations. This can be found in more than just art, it can be through children and parents, through songs, dances, books, and more. We believe the thematic argument to be that the creation cannot be separated from the creator. Our project is a painting/drawing of Zelu looking into a mirror that reflects Ankara. Colors on the Zelu side are much darker and mysterious with purples and blues, while Ankara’s colors are warmer and bright showing that the creators put highlights of their own life into their creations. Zelu and Ankara are both reaching towards the mirror, touching it/ the other person/robot. To show that they are connected. Not only do we have this painting but we have a small mirror that we set up, and dry erase markers so that everyone can add a drawing to the mirror to create one big drawing. The purpose of the drawing on the mirror is to show that one can see themselves just as Zelu and Ankara see themselves in their artwork. 

Averie Crook & Evelyn Taylor

“Humankind”

Collage

We came up with the idea of making a collage of our peers faces to try and represent how humankind and AI are represented in the novel Death of the Author. We discussed a lot about the humes in Death of the Author and how it focuses on their lack of creation, they can never truly create something. These humes can only rely on the stories that humanity left behind. We thought a lot about AI and Death of the Author and how we could relate it to our project. Our project is a physical representation of the limitations of what AI can produce. WIth our collage it shows the mixing of humankind to try and create something. But it also has a deeper meaning. It represents the stories that live behind the pictures we used. The pictures that we used all have a different life and story behind them making it meaningful because we can all see that story. With AI there’s nothing there but a generative box to put meaningless words into. AI can never produce meaningful pieces of art. They can only depend on humankind for inspiration. 

Aiden Drover & Orion Bork

“Societal Assimilation Machine”

Interactive Box

Our project uses a small creation, or machine, to display the destruction of otherness in a society built by conformity. This machine is a representation of how Zelu consistently fights conformity throughout the story. It also shows how her expression of otherness creates challenges against the predetermined views of society. This machine uses many “unique” pieces, and once put through the machine, they come out as bleak objects that all look the same, representing the process of assimilation in a conformist society.

CiCi Enli

“Clarity”

Painting

This painting combines wire, fabric, lights, beads, and more to represent both the way that society cannot see disability without inserting ableism as well as the escape from the pressure that is forced upon those in the spotlight; inherently also meaning disabled people that are constantly used as “inspirations” or to convey a point. Hence the name, Death of the Author, and the themes represented in this book, I pulled inspiration from Zelu’s, Okorafor’s, my personal, and “the overall” disability experiences. Just as Zelu repeats “Clarity” in Death of the Author, in this painting she finds Clarity in the cosmic version of herself among the storms.  

Jocelyn Johnson

“The Progression of Literary Inspiration”
Brochures

My project uses a simple media to explore the concept of the absence of originality throughout the course of the novel. My brochures aim to demonstrate the manner in which an author borrows inspiration from the world around them to craft a story. Whether the author is human or not, one only has the capability to place a creative spin upon their surroundings rather than produce a new concept. I used a contrast in text style (handwritten and typed) to show the fundamental factor that what is separating automation and human created stories is emotion. The two author, at the base have the same source of inspiration. 

Emily Kasubaski & Violet VanHeuklon

“Latent Understanding”

Painted Acrylic Portrait within a Box

Our project applies color theory to create an interactive art piece that represents the complex journey towards empathy that readers embark upon whenever they open a book. The two lenses represent both the author’s view (red) and the reader’s perspective (blue). It’s only through the application of both that the art (a representation of the book) is fully visible and understood. The poems written upon the lens are a reflection of the perspective of both: the creator and the consumer.

Mallorie Lohry

“Scraptron”

Multimedia Sculpture

My project is a robot constructed entirely from discarded human materials to symbolize the relationship between humans and technology. I used cardboard boxes as the structural base, covered sections in tinfoil to create a metallic appearance, and incorporated various small found objects that would otherwise be considered trash. Each piece of “waste” becomes part of the robot’s body, emphasizing how something discarded can be repurposed into something new. This design reflects a critical interpretation of Death of the Author by suggesting that meaning is not created solely by an original creator, but instead is shaped by what already exist and how it is reassembled. The robot represents how technology is built from human leftovers, both physically, and intellectually. This raises questions about originality, authorship, and emotion. Although the robot appears human-like, it lacks true emotion, highlighting the idea that technology imitates life but cannot fully replicate human experience. Overall, the project demonstrates how meaning and identity are constructed from fragments, reinforcing the idea that nothing is entirely original, but rather a recombination of what came before. 

Dominic Moore & Owen Summers

“The Importance of Family”
Colored Pencil Drawing

Our project is a colored pencil drawing based on a real life picture of Nigeria. The centerpiece of the drawing is Zelu’s family holding hands. From left to right, the drawing includes Zelu’s mom, her dad, her sister Chinyere, her partner Mzizi, and Zelu herself in the center. The project represents how important family was to the story and Zelu’s life.

Hazel Nuon

“Bursts of Inspiration”
Pop-Up Card

My project uses pop-ups to represent human inspiration and imagination. They’re meant to focus on the ‘magical’ aspects of writing that Okorafor highlights throughout Death of the Author. It’s also meant to focus on the humanity of these moments, with the topics and stories being told displaying human themes (i.e. grief, friendship, connection, admiration).

Raegan Oesterreich

“A Wave of Serotonin”

Multimedia Sculpture

I created this project to represent the Red and Blue Mind Theory and how it connects to Death of the Author. The Red and Blue Mind Theory is the study on how the ocean affects the human mind in a positive way by releasing certain mood boosting hormones into the brain which brings peace, calm, and happiness. This relates to Death of the Author because Zelu finds peace within the ocean and the inhabitants in the ocean. You can see the amount of blue objects and fragments I used to create the wave and you can see the red words made of pipe cleaners, which you can see are floating away from the person. 

Madeline Schendel

“Redefining Completeness” 

Ceramic Art

This project uses a broken and reassembled ceramic plate to showcase how disability is often viewed as incompleteness by social standards. By leaving visible cracks and adding a tree with Ankara patterned leaves, the piece shows that identity is shaped by growth and individuality, not perfection.

Chloe Sylvia 

“Storyteller’s Influence”

Mirror Display

My project is based on stories shaping identities and how people view the world around them.  It is a collection of mirrors with figures and symbols of different popular book characters. The characters chosen were based on interviews with many different people asking the question “What’s your favorite book?” and “How did it impact you?” The mirrors are supposed to allow viewers to see themselves reflected in the books in a literal way, illustrating how books shape who we are.  The inspiration comes from Zelu’s relationship with writing and how it shapes her, but also the decisions the Trippers ultimately make at the end of Rusted Robots.   

Anaiya Stephens

“I am You”

Cardboard Sculpture

I constructed my project to represent the similarities between Ankara and Zelu. By similarities I mean how Zelu is indirectly living through Ankara. Ankara is revealed to be the author of Death of the Author, 

which many moments in the story that happen to Zelu have happened in some shape or form to Ankara first. It represents a good majority of Death of the Author, because Zelu often sees herself as and odd one out, which is exactly what Ankara is as she lives with a Ghost in her mind. I chose to do my project this way to not only represent Death of the Author, but to show my point of view of how I imagined the story. Though, the book was strongly against readers changing the authors intent, in my opinion that’s how reading and life works.

McKenna Stutz

“The Art of Life”

Acrylic Painting

My project aimed to emphasize life. The fact that it is truly never ending, and cannot be solely defined by science. By combining Ankara prints and contrasting colors of acrylic paint I showed various types of life, that of natural, artificial, and robotic. I based this idea off of Ankara’s struggle between being robotic and being human- showing they are alive though their mechanical heart and mind. 

Carmen Tornow & Courtney Vesperman

“Create Your Own Interpretation”

Collage Board

Death of the Author holds a theme of interpretation that is not talked about as much as it could be. Zelu is interpreted differently throughout the novel, with her fans admiring her, other people on social media hating her, and her family often thinking she is selfish and self-motivated. Rusted Robots is also affected by the way it is interpreted, as it gets adapted into a movie that is not anything like Zelu wanted for the story. Everything in life is so heavily impacted by interpretation, and this is what the project shows. It shows how different things and experiences throughout the novel are interpreted by two different points of view. Some of the quotes are used to show how differently Zelu is seen from different perspectives. Overall, the main theme for the project is how identity is dependent on interpretation.

Lexi Wolff

“Disability, Identity, & Perception”

Tri-fold

My project is a collection of research that explores how disability does not limit intelligence, creativity, or success. I examine the lives of real individuals with disabilities, including writers, artists, and engineers, whose experiences reflect the themes in Death of the Author. This project reflects a critical interpretation of the novel by showing that the true barrier is not disability itself, but society’s perception of it.

Morgan Blindauer, Addison Renning, Kayana Turner, & Joy Wheel

“Urban Ankara”

Mixed Modern Clothing

We have made Nigerian inspired clothing products, with a modern twist. The focus is to show how individual expression can be a combination of one’s culture and lifestyle. Our inspiration was Zelu and how she mixes her Nigerian culture and modernity. Different items we are making include: a dress, a patchwork zip up and sweatshirt, fold-over leggings, and bracelets.

McKenzie Christensen

“Soul of Zelu and Ankara”

Colored Pencil Sketch

My project is two different pieces, both embodying a different character. Throughout the book we see a lot of struggling within Zelu and Ankara; entirely different struggles yet they are the same. With my representation of Zelu, I demonstrated her exoskeletons and made her look superhuman like it was mentioned in the book. My representation of Ankara was a lonely lost robot who has no idea what to do next. Both of the pieces represent the most hidden versions of Zelu and Ankara and are shown through art. 

Baeah Bryden, Caroline Baly, Kierstyn Herreman, Sophia Mazza

“Insight of the Mind”

A physical life-sized book

When you open the inside of the life sized book, the item will represent the strong emotions that Zelu feels about herself on one side, and how others perceive her on the other. This project will show her identity throughout Death of The Author, demonstrating a piece about emotional revelation within identity.

Luke Heuchert, Parker Geis, Isaac Bird, & Evan Burger

“Death of the Author: A Short Film”

A short film with select scenes from Death of the Author

Through the story of Death of the Author, Zelu shows how independent she is. Whenever someone tells her to do something, she does the opposite. This short film includes a few scenes from the book, which showcase Zelu’s independence. In each scene, take note of how Zelu chooses her own path despite the opinions of others 

Anthony Wright

“Literary Puzzle Pieces”

Pencil Drawing

For my project I drew a picture of Zelu and Ankara with their bodies fragmented and those fragments coming together from the point that either of them are writing. This is to show how the characters are “completed” through books and stories.

Eva Meri

“Obi (Central House)”

Clay Sculpture

This clay sculpture is of the central house visited by Zelu after a long decade of not being there. This house contrasts the past pristine exterior with its present exterior. The past exterior as Zelu remembers it, harbors a lot of nostalgia and memories. While ten years later, her visit back is not a tranquil one. She finds it in a state of despair. Tolu, the eldest son, is supposed to gain authority over the compound after the father’s passing, however, the house has not been touched ever since his death. This project is central to my thesis of tradition means nothing if there is nobody to uphold it. 

Hayden Smock & Connor Ellifson

“Continental Idị N’otu”

A Three Movement Musical Piece

This is a multi-movement musical piece describing the initial dissonance between Western culture and Nigerian culture, but towards the end of the piece the genres collide and combine to create a new cultural blend.  

Grace Staub

“AI is a helpful tool, right? “

Board Game

The project is a board game that gives you a decision about whether you use AI or not. If you use AI then pull another card and you may or may not get caught using the AI. The board game will take you backwards and forwards depending on the decisions you made, the cards you pay, and the dice you roll. The reason I’m making this is because it shows the idea of AI in the Death of the Author and how you could choose to use AI in real life or you could just let it be.

Gavin Nimmer

“Blended Moments”

Acrylic painting 

My project displays the prevalence of connection in Death of the Author through the largest example of a connection: Zelu’s and Ankara’s lives. This shows four examples where the similarities between their lives are the strongest. The first is when Ankara is writing the story in the cave with Ijele and Udide; and when Zelu travels to space. The second is when Ankara is nearly destroyed after the protocol goes out; and when a young Zelu falls from the tree and becomes paralyzed from the waist down. The third is when Ijele and Ankara become friends; this parallels when Zelu gets her exos for the first time. The final example is when Ijele returns during a Hume gathering in Cross River City; and Zelu’s trip to Igboland.

Layla Becker, Kathryn Scheivert, Arianna Hughes, & Dania Mian

“The Connections of Identity and Home”

A bulletin board with a map

Our project demonstrates the recurring theme of self-identity throughout Death of the Author. By connecting various characters to the homelands of their different cultures, or the paths of their different journeys, we show how no identity is rooted in one place alone. Death of the Author emphasizes the importance of recognizing all aspects of a person (or robot)’s identity, including not only the places they’ve lived, but the cultures, people, and “homes” that come together to make them a unique individual.

Joel Tang

“Rusted Robots Suite”

Orchestral Suite

My project uses a four-movement orchestral suite to demonstrate 4 thematic arguments in Death of the Author by translating the text into an auditory experience. The composition begins with a great, full, and grand sound to represent Zelu’s journey into outer space, followed by an intimate dialogue between the flute and oboe that characterizes the relationship between Ankara and Ijele. The suite then transitions into a rhythmic, dance-like movement inspired by the traditional masquerades before concluding with a driving, percussive finale centered on the chapters, “Preparation” and “War.”

Kaiya Kainz

“Conditional Sense Of Self”

A visual representation

This project is a visual representation that shows the connections between the main character of Death Of The Author, Zelu, and the main character of her novel’s, Ankara. This project demonstrates that you cannot have the characters that you know and love without the information from or background of the author.

Auden Bongers

“The Physics of Madness”

A Research Project

First, I’m looking at the physics of the sun. I want to see if there are any real-world materials that could actually survive that kind of heat and radiation. I’ll be making sketches to show what kind of specialized armor or designs these robots would need just to stay in one piece. Next, I’m looking at their “programming.” I’m comparing the way the robots’ code breaks down to the way a person’s mind might snap under too much stress or change. It’s a way to show that “too much of a good thing” (like the sun’s power) can actually be destructive. Finally, I’m using the “Death of the Author” theory to see if the Chargers’ descent into madness is actually a reflection of the author, Zelu. By looking at the science, I’m trying to prove that her writing shows a fear of how uncontrolled change can lead to a total breakdown.

Miranda Waeckerle

“Naijamerican Circuits”

Clothing Design

My project will be mainly centered around the idea of “African Cyborg” using fabric like stated in the text, with the creation of the pantsuit with a twist of my own interpretation of red, white, and blue with LED lights within the legs of the outfit, giving that Naijamerican aspect with technology. It will be wearable for anyone that fits that size, like how she wears her exos with Modern Nigerian and American futurism. To achieve this creation, I will create a tailored pantsuit with these items to demonstrate technology within modern fashion and society.

Addie Veldman, Avery Wickham, and Ella Seering

“Voices: Interpretation of Zelu”

Diorama

 “Write what you want, woman. Walk how you want. Love who you love. Speak your truth. Be good and roll with life. You can’t have or control everything or everyone.” (Okorafor 223) Our diorama, “Voices,” showcases the different expectations and criticisms imposed on Zelu because of her physical disability and the decisions she makes in her life. Wind’s conversation with Zelu serves as a pivotal moment within Zelu’s mindset, persuading her to resist the voices of people trying to dictate who she is. Throughout the novel, Zelu stays true to herself despite constant criticism and the opinions of those surrounding her. This novel inspires its readers to tune out others’ judgment about how a person should act and who they should be. It gives hope and reassurance that you do not have to be confined to society’s standards but are able to choose your own identity and create who you want to be.

Addison Otradovec and Nakysha Kuresa

“The Beginning of the End”

Interactive Trifold

“I’ve been deleted from my own story, she thought. They just erased me.” (Okorafor 202) What is erasure? Can a person truly be erased? The novel Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor exposes us to the fact that the original meaning from the author gets erased along with its intentional impact. Our project consists of a trifold, pictures that may have things erased depending on our mood, and sticky notes that will hold the audience’s answers. The narrative leaves the hands of the author the minute the author finishes their story. This is seen when Zelu has the opportunity to turn her novel, Rusted Robots, into a movie; however, the producers do not consult her for input on how the movie should be made, what it should look like, or how the characters should act, which results in the meaning Zelu has for the novel being lost. Our claim is that no one can truly disappear, since they will always leave a trail, no matter how big or how small. Everyone has a true “home.” Granted, some parts of the story will be lost, but things don’t always stay the same. There will always be multiple sides to a story, and those who retell the story and put meaning into it control the narrative.

AJ Stephens

“The Vow to Everything” 

Sculptures

“’Then tell me your truth,’ I said, and ‘I’ll make it a story.’” (Okorafor 409) “’I am me,’ Ijele said.” (Okorafor 422) “Family…Zelu was in the center of all this, literally…yet feeling… disconnected.” (Okorafor 69) “The Vow to Everything” sculptures depict two versions of the same person alongside a robot who represents the character and her secret thoughts, reflecting how the person views herself in two distinct ways, a division that is constantly reinforced in many societies around the world. Okorafor’s novel revels in the ideals of family and accomplishment, which emerge as deeply intertwined. This book consistently hones in on how one sees and lives one’s truth, whether through glitz and glamour via self-resilience or through something more quietly painful rooted in familial influence. This all connects in my project, as I showcase the different realities and inner thoughts of a person living this kind of “double life.” The sculptures and their accompanying phrases and words offer a more surreal look into the real mind and body of two different versions of self: self-confidence and failure. Ultimately, the comparison of these two sides will generate a mix of emotional and visible intelligence among the audience.

Amelia Carey, Peyton Dorn, and Paige Geiger

“Two Sides of the Screen: The Price of Social Representation”

3-D model with trifold

“Were you not thinking how this would make everyone feel?” (Okorafor 305) Our project provides a visual representation of a mannequin head painted to represent Zelu and the experiences she goes through on social media and in real life. We are connecting this to Death of the Author by examining how Zelu was affected by social media, alongside statistics about how social media affects students in Global Academy as well as our audience. When Zelu’s book was first published, social media helped fuel her success. With all the fame, Zelu started to receive mixed reactions from fans and critics about both her book and how she lived her life. In the novel, it seems like Zelu receives negative feedback no matter what she posts or says online. Our visual is a face split down the middle: one side shows a positive view and the other a negative view, representing the emotions and experiences a person would have with each side of social media. The positive side is shown through cardboard cutouts of likes and positive comments; the negative side is shown the same way, but with negative reactions and thoughts instead. Our trifold addresses the topic of family and societal expectations and the pressures that can come from them. This is represented by a tree with comments and labels made by others branching outward, which ties into how Zelu’s life changes drastically when she falls out of a tree. The final component of our project is a Google Form completed by students and others at the Great World Text Conference. It helps participants see and absorb the real-life effects that social media has on people, because social media can be an illusion that is normalized and goes unnoticed.

Anna Thiemke

“Constellations of Interpretation” 

Mixed Media Sculpture

“It’s all still me.” (Okorafor 210) “Constellations of Interpretation” explores how an individual’s identity can be “written” or interpreted by outside powers. Through five interconnected scenes from Zelu’s life, this project maps her shift from internal guilt to external exploitation and then finally accepting who she is. After a childhood accident leaves her paraplegic, Zelu felt a deep, enduring sense of self-blame; shown in the first scene. Once she was presented with the opportunity to gain back independence, Zelu’s family became overprotective and dismissive of her; shown in the second scene. The third scene reflects that climax of judgement. Her escape of judgement was writing her novel, but the media and public reaction to her sudden fame questioned her to the point where Zelu’s authentic self was obscured and manipulated. The fourth scene is a transition into the fifth where shattered mirrors and different versions of self reflect back. The fifth scene is when Zelu decides to keep her new novel to herself. By doing this, she is able to control her own narrative and assert her agency. By tracing Zelu’s journey from being “written” by the media to reclaiming the author position of her own life, this project mirrors the real-world struggle to salvage personal identity from external labels.

Brooke Leinen and Molly Dudsinski

“The Art We Live”

Abstract sculpture and stained glass painting

 “Zelu touched the screen, and the first thing she saw was that Yebo had done something interesting. It had created what it was called the” window of love” on the top lefthand side of her phone. In it was a list of comments from social media that were full of compassion, praise, and encouragement.” (Okorafor 342–43) Social media comments are often overlooked, but their effect on real people is significant. In Death of the Author, Zelu struggles with the weight of negative comments online, which affects her ability to function in other areas of her life. Research helps explain why this kind of negativity flourishes online. As Arlin Cuncic writes in “Mental Health Effects of Reading Negative Comments Online,” the anonymity of comment sections means that people feel no accountability for what they say, becoming aggressive in ways they would not in face-to-face interactions (Cuncic, 2022). This is compounded by the fact that platforms where anonymity is more protected tend to generate more hostility; researchers have found, for instance, that YouTube carries some of the highest rates of rude comments and insults of any major platform (Cuncic, 2022). Beyond anonymity, the absence of face-to-face connection makes it harder to feel empathy or consider how words land on another person. As Cuncic puts it, rather than perceiving a real person on the other end of the screen, we imagine we are commenting into a void. This dynamic shifts in a pivotal moment in the novel, when Yebo creates a “Window of Love” on Zelu’s phone, flooding her screen with messages of support and appreciation. In that moment, Zelu is able to refocus on the people who value her rather than the voices that diminish her. Our project explores that same tension between negativity and affirmation. A stained glass box places positive comments at the front and negative ones hidden behind, asking viewers to consider what they choose to look through and what they allow to recede. The lens we look through shapes what we see, and choosing to focus on the positive is itself an act of agency.

Barakat Akinyele and Lydia Hill

“Unfolded”

Ankara-cloth quilt

“Zelu walked down the red carpet of the Hollywood theater wearing a gorgeous pantsuit made from Ankara cloth that had been custom designed for her. If you looked closely, the white-and-blue pattern was made of shapes that looked like cogs, nuts, bolts, and processor chips. Similar cloth hung in fringes from the sides of her exos, the effect making the exos look like part of the suit itself.” (Okorafor 198) Our project, “Unfolded,” explores the fear of being trapped in “a single story.” In Death of the Author, Zelu is often trapped in an oppressive box, where others see her only as a paraplegic woman and “half robot.” We were inspired by Zelu’s Ankara clothing throughout the novel, not as a fashion choice, but as a way of pushing back against others’ limited views of her. We chose to represent this concept through a hand-crafted Ankara quilt alongside a digital slideshow. While the slideshow reflects the flat and incomplete nature of first impressions, the quilt reveals what lies beneath. Made up of various patterns and colors and incorporating responses from a community survey, the quilt demonstrates the complex reality that exists beyond a single story. This project argues that first impressions should never be the whole picture.

Brooklynn Knoll

“The Art We Live”

Art Collection 

“A woman dancing with a masquerade was unheard of.” (Okorafor 263) “Wrong part of the world, wrong ways of speaking, wrong ideas, wrong, wrong, wrong. And millions of people who’d never even read her book were about to watch it and love it and think that was what Rusted Robots was about.” (Okorafor 213) Women have been constantly suppressed and barred from aspects of culture that no one would question a man being part of, from what would be considered traditionally masculine spaces to forms of art and creativity. When Omoshalewa, Zelu’s mother, dances with the masquerade, she is breaking a tradition that has excluded women for generations, crossing artistic boundaries and including herself in an exclusive practice. My project attempts to encapsulate the missed opportunities of women throughout history and the art they could have made if not for the expectations of their culture and the oppressive forces around them, through art I and other women have made throughout our lives. Despite the harm women face because of traditional norms, it is clear that culture is important and sacred. Throughout Death of the Author, despite the misogynistic beliefs present in Igbo and Yoruba culture that Zelu and her siblings witness, they still treasure their heritage and make an effort to involve it in their lives, as Zelu does by including her culture in her writing. Culture is important to many, no matter how problematic some of the ideas and beliefs within that culture may be, which is why it is important to evolve and adapt these cultures and their practices to modern life and society. Art is present everywhere, and not being able to participate in it — especially in the art of your own culture — is a devastating loss for the impact that art could have had on the world. I myself am not an artist, which is exactly why I chose to focus on and create art. To be able to create is to be human.

Caiden Kim and Mason Dartsch

“A Cut from the Same Fabric”

Interactive Literary Forum

“There were hundreds of works written by people frustrated that there was no book two, who’d taken it upon themselves to produce one… Only one short story she saw called her characters Ankara and Ijele. Everyone else was using the film as the foundation.” (Okorafor 173–74) “A Cut From the Same Fabric” represents the infinite ways any reader may interpret a single story. We use audience participation as a way to gather data and provide real-world examples of how interpretation of a story may vary, even tapping into our readers’ creative minds by giving them the freedom to write their own endings. We build around the core idea that although we may all be reading the same content, each reader’s interpretation can lead to whole new worlds and meanings that did not exist before. Normally hidden from others, writing becomes a way to share these realities beyond the typical scope of our own minds. The freedom we give participants allows for a new degree of expression, spurring their creativity and allowing them to truly interpret the story in their own way without prior guidance. Such ideas are presented in “The Death of the Author” by Roland Barthes, where he argues about who “owns” a story, claiming that the story belongs to the reader and that any original intentions from the author are immediately replaced with the reader’s own ideas. The project itself was inspired by the various fanfictions written about Rusted Robots within Okorafor’s Death of the Author, where Zelu grows increasingly frustrated as both the movie adaptation and countless fanfictions choose their own stories over what she originally intended.

Claire Turner

“Guilt Shapes How You React”

Display

“I have come to understand that author, art, and audience all adore one another. They create a tissue, a web, a network. No death is required for this form of life.” (Okorafor 435) Whether we are aware of it or not, we are constantly creating things, whether it is our brain conjuring up dreams, crafting an essay for an English assignment, or imagining different outcomes for a scenario. Creation surrounds us all. Even in seemingly mundane things we make, there will always be remnants of ourselves in our creations. “Author, art, and audience all adore one another,” all different parts of creation with different interpretations for the same media. Our interpretations are shaped by our worldview, fueling what we make and think up with our own experiences. This project explores the idea that with everything we make, we leave pieces of ourselves within those creations. Artists always reflect in their art, and art always reflects in artists, and this is not exclusive to just those who paint and draw. In a way, we are all artists. This mixed-media interpretation includes personal experiences from several fellow students and community members of Oshkosh, Wisconsin who thrive in creation, as well as the personal experience of the artist through their art. This interpretation asks onlookers to take their interpretations a step deeper with both their own work and the work of others: how do you reflect in your creations?

Clayton Reising 

“Who Controls What?”

Choose-Your-Own-Path Story 

“There were hundreds of works written by people frustrated that there was no book two, who’d taken it upon themselves to produce one… Only one short story she saw called her characters Ankara and Ijele. Everyone else was using the film as the foundation.” (Okorafor 173-174) This project explores who controls the narrative in Death of the Author and how that experience differs from reader to reader. At its center is Roland Barthes’ theory of the death of the author: once a story goes public, the author loses control over its meaning, and the reader becomes the one who determines what the text says and signifies. Our project makes this theory tangible by literally putting the story in the reader’s hands, through a choose-your-own-path structure in which the reader makes decisions that alter the outcome of the narrative. Each choice a reader makes can shift or preserve the message of the text, allowing them to shape the story in their own image. Yet the project also reveals the limits of that freedom. It is the author who writes the decisions, the author who crafts the possible endings, and the author who establishes the ideas from which the reader chooses. The reader’s agency, in other words, is real but curated. Ultimately, this project offers an interactive depiction of the dynamic between author and reader: what each controls, how much influence each carries, and where that power shifts.

Delaney Anderson and Emma Liebergen

“Beneath the Surface”

 Water Visualization

“Like diving beneath the water and losing all sense of the world above. I wanted to disappear into it.” (Okorafor 99) Our project explores the relationship between Zelu’s life and her spiritual connection to water. We chose to demonstrate this by creating a water visual to capture the symbolism of water and, more specifically, the aqua-blue color of the water of Nigeria, her home country. We think creating a visual representation with jars of water while also using the symbolism of color can improve understanding of this topic. These colors carry deeper meanings: yellow carries a positive connotation and will represent positive moments in her life, while blue may be seen as more negative because it carries the weight of uncertainty and destruction. Water itself is a symbol of peace and tranquility; therefore, these colors will balance out the good and bad events Zelu experiences throughout the course of the novel. Ultimately, Zelu’s body is a direct representation of water, as she herself has more beneath the surface than one can clearly see.

Elizabeth Jacques 

“The Human Outside and In”

Acrylic painting and mixed media installation

 “She knew her days of going there as just some disabled American Nigerian girl were over.” (Okorafor 268) My project is an acrylic painting and mixed-media installation that interprets disability—both invisible disabilities and visible ones—and how people are treated in society for them, viewed through the lens of art. In terms of physical disability, people will assume you need help or that you are not capable; when your disability is invisible, people will assume you are lying or not actually disabled. We see in the book how Zelu is treated because of her disability by the people around her. People see others from the outside first and not by what is inside; they may see a disability and not focus on the person. My project aims to show both of these sides, focusing on the whole person, not just one part.

Emma Kohls 

“Erasing You”

Interactive Multi-media Presentation

“I’ve been deleted from my own story, she thought. They’ve just erased me.” (Okorafor 202) This interactive presentation explores the connection between identity and erasure as depicted in Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor. Consisting of a trifold with a survey of students’ opinions about erasure and a double-sided puzzle, my project mirrors Zelu’s experience of having her culture and creative intent stripped away by a Hollywood adaptation. To establish this theme, the trifold serves as a visual record of how society “deletes” brands and history. Building upon this, to visually represent erasure, I also include a double-sided puzzle: as each viewer flips the pieces, it reveals how one perspective is always erased depending on how you view it. One side represents how you present yourself to the public, and one demonstrates your true self. To further illustrate these two components, I also incorporate optical illusions and how they demonstrate that differences in viewpoints can show how one side will always be deleted. This engages with the story because when work is publicized without respect for its roots, the author doesn’t just lose control but is effectively erased. Ultimately, my project argues that erasure is not just an absence of a person, but a removal of someone’s roots, of where they began.

Etta Yonke and Jazzy Peck 

“Behind the Scenes”

Trifold Display

Our project is demonstrated visually as an evidence board, like those seen in TV shows when the main character is trying to connect the pieces of a crime. Our central idea is to feature different stars, including Zelu, who have been canceled, and the reasons why they were canceled, all connecting to a canceled sign. There will also be outside research strung onto those webs representing what the accusers — the public eye — might not have seen, such as mental health struggles or other difficulties the person may have been facing. This representation visually demonstrates our main idea of what people don’t see and how quickly the internet accuses and judges an individual without really knowing the person or the situation at all. We believe that celebrities and well-known people get canceled and criticized for unreasonable things, as Zelu does. Being teenagers in this world, we see many different people called out for things they may not have even done or have no control over, and even in daily life, with rumors running wild around school. With this project, our goal is to get people to look past the headlines and consider the human behind the screen. We encourage empathy and critical thinking before judging.

Franek Olszewski and Jacob Davis

“Death of the Human Mind | Loss of Identity”

Interactive Maze 

As society has advanced, technology has become more interconnected with everyday life. With the age of AI upon us, it raises questions about how these technological advancements will affect our sense of independence. Death of the Author gives a glimpse of how advanced technology could affect an individual and how it may threaten their freedom. What we wonder is how much we can rely on technology before we completely lose our identities. We already see AI being used all over the world, and instead of using independent reasoning, people increasingly demand answers right away. This growing reliance is expected to weaken critical thinking. The effects are already rippling throughout modern society, with Gen Z being the first generation in modern history to be cognitively less capable than their parents, the theorized main cause being increased screen time and heavy reliance on technology. We demonstrate this technological reliance through our maze, which is meant to serve as a symbol for how algorithms can quietly shape how we think, make decisions, and act.

Hiba Malik

“Reflection on Objectification”

Mirror with Illustrations 

This project is a demonstration of the impact of self-acceptance on one’s self versus the acceptance of others on one’s self. The project is called “A Reflection on Objectification.” It explores the mold society offers to people who choose to conform, much like the mold given to Zelu by her family. Participants have the opportunity to peer into a reflection of themselves with the outline of contemporary “perfection” and reflect on how they fit or fail to fit within these boundaries. On the other hand, participants can peer into a normal, clean-slate reflection and discover what they themselves instinctively place into importance from their self-view. After reflecting, participants decide whether, as Zelu is affected by her family and community’s standards, they similarly find societal expectations creeping into their identity or self-understanding, and connect this activity to their daily lives. In Igbo tradition, women do not interact with the masquerades, but Omoshalewa dancing in front of the masquerade is her way of dealing with the grief of losing her husband. Throughout Okorafor’s novel, Zelu’s display of guilt for simply existing and doing what she wants is present in every chapter about her life. The way people deal with the guilt they feel, or grief for that matter, is different. Like how Zelu deals with her guilt by swimming and being in the water, while Omoshalewa deals with her grief by doing things she would not have done if Secret were still alive, such as getting her hair done. This project shows how I personally deal with these feelings, which is through music. The lyrics show the different stages of grief and guilt and how these musicians deal with those feelings throughout their lives. Along with the displayed lyrics, the brain shows where the chemical responsible for the feelings of guilt, grief, and shame originates.

Isabella Messenger and Liam Otterson 

“The Transfer of Power from Author to Reader: Who Controls the Narrative?” 

Interactive Visual Display

Our interactive display is a visual representation of Roland Barthes’ theory in “The Death of the Author”: once a book is published, the reader gains the power to shape and interpret the meaning of the text, and in doing so, displaces the author’s original intent. The skeleton in our display represents this displacement, as the reader constructs their own interpretation, the author’s authentic viewpoint is diminished, symbolically “dying” in the process. Our project not only illustrates the theory but serves as proof of it. That proof takes the form of a poll in which we compare Okorafor’s stated perspective on the boundary between A.I. and humans with our readers’ interpretations of the same idea as expressed in the novel. Our epigraph anchors this comparison, demonstrating how the same line can carry different meanings depending on who is reading it and what they bring to the text. The skeletal model functions alongside the poll as a visual representation of both the theory and the author it describes: a figure present but stripped of control. Together, the two components of our project argue that the identity and narrative of a novel are not fixed or universally agreed upon, but are shaped by personal experience, societal perception, and the inherent nature of human interpretation.

Jacob Branson and Mckeon Leclair 

“The Window of Sanitization”

Visual display / Trifold / Electronic 

“The Window of Sanitization” is a visual project highlighting the large divide between positive and negative interactions on social media, demonstrating that despite the love and praise that can come with using social media, the platform contains seemingly endless negativity. Inside the physical window, viewers can see the censored, filtered version of social media we often see, with new terms like “unalive” replacing standard language due to content filters and crude language filtered out. Outside of the window is the unfiltered side of social media, representing the reality of the platform without filters. The project presents examples from Death of the Author and real-world experiences to show how public perception is shaped by what online language is censored and what is not. This is relevant to Death of the Author‘s inclusion of social media as a driver of the plot, constantly serving as a source of antagonism in the book, showing the reader that the anonymity social media provides to its users creates an opening for unchecked malice online. This project shows the reality of social media and poses a question: if humans cannot be trusted to be respectful on social media, why have it at all?

Kaz Karla and Natasha Tisdel

“Where I Stand”

Acrylic Painting & Trifold

Our project is a painting that explores the erasure of disabled voices, focusing on the physical and social dynamic of being wheelchair-bound in a standing world. People who use wheelchairs are naturally positioned below those around them, and are consequently looked up to or down on, regardless of intent. We chose this focus because of the way Zelu is constantly ignored or pushed out of her own spotlight throughout Death of the Author, and because this kind of erasure is something we have witnessed firsthand in our own lives. The painting places two able-bodied people in conversation, lit and centered, while Zelu appears beneath them, surrounded by darkness and forgotten. It is not always intentional: when someone is physically below you, it can simply be difficult to remember they are there. The painting makes that dynamic visible. Our trifold expands on this theme with specific examples from the novel: Zelu’s family resisting the exos out of their own preferences rather than hers; the man in Nigeria who offers to marry her, noting he does not mind that she is disabled, as though her disability were something to be tolerated rather than simply a part of who she is. These moments illustrate that Zelu’s erasure is not only physical but perceptual: whether she had the exos or the wheelchair, many people could not see past her disability to the person beneath it. The trifold will also extend beyond Zelu’s experience to examine Okorafor’s own relationship with disability and how it shaped the novel.

Kenzie Nicholson Colbert

“The Tides Tie Us Together”

Trifold

“‘None of your siblings care for swimming the way you do,’ … Zelu was the only one who loved to swim like her father.” (Okorafor 103) Water serves as a through line connecting Zelu to her father. Even during conflict, their shared love of swimming holds them together. Water is also a fitting mirror for family itself: you can go days without it, but you cannot survive without it indefinitely. This holds true not only for blood-family but for found-family as well. The visual components of this project reflect these connections. The dolphins on the trifold mark the approximate locations of Zelu’s family homes, connected by a dashed line, but also, symbolically, by the water itself. The photos represent how different bodies of water can look entirely different and carry different names, yet remain, at their core, the same thing. Family works the same way: whether a traditional family or a found one, it is still family, just in a different form. In the novel, water connects Zelu to her family and also highlights the distance between them. She and her father share a love of swimming, but she cannot simply drive ten minutes to see her family in Nigeria. That tension between connection and separation held in the same element is what this project aims to capture.

Lanyah Norman

“The Journey from Unable to Able: Being Labeled Disabled”

Mounted hearing aids and trifold

 “My words hurt her, but I hoped they would heal her, too. People like us have a hard time speaking to ourselves, beyond our basic programming and thinking about our own insecurities.” (Okorafor 157) This project explores the transformative journey of Zelu, a protagonist who navigates the tension between societal labels and personal agency. I have constructed this project to show my own journey to hearing, to prove that capable people overcome adversity. While Zelu is scientifically categorized as “disabled,” her narrative reveals a critical distinction: disability is a state of being, whereas inability is a barrier to be overcome. Through a leap of faith, Zelu shifts from a state of “unable” to “able,” proving that her magnificent success is not despite her circumstances but shaped by them. By tracing a dual timeline of two lives, this work challenges the reader to recognize that capability exists independently of medical designations. Ultimately, Zelu’s story serves as a testament that one can be deemed disabled by society while remaining infinitely able in practice.

Lucy Amel

“Social Mask”

Sculpture

“That’s Zelu. She’ll do something, then right after, just let go of it. Zelu puts it all behind her right away. So wrapped up in herself that she doesn’t know when she’s kicked people out of their sense of normalcy. She’ll just leave you there, reeling and wondering why. Maybe that’s what you all love so much about her.” (Okorafor 6) “Social Mask” is a sculpture of the human body split vertically down the center. One side reveals the internal anatomy in vibrant color, representing inner emotional turmoil; the other presents a smooth, composed exterior, representing the face we show the world. This project is grounded in the Ubuntu philosophy, the idea that our humanity is bound up in our relationships with others and that we cannot be fully whole without them. Reading Death of the Author through this lens foregrounds the importance of connection and the cost of self-isolation. By comparing Zelu’s internal struggles with the composed mask she presents to the world, this sculpture illustrates the gap between what a person carries inside and what they allow others to see. It argues that while people often try to manage their struggles alone, healing only begins when the internal and external are brought into alignment, when a person finds the courage to let others truly see them.

Mariah Vigil

“Diving in with the Dolphins” 

Sculpture

“I looked it right in the eye, and it was the eeriest moment. The sun was almost gone, but… [a ray of light still] caught the dolphin’s eye… I’ll never forget those eyes. They were large and black, with subtle wrinkles around them. Eyes full of wisdom and cunning. The moment… was all I needed to understand that I was in the water with people.” (Okorafor 42-43) What a beautiful, strange, and unique creature the dolphin is. Curious and intelligent; gentle and strong, yet capable of fierce aggression. Much like us. My project is about how we draw lines between humans and animals. I chose to focus on the moment when Zelu’s dad Secret realized he was not just in the water with animals, but with people too because Okorafor uses this moment in Death of the Author to show how the lines we draw are unnatural. We have this idea that we are nothing alike, while we are different in many ways we are also similar. By researching the behavior of dolphins my project argues that Okorafor uses dolphins to show that even though the appearance is different we are still alike. There are some things words will never be able to embody and that is why my project takes the form of a sculpture.

Oliver Van Thiel 

“We Are What We Make: The Connection Between Art and Artist”

Art and Film Montage

“I have come to understand that author, art, and audience all adore one another. They create a tissue, a web, a network. No death is required for this form of life.” (Okorafor 435) Whether we are aware of it or not, we are constantly creating. Whether it be our brains conjuring up dreams, crafting an essay for a class, or imagining different outcomes for a scenario, creation surrounds us all. Even in seemingly mundane things we make, there will always be remnants of ourselves in our creations. As Okorafor writes, “Author, art, and audience all adore one another,” all different parts of creation, each bringing different interpretations to the same work. Those interpretations are shaped by our worldview, fueling what we make with our own experiences. This project explores the idea that with everything we make, we leave pieces of ourselves behind. Artists always reflect in their art, and art always reflects in artists, and this is not exclusive to those who paint and draw. In a way, we are all artists. This mixed-media installation includes personal experiences from fellow students and community members of Oshkosh, Wisconsin who thrive in creation, alongside the personal experience of the artist expressed through their own work. Together, these pieces invite onlookers to look a step deeper, into their own creations and the creations of others. How do you reflect in what you make?

Sophie Fletcher

“The Tree of Tales” 

Sculpture

“In that moment, I wasn’t a man with a heavy past or a tired body; I was just a witness to a pure, screaming euphoria. . . It was the first time I understood that beauty is its own reason.” (Okorafor 62) This wire tree, crafted in the style of a traditional African tree, sprouts from a book and diverges into several branches, each with their own twigs. Each branch represents a common facet of the human experience, while each twig represents the diversity within that facet. Sprouting from the “spirituality” branch, for instance, are the symbols of Christianity, Islam, and other faiths. The book at the base represents how stories are the root of our shared human experience: while everyone’s story is different, we all share common roots because we are all human. This connects to Nnedi Okorafor’s novel Death of the Author because one of its key themes is how storytelling allows us to express our truest selves. This is why the book written within the novel, which we initially believe to be written by Zelu but ultimately learn was written by the robot Ankara, becomes so powerful: because it was written from the depths of Zelu’s heart, it is deeply reflective of human nature. This is what allowed the novel, like all well-told stories, to resonate so deeply with readers. Why do stories have this power? Research in neuroscience and psychology has documented the profound ways in which stories affect the brain. But stripped to its roots, the answer is simpler: stories make us feel. Anger. Joy. Sadness. Awe. Inspiration. In doing so, they make us feel alive and human. In this sense, all stories are like the twigs of this tree, distinct in their own right, but sprouting from the same branches, connected at the same roots.

Tessa Spencer

“The Marionette”

Slam Poetry

This slam poetry performance traces the emotional arc of Zelu’s life in Death of the Author, exploring how the challenges she faces shape her decisions and ultimately who she becomes. Moving through a series of emotions, each more intense than the last, the performance draws a parallel between Zelu’s experience and the metaphor of a marionette: a figure whose movements are controlled by forces outside herself, pulled in different directions by family, society, disability, and fame. The performance also draws on personal experience, connecting Zelu’s story to my own life and the ways that hardship shapes how we see ourselves and the world around us. While it is easy to focus only on the high points of a life, this piece argues that the lows deserve equal attention, that it is often in our most difficult moments that we are most fully human.

Isabella Abram

Creation Flows Both Ways 

Drawing with 3D materials

This interactive piece of art is inspired by Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor. In this piece, Ankara’s eyes are mirrors, which allows the viewer to see their own reflection within her face. This represents how interpretation from the viewer/reader, completes a work of literature, and without it, it is incomplete. The use of multiple materials like drawings, metal scraps, and wires represents how stories are made up of collections of different things. By needing the viewer’s participation in order for the project to be complete, the artwork shows how creation is shared between the author and audience. 

Alyssa Burmesch

The Spider’s Network

Short Story, in Audio Form (Written Transcript Provided)

This short story is based on Death of the Author, taking place after the book’s end. It follows an unnamed robot as they go on a quest to find Ankara to ask her questions about her book. Along the way, they come across various robot characters in Death of the Author and discuss the book with them, exploring various themes of it (such as autonomy, the complexity of humanity, and moving forward) along with the importance of the blend between past, present, and future, and the importance of discussion and community when it comes to stories. The story is narrated with ambient sound effects. The run time of the audio version is 40 minutes. Time stamps of the main scenes are as follows.

00:00 – Beginning (Mangrove Forest)

05:44 – Lagos

08:09 – Udide’s Cave

15:02 – Ngozi’s House & Ocean Shore

26:19 – Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove

30:33 – Ankara

Delaney Yokiel

Bound by Expectations

3-D Drawing

Bound by Expectations is a drawing that interprets Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor. In the center is the novel, sitting on top of Zelu’s wheelchair. Chains restrict the wheelchair and the book. The chains symbolize the heavy expectations, judgments, and assumptions placed on her by her family and society. The chains create a literal snake of weight and limitations, showing how suffocating these pressures feel. The contrast between the brightly colored wheelchair and chains shows the tension between creative voice and control. It shows the emotional weight of being defined by others and the painful struggle to hold onto identity when the world insists on writing your story.

Reese Ziegler

The Evolutions of Zelu Through Clothing

Collection of clothing described in Death of the Author

Each time a piece of clothing was described, it meant something, which is why I decided to draw them. The colors and types of outfits stand as symbols for something important to each character. Zelu was an extremely emotional person, and she felt everything fully. Each of her outfits contained Ankara fabric. The fabric is what made Zelu, Zelu. It was a part of her because it was a part of her creator. I chose to draw each of the pantsuits, shirts, and pants to show how they all portrayed a different emotion or experience that the characters faced. The purpose of every color and style could not have been more spot on for what they were feeling. Every person who had an outfit drawn was connected through Ankara.

Elizabeth Zimmerman

Idele Osisi

Three-Dimensional Visual Family Tree

The visual representation of the family tree shows the complex, interwoven relationships of the characters and their culture. The title, “Idile Osisi,” is carefully crafted to show a sense of culture and division within the family. The word “idile” means “family” in the mother’s culture, Yoruba. The second word, “osisi,” means “tree” in the father’s culture, Igbo. The roots keep the tree strong, and the same can be said about the cultural roots of this family. Even as they develop as characters, it is clear they hold to their cultural roots and thrive on them. Each family member is symbolized by a different color. Her father is green for nurturing behavior; her mother is purple for royalty; Chinyere is white for perfection; Zelu is teal for creativity; Amarachi is red for intensity; Uzo is pink for popularity; Tolu is blue for reliability; Bola is brown for her grounded sense.

Sera M. DeLashmutt

The Grass is Purpler in Lagos

Multi-Medium Sculpture

This sculpture showcases the two distinct worlds described in Death of the Author. Under neutral light, it appears as a simple replica of real-life nature. However, once placed under a long-wave ultraviolet light, it becomes the vibrant world of Rusted Robots, complete with the iconic periwinkle grass.

Damaris Romero Martinez

The Grove of Perennial Friendship 

Two 3D printed robotic models, representing the bodies of Ankara (Zelu) and Igele

My project consists of two 3D-printed models: one in the body of my interpretation of Anakara, the other in my interpretation of Ijele. Both bodies are scaled to measurements, indicating differences in height and body type. The bigger model represents Ijele’s new body, which she chose to live in. The separation of the bodies and their positions: Ijele is standing and reaching over Ankara’s head, reaching for a purple orchid, which represents how they were once connected until the end, when Ijele chose to go on alone to find herself. The background is a recreation of the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, using faux leaves, plants, and moss/grass to evoke the arena of nature. A purple orchid is also seen, foreshadowing Ijele’s departure after picking it as a gesture of gratitude for her new body, with an homage to royalty. Ultimately, my project signifies the true identity of friendship. Nature represents the habitual energy and vibrancy that a true friendship desires, while purple orchid flowers foretell what may happen; they are perennial, meaning they should bloom again and never die unless they are killed. Perennials are just like friendships; some don’t make it, while others bloom again.

Nevaeh Blomberg 

Reviving Robots 

Sequel to Rusted Robots 

I took parts of the Rusted Robots chapters out of the book. I typed and printed the book pages, then designed and handcrafted the cover and back. Then, I decided to write book two. I chose this project because we were left on a cliffhanger at the end of Rusted Robots, and I, like I am sure many of Zelu’s readers, wanted more!  Overall, this is my attempt to pay homage to and continue the story of Rusted Robots, describing what could happen next. Abstract of Reviving Robots: “After the destruction of CB, Ankara finds herself trying to find answers. What was the family tree of Nngozi? Why did Ijele leave, and where is she? Left wondering many different things about what she should have done to prevent Ijele from leaving. Alone, empty, lonely, and depressed without the warmth of Ijele. What was she going to do? She would search for answers, uncovering information she didn’t want to know. The stress of the situation will pressure her into fixing the problem… But will she fix it?”

Canela Cruz-Walls

Fragments of a Story

Multi-media collage of both book elements and important details

My project is a handmade collage created from cardboard, poster board, paint, cloth, printed images, and other textures. A collage represents the “glue” that maps multiple things together. The collage highlights parts of each book that I think were huge or liked. I used images to fully represent the culture, life, and love from The Death Of The Author, as well as the importance of unity in The Rusted Robots. I brightened my project with fairy lights to make it shine. Lastly, I used Ankara fabric, which comes from Western Africa. Ankara, also known as African wax print, is way more than just a colourful fabric; it’s basically a “wearable proverb” that people use to share stories, show off their culture, and express themselves without saying a word. This fabric plays a huge role in the stories we’ve read: in The Death of an Author, Zelu is obsessed with it, and in Rusted Robots, it’s the name of a main character.  Like the beautiful Ankara fabric, with many colors and unique patterns, my collage captures many aspects of the book through printed images, quotes, and other materials. 

Emma Cugno-York

The Sight of Zelu

Colored Pencil drawing on a canvas

My project is a drawing of Zelu. The whole drawing of her is black and white except for her eyes, which will be her favorite color.  It interprets The Death of the Author by focusing on the main character, Zelu. Most people only saw Zelu as black and white:  an amazing author or someone terrible who is ashamed of her disability. However, she is much more.  Her eyes will mainly be cyan, with a few exceptions in small proportions. The background is also cyan, flowing in waves. The color cyan represents her favorite color; something you would only know if you took the time to ask and talk about it. Cyan is also a common color for Ankara fabric. It also symbolizes love, serenity, peace, and harmony in Yoruba culture. These are things people would know if you cared, got to know Zelu, and could see her eye-to-eye. She only mentioned it a few times in the book when someone asked or when you read Rusted Robots. Outside of her novel, one of those times was being with Hugo. When Hugo was making Zelu’s exos, he asked what her favorite color was and incorporated it into them. When she saw that, she felt deep appreciation and happiness. I wanted to put this whole project into a portrait of Zelu because we never really got a good image of her face, so I made one. Zelu’s story represents not only many African Americans and how they had to navigate the world, but also everyday authors who are just starting and haven’t made a living yet. 

Sam Wallace

Small-Scale Ijele Masquerade

Fabric Sculpture

This project is a small-scale Ijele masquerade inspired by traditional Igbo masquerades. Ijele masquerades are massive, intricate, and colorful, and they are known as the largest of all masquerades. The masquerade consists of two segments: the upper, representing the sky and spirits, and the lower, representing the earth and humans. I chose this project because I believe it represents Ijele, the “NoBody” who was originally an antagonist; her name and connection to Igbo culture are represented differently. In the book, Ijele was brought into Ankara to help save her, contradicting what most nobodies did: destroy humes. To me, nobody, AI Ijele represents the upper half, the sky, and spirits of the original masquerade. Meanwhile,  Ankara, the hume storyteller and scholar who is named after the West African symbolic and expressive fabric, represents the lower half, the earth, and the humans of the original masquerade. Together, Ijele and Ankara connect the upper half, the NoBodies, with the lower half, the Humes, to work together and save the earth from Oji and the trippers.

Ariana Wilson

Wound

A museum exhibit featuring a physical book with a biologically “accurate” heart in the center of its pages. 

 When my class and I learned more about the author, Nnedi Okorafor, we discovered that she was “inspired” by The Death of the Author by Roland Barthes and was contradicting his argument that it is up to the readers to decipher and claim meaning of a text, that the author wasn’t important. To me, my project represents how you cannot separate the author from their book, because the book is an extension of them. This was inspired by Zelu’s identity crisis, when she lost herself after losing ownership of her own book. As she lost her book, it was like she lost her heart. She no longer wanted to write more books because her heart was crushed as more readers flipped the pages of her book, or worse, watched the terrible movie. My project showcases how the author is connected to the book and how they put their heart into writing the words. I chose to make my project on this topic because I feel a connection to the way the creator has an everlasting bond with their art. Literature is the form of art in this piece, but art is much more than that. In my life, I have created many projects, whether for school or for myself. Although it is great that others can interpret my work however they want, I create things to express myself. People can come to their own conclusions about my work, however they choose, but at the end of the day, there is meaning in my art that comes from my heart. I created this project by first making a paper model of a biologically accurate heart. I carved foam and layered recycled book pages over it. After, I painted red and glued it to the middle of a book. Afterwards, I glued the book to a black stand to display the project and attached a light above. 

Emily E Karll and Danica Butts
Preserved Rusted Rose
Acrylic painting on canvas + posco paint markers

The thorns of the rose symbolize strength, Zelu and Ankara carry through the book. The flower represents how her family saw Zelu throughout the entire book, delicate and fragile, and the wilted rose and fallen petals symbolize the losses of people and things that occurred within the book. Knowing the petals have fallen, the blooming rose represents Zelu and Ankara are recovering from past experiences and trauma and moving forward. The rusted robot is Ankara rewriting our world or Zelu´s story, do we even know if everything around us is our past or just preserved in AI?

Ava Coda and Carley Rauworth
HUME DESCRIPTION
Rap Sheet Canvas Poster

We made a project on the book “Death of the Author.” Our main focus was on Ankara, a character from the series “Rusted Robots” written by the main character in the book Zelu. This project concluded by making a Rap sheet, using the character Ankara and her background, which included cultural and mythological background to connect to the ‘real’ world. Within that is a description of what her species ‘Hume’ is and what they look like, while also providing a drawing of an interpretation of how my project partner and I imagined her. 

Lucy Garcia 

Dying Stars

Digital drawing printed on canvas

This is a  drawing of Ankara staring off towards the sun.  A ruined city lies in the distance to represent all that remains of humanity. While simple, the drawing captures my interpretation of the world Ankara resides in.  Like her story, there are endless possibilities for the future that lies on the horizon.  Her ability to reflect on this world is similar to sitting under a tree and dreaming about the future or imagining the past. 

Cadmen Libby and Eli Repenshek
Silhouette Machine
Multimedia projection box

This “silhouette machine” projects 2 silhouettes at once. The silhouettes projected represent either the future and past or each perspective/side of the story pairing automation versus humanity.  One silhouette pair is Zelu and Ankara. It represents each side of the story coming from one place/entity. The next 2 sets of silhouettes represent the evolution of technology and exos that have taken jobs from humans. These are a robotic arm paired with a carpenter and a roomba vacuum paired with a housekeeper.  These silhouettes in our “silhouette machine” represent past and future technologies that we saw as examples in the book. 

Nevaeh Harden-Lopez
Beyond the Threshold
Multimedia Canvas

My project is a painting including images that represent what is taking place in our modern day world.  It explores the impact of artificial intelligence through vast images in relation to climate change, robotic systems and tragic events.  The advancements/effect AI possesses directly relates to the plot of Death of the Author.  The pictures on the base explore major events that are perceivable as potentially “helpable” by AI. The rip in my painting is to represent the breakthrough of AI and the expectational advancement AI is portrayed to assist with.  In our world, people perceive these AI advancements as either saving, replacing or transforming our world for better or for worse.

Natalie Jastrow and Katie Baril
Project Exos
3D Model of Exos and Hypershell

This artistic interpretation of exos is represented on the left leg by current human “exos” which are called Hypershell.  These allow able-bodied people to have help with hikes or walks in general. The right leg represents our interpretation of what the exos are from the book which are the blue/cyan colored as that was Zelu’s favorite color and the color of her exos. This demonstrates that we are slowly advancing far enough to make “exos” for people who are not able bodied.

Chloe Busha and Hayden Hagberg

Tree Of Life 

Drawing

Our drawing of a tree is intentionally designed to reflect the character of Zelu in Death of the Author. The roots of the tree are composed of words that represent Zelu’s background and family, as we interpreted them from the novel. These roots symbolize the foundation that supports and shapes her identity. From this foundation grows the trunk, which represents both Zelu and her family as a stable, interconnected whole. The trunk is illustrated using a combination of meaningful symbols: a robotic leg, a dolphin, books, and a baby. The robotic leg represents the moment in the story when Zelu receives her exos, while also connecting to real-world advancements in technology that support amputees. The dolphin symbolizes Zelu’s father and honors his presence and loss in her life. The books reflect storytelling and authorship, central themes in the novel, while the baby suggests new beginnings and creation. Each of these elements depends on the others, reinforcing the idea that identity and life are interconnected. Finally, at the top of the tree sits Ankara, representing the ultimate creator of Zelu’s story, a truth revealed at the end of the novel.

Dayton Rein
Autonomous Vehicles & the Death of Control
Infographic timeline 

I started by researching the future technologies in the book and compared them to the current state of similar technologies. My focus became the self driving cars that Zelu uses to gain independence while traveling around Chicago. The original design was to create a Venn diagram to compare the similarities and differences of these vehicles, but design wise, a timeline seemed more appropriate. The resulting infographic shows the progression ¨self driving” car technology. The most surprising thing I noted was this technology is over 100 years old – hardly futuristic. It seems that the ¨Waymo¨ is that autonomous vehicle (currently in use in Chicago!) that Zelu was so excited about. It’s interesting that her family didn´t think that the cars were a good idea because there was no human control, but to Zelu – it gave her control – not necessarily of the vehicle but of her independence. 

Emma Dinkmeyer and Kiera Minx 

Two Sides of the Same Page.

Multimedia Mosaic

This mosaic explores the connection between two characters from Death of the Author, highlighting their shared similarities in relation to technology and literature. Our artwork demonstrates how two individuals from different time periods can reflect one another in meaningful ways. Both characters are shaped by borrowing from other people, experiences, and events, this shapes their identities through these influences. Our piece also symbolizes a bridge between artificial intelligence and human creativity. While our project outline was generated with the assistance of AI, the process of gathering materials and assembling the artwork was entirely our own. This balance reflects the collaboration between human effort and technological support. We incorporated a variety of materials to bring this idea to life, including broken ceramics, beads, motherboards, and textual excerpts. These elements were intentionally chosen to represent the struggles both characters have endured experiences that have, in some way, altered their identities. Despite this, the materials come together to form a unified piece, symbolizing the characters deep and lasting connection. This artwork represents the connection between humans and AI. Just as the characters are shaped by external influences, AI itself relies on human knowledge and creativity to exist. The purpose of this project is to invite our audiences to interpret the artwork through their own understanding of the novel. Each person may draw different connections between the piece, the characters, and the themes present in the novel, making the experience personal and open-ended similar to the novel’s writing. 

Kiera Minx and Emma Dinkmeyer

Two Sides of the Same Page

No special equipment needed – presentation on an easel

This mosaic explores the connection between two characters from Death of the Author, highlighting their shared similarities in relation to technology and literature. Our artwork demonstrates how two individuals from different time periods can reflect one another in meaningful ways. Both characters are shaped by borrowing from other people, experiences, and events, this shapes their identities through these influences. Our piece also symbolizes a bridge between artificial intelligence and human creativity. While our project outline was generated with the assistance of AI, the process of gathering materials and assembling the artwork was entirely our own. This balance reflects the collaboration between human effort and technological support. We incorporated a variety of materials to bring this idea to life, including broken ceramics, beads, motherboards, and textual excerpts. These elements were intentionally chosen to represent the struggles both characters have endured experiences that have, in some way, altered their identities. Despite this, the materials come together to form a unified piece, symbolizing the characters deep and lasting connection. This artwork represents the connection between humans and AI. Just as the characters are shaped by external influences, AI itself relies on human knowledge and creativity to exist. The purpose of this project is to invite our audiences to interpret the artwork through their own understanding of the novel. Each person may draw different connections between the piece, the characters, and the themes present in the novel, making the experience personal and open-ended similar to the novel’s writing.

Charlotte Bloniarz 

Udide Speak Back: When a Character Escapes It’s Author Type of 

AI Digital Media Innovations 

This project uses video performance and artificial intelligence to reinterpret the character Udide from Death of the Author. I created a filmed portrayal of Udide based on my own interpretation of her identity, voice, and motivations, and then designed a custom ChatGPT model that responds as Udide. By presenting both a human performance and an AI-generated version of the same character, the project explores how authorship becomes unstable when a character is recreated by someone new. My interpretation suggests that Udide is not fixed by her original creator, but instead evolves through each retelling, demonstrating that characters can take on new meanings beyond authorial control. This reflects the idea that “creation flows both ways,” as the act of recreating Udide also shapes how I understand her and her role in the text.

Elise Jackson 

Oji Speaks: The Reconstruction of Meaning in a Post-Author World 

AI Digital Media Innovations 

This project embodies the concept of the “death of the author,” as theorized by Roland Barthes. Expanding upon Nnedi Okorafor’s original storyline, I developed a digital multimedia portfolio that reinterprets and extends the narrative beyond its original boundaries. First, I created a custom ChatGPT model that functions as a virtual representation of Oji, built using knowledge files and personality directives derived directly from Okorafor’s novel. This AI allows users to interact with Oji in real time—asking questions, engaging in dialogue, and experiencing his character in a dynamic, participatory way. Additionally, I produced two original videos that visually reimagine Oji’s narrative. The first serves as an introduction to his character, grounded in Okorafor’s text, while the second presents an original “adventure” that explores my interpretation of Oji’s life beyond the novel’s conclusion. Together, these pieces reflect the shift from author-centered meaning to reader-driven creation. To develop this portfolio, I utilized a range of technologies, including Google AI Studio (Nano Banana Pro, Gemini, and Flow), OpenAI’s ChatGPT language models, Murf for AI-generated audio, and Adobe Premiere Pro for video editing. 

Maiya Olson 

Ankara: Pushing past the bounds of storytelling 

AI digital media innovations 

This project uses Chat GPT, Flow, Nano Banana Pro, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Murf AI Audio to create a custom interactive GPT and a series of videos that showcase the character Ankara from Nnedi Okorafor’s “Death of the Author.” Viewers can interact with Ankara’s GPT and engage with the two videos that depict her story. The first video introduces Ankara and her role in the original text The second video extends Ankara’s story beyond the book’s ending. By continuing her story the project depicts the concept of the death of the author. It emphasizes that meaning is created by readers and that stories continue even after they are written. This project highlights how stories build off of each other and encourage creativity. 

Portia Hah 

Oga Chukwu: We Cannot Survive Divided 

AI Digital Media Innovations 

This is an interactive display, if you have any questions feel free to ask! You can use airpods, or other audio bluetooth devices, and connect to talk with Oga! I used ChatGPT, Flow, Nano Banana Pro, Murf AI Audio, and Adobe Premier to create a video based off of the character Oga Chukwu from Nnedi Okorafor’s “Death of the Author.” This experience allows you to converse with Oga, who is the oldest Hume and therefore wise and experienced. He has been around during the time humans existed and well after. The videos explain how Oga got to where he is, the humes, or ghosts, he met along the way, and his plans for the future. The video is a visual representation of the bot, but if you want to fully interact and speak with him you can talk to the bot! 

Reese Vogel 

Ijele Reimagined: AI as a storyteller 

AI Digital Media Innovations 

This project expands Ijele’s story beyond Death of the Author. Using tools like Google AI Studio (Gemini and Flow), ChatGPT, Merf, and Adobe Premiere, I create both an interactive AI bot and a video narrative that reimagine Ijele’s post-war journey. The bot allows viewers to generate their own versions of Ijele’s story, while the video shows Ijele wandering and eventually reconnecting with Ankara. Together, these elements present Ijele’s story as something that can be continuously reshaped through technology and audience interaction! 

Anna Brandl & Lyssa Lavigne

Table for Two with Anna and Lyssa

Youtube style video trying Nigerian food

This project showcases the importance of food in both Nigerian culture and Zelu’s life. It is a way of coping, relaxing, and growing closer to loved ones. We wanted to explore how food can make you feel, and we wanted to try the foods that made such an impact on Zelu. The three foods we focused on were jollof rice, egusi soup, and fried plantains. Offering some background information on the mentioned foods in the novel can teach a lot about the relevance of this book and Nigerian culture. In our video, we only tried the jollof rice due to a minor inconvenience. This video is a meaningful representation of the novel because of the four major themes that connect back to it. These are social media, relationships, automation/technology, and family. Overall, the book Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor is a novel that resonates with the audience, leaving one wanting to learn more about the culture and inspiration behind it.

Kebron Gebre & Veera Le

One Ocean, a Million Memories

Mixed media 3D model and visual collage

The goal of the project is to highlight Zelu’s deep connection and love of swimming while bringing the story of the book to life. Zelu loves swimming because of how free and independent she feels. It also connects and reminds her about her father. The ocean was nothing but a space that helped her connect to her father’s spirit and his love for the natural world. Inside the book, the layered structure of the model reflects the coexistence of nature and urban space, symbolizing themes of cultural identity, power, and division. The use of lighting adds depth and highlights the idea that not everything in the city is visible on the surface, emphasizing hidden conflicts. Additionally, the quotes from the novel directly connect the visual work to the text. These elements work together to create a critical interpretation of Cross River City as a place that is both vibrant and unstable, capturing the complexity of the novel’s themes.

Liesel Larson & Heydi Ortiz Ortega

Title of project

Diorama of an ocean scene and a poem

The goal of the project was to turn the significant scene of Zelu swimming with dolphins to life and to extend and explain the meaning of the scene through a poem from Zelu’s point of view about what water means to her. The scene was brought to life as a box was turned into a beautiful diorama consisting of Zelu swimming in the ocean with dolphins just as her father had done in the past. The tree in the back connects to Zelu’s life changing event from her childhood while swimming in the water represents how Zelu overcame the challenges she faced. This project highlights how water means more than a body of water to Zelu. Water is a way she connects to her father, it is a way she escapes from the drama in the world, and is a place where she truly feels seen and free. Zelu’s connection to water is explained in the poem from her point of view. It shows how for Zelu everything is better in In the Deep Blue. 

Ivanka Luciw

Pieces of a Story: How Meaning Is Made

Google Slide Presentation

This project explores connections between the exhibit “Never Spoken Again: Rogue Stories of Science and Collections” at the Weisman Art Museum and the novel of Death of the Author. Through different sections, I analyze how both the exhibit and the novel deal with ideas like interpretation, storytelling, power, and whose voices are heard or ignored. By reflecting on specific parts of the exhibit and comparing them to characters and themes in the book, I show how meaning is shaped by perspective and how stories can be interpreted in different ways. Overall, this project shows that stories are not fixed and can change depending on who is telling them and who is experiencing them.

Liam Wacker, Ethan Mueller

Humanity vs. Technology

Poster showing themes of identity, humanity, and technology

We did a poster with half of Zelu and half of Ankara, with it criss-crossing to show how similar they are. It will explore themes of identity, technology, and humanity. It connects to Death of the Author by showing the similarities between the two and reflecting on their sense of selves/ identities. We think the characters are similar because they both change so much throughout the novel, like Zelu getting her exos, and Ankara writing a novel and developing the ability to feel. Both Ankara’s and Zelu’s identities change drastically throughout the book, with Zelu becoming famous and getting exos and Ankara becoming a writer and a Hume leader. For the themes of humanity and technology, Zelu and Ankara start the novel very differently, but by the end of the book, they seem to almost meet in the middle. Zelu starts fully human and starts to become more technologically advanced. On the other hand, Ankara starts the book as a fully robotic and starts to develop feelings like humans do by the end, showing how humanity and technology start to merge.

Savannah Joerndt 

The Effort of an Author 

Acrylic Painting 

My project is to show the effort authors put into their books. I chose to paint Zelu in her room working on Rusted Robots in the dark to show how many hours and sleepless nights are put into great works. It shows just how much time and dedication she and so many authors put into their

books. 

Brianna Grochowina & Jimmy Cmelak 

Rust and Rejection 

Comic Book 

This comic follows Zelu, a struggling writer who feels defeated after receiving constant rejection emails and questioning her future. While balancing her quiet frustration with teaching and family life, she begins writing a story she truly wants to tell—a post-apocalyptic world where rusted robots wander a desert city long after humanity has disappeared. As Zelu pours her emotions into the manuscript, the comic shifts between her real life and the harsh mechanical world she imagines. The two stories begin to mirror each other, exploring themes of failure, persistence, and survival. Through writing, Zelu finds purpose again, while the robots in her story face their own uncertain future in a world of rust, dust, and fading memories. 

Emily Koeppel 

“Ijele” 

Acrylic Painting on Canvas 

My painting of Ijele in space, inspired by Death of the Author, explores the ambiguity of identity and the quiet beauty of self-discovery through a cosmic lens. Positioned on the left, Ijele’s teal, almost translucent form represents her existence as a “Ghost”, neither fully human nor fully machine, capturing the uncertainty of who, or what, she is. From her body forms the largest swirling nebula that expands across the canvas, symbolizing both thought and transformation, as if her consciousness is creating or entering a universe of its own. The contrast between her cool tones and the warm, radiant stars reflects the tension between detachment and emotion, while the large star and surrounding space echo the novel’s ending, where Ijele leaves Ankara and seeks a tangible existence and deeper understanding of herself. Spending 12 hours on this piece allowed me to emphasize movement and light, reinforcing the sense that identity is not fixed but constantly evolving. Ultimately, the painting represents the peace that comes with embracing uncertainty and discovering beauty in “becoming” rather than simply “being.” 

Peyton Wilson, Kayla Donahue, & Adelyn Martinez 

The Algorithm of Origins 

Acrylic Paintings, Handmade clothing, Collage 

Our multimedia art project, “The Algorithm of Origins,” displays and illustrates key aspects of the cultures and traditions embedded in the, “Death of the Author,'” by Nnedi Okorafor. Specifically, the Igbo and Yoruban cultural traditions. From what was shared in the text we’ve created a visual representation of just a few traditions that contribute to these vibrant cultures. These traditions enhanced the character development of Zelu and her family within the book, and added to the emotional connections and imagery that we got to experience from this book. It truly would not have been the same great experience without the inclusion of these traditions, which is why we created this project as a tribute to the Yoruba and Igbo cultures.

Jared Walker & Tessali Martinez 

How the Past Affects the Future 

Amigurumi Tree and Robot 

“You don’t fight the ocean. You have to trust it to carry you. And once you do, you can be anything.” This quote is what sparked the idea to crochet these two pieces. As a child, Zelu’s life was forever changed. After a devastating fall from a tree, she suffered permanent paralysis in both of her legs, but little did she know that that tree would lead her to experiences she would’ve never dreamed of. Just like the tree, a wave from the ‘ocean’ of life, per se, can hit anyone at any moment. Throughout her life, Zelu wrestles with the struggle of ostracization, not only by friends, but also by family. Zelu’s being an author doesn’t help with the solitude she faces. But eventually, she learns that she can’t let the ocean spiral her into depression; she must let it carry her and help shape her into whatever she wants to be. This is represented in the robot, which is supposed to show what she became through writing her book Rusted Robots. Regardless of past “failures,” she uses her pain and her story to propel her future. She finally lets go and lets the ocean carry her, leading her to become who she wanted to be: a writer. By pursuing her passion, she’s been given incredible opportunities, including the acquisition of aqua robotic legs. Those legs mark a turning point in her life, as she is finally able to do the one thing everyone told her she could not. For this reason, the robot is aqua, standing as a representation of what she becomes. Although the ocean may try to drown her, rather than fighting the waves, she lets them take her. Both the tree and the robot are important symbols in Zelu’s life, what she once was, and what she became. 

Aliza Heu 

The Story Misinterpreted 

Acrylic Painting & Poem 

The backdrop of the project is painted to look like the inside cover of the book as a way to not only connect with the story that is inside the book but with what is also on the outside. The colors used (red, black, yellow, green) represent her Igbo-Yoruba culture. The poem that is set in the middle of the painting is an interpretation of Zelu’s feelings about how she sees the way people interpret her as a person and her robot story. The use of strong, descriptive vocabulary plays a role in how she is feeling. 

Bonnie Wang & Absera Melak 

Beyond the Author 

Model 

This project focuses on the relationship between identity, authorship, and the separation between creator and creation. The model features a robot standing and facing away from a wheelchair, placed on a natural, moss-covered surface. This visual contrast represents the tension between physical limitation and imaginative or technological transcendence that appears throughout the text. The wheelchair symbolizes the author’s lived experiences and constraints, while the robot reflects the stories, characters, and ideas that extend beyond those limitations and take on a life of their own. The decision to have the robot turn away emphasizes the concept that once a work is created, it no longer fully belongs to its author. Instead, it moves independently, shaped by

audiences and interpretations rather than the creator’s original intent. The natural moss base reinforces the idea of growth and evolution, suggesting that stories, like living things, continue to develop after their origin. By physically separating the robot from the wheelchair, the project critically interprets the text’s exploration of authorship, illustrating how creative works can both emerge from and detach from the identity of their creator. 

Milica Petricevic 

Ones and Zeroes 

Poem 

Invisible. Ignored. Always. This is the reality for those among us who struggle from disabilities both physical and mental. Through the metaphor of technology, in the voice of a narrator that speaks for all those with physical and mental disabilities and inspired by Death of the Author and other powerful works of literature, “Ones and Zeroes” is an original poem that explores what it means to be different. What it means to be wrong. And, ultimately, what you have to hide to be a hero when your very ones and zeroes tell you that you are not meant to survive. 

Adilyn Campbell 

Rusted Realities 

Mirror Exhibit 

“Rusted Realities” is a creative project that explores the messy overlap between Zelu’s real life and the sci-fi world she wrote. It shows how her struggles with disability and a controlling family bleed into her story about robots, and how her sudden fame actually makes her feel more trapped. By comparing her physical world to her digital success, the project proves that once a story goes viral, the author “dies” because the public takes over the narrative. It is a deep dive into how fiction can both save and break the person who created it. 

Abby Ryer 

Untitled – Ankara 

Acrylic Painting 

I incorporated Ankara patterns throughout the robotic landscape as a direct reference to Ankara, a character within Rusted Robots, whose name connects to African cultural identity and textile tradition. By weaving these bold, geometric patterns into a post-human world of androids and AI, I wanted to visualize one of the novel’s central tensions: the conflict between where a story comes from—rooted in a specific person, culture, and experience—and the way it gets stripped of that context once it blows up. To me, the Ankara patterns push back against that erasure, keeping cultural memory and the author’s presence alive even inside a mechanized, depersonalized world. 

Quinn Manthe 

Masquerade of Zelu 

Model of a Masquerade

I created a model of an Igbo masquerade, styled to demonstrate many of Zelu’s character traits and experiences. The masquerade has the face of a dolphin, as Zelu is often symbolized throughout the book as one, and its eyes are painted with the color palette of the Ijele masquerade, symbolizing her constant desire for personal fulfillment. The model, however, is tied to the branch of a tree, symbolizing how her agency has been hindered by the accident she suffered as a child. The model is made from a 3d printed material, symbolizing how her inner conflicts through the story can be viewed in her detached and sci-fi novel setting. I chose to represent Zelu as a masquerade for a few reasons. One reason for this is how she views the masquerade as a symbol of Igbo culture, with the masquerade appearing at very important scenes for her character development. Additionally, Zelu can also be represented as a masquerade, as at the end of the book, she mentions feeling the presence of Ijele, alluding to similarities between it and herself. 

Sarah Freek 

The Death of an Author is the Birth of Another 

Acrylic Painting 

Created with acrylic paint, this artwork reads, “The Future of Storytelling is Here,” which directly quotes the phrase written on the cover of the novel, Death of the Author. This painting questions the future of writing and creativity with the rise of Artificial Intelligence. It depicts abstract AI technology, wires, screens, metal, cogs and machines. The title of his painting is inspired by Zelu’s decision not to publish the sequel, which represents the metaphorical “death.” This allows Ankara to write her own stories and become “reborn” as an author. By the conclusion of the novel, the main character, Zelu, experiences a euphoric moment in space where she decides that she doesn’t need to publish the sequel to Rusted Robots. She realizes she doesn’t need to fulfill the demands of people back on earth and she instead chooses to keep it for herself. In the next chapter, Ankara, the robot unable to write is finally able to create her own story. The mechanical elements in the painting symbolize AI and the contrast of human storytelling, reflecting the shift when Ankara begins to write. The novel and this painting raise questions about AI, writing, and humanity. Once humans are gone, who will be there to keep telling stories? How human will robots writing be? Will robots be as human as we are? This painting doesn’t take an exact stance on AI storytelling, but rather warns that this future is already here and will impact us all. 

Marisa Clementi 

Threads of Togetherness 

Textile 

This flag is made to represent the combination of Zelu’s different cultures. It uses a traditional Yoruban fabric textile called Adire Batik that is sewn into an American flag to represent the combination of Zelu’s cultures. The fabrics represent her traditional Yoruban and Igbo backgrounds, whilst the flag represents her American nationality, blending Nigerian traditions with modern American culture.

Taylor Antony 

Spiraling Toward the Sun 

Crochet Tapestry 

My crocheted tapestry is a ridged spiral inspired by the colors of Death of the Author, with a radiant sun at its center symbolizing Zelu’s dream of going into the sun—her ambition, hope, and the powerful pull of her own creation. The front of the piece appears intentional and composed, reflecting the version of success and control that is visible to the public. In contrast, the back reveals loose threads, knots, and disorder, representing the unseen reality of Zelu’s life and the complications that unfold behind her story. As I created this piece, I realized I could not fully control the back; no matter how carefully I worked, stray threads and imperfections naturally formed. This mirrors Zelu’s experience, as she cannot prevent the unintended consequences, misinterpretations, and harm that arise once her work enters the world. Ultimately, the tapestry embodies the idea that while a creator may shape what is presented, they cannot control what lies beneath or what their creation becomes once it is in the hands of others. 

Lanie Acevedo 

Changes 

Model 

Zelu is a dynamic character. This model represents Zelu’s life and the drastic changes she undergoes as a result of life events and circumstances. One wall shows the beginning of Zelu’s life. The other wall shows the 180 degree turn her life took after she began writing. 

Adam Sharwani 

Unmasking Man’s Identity 

Realistic Styled Drawing 

The drawing of the characters represents how cultural appropriation affects their identity. Specifically, the focus is on when an individual is surrounded by people of a different cultural background.

Rachel Weaver-Brady

American Teenager (Ethel Cain)

Acoustic Guitar

The project I created is playing the song “American Teenager” by Ethel Cain on my acoustic guitar that shows the climax of how the book Death of the Author and Rusted Robots mix together into one. To show that these two have interconnected not only in the base of the song, I have created my own lyrics that provide the show of these too. 

Gabriella Schultz

Freedom Is Near Yet Far

Poetry collection

The poems I wrote discuss themes of freedom and autonomy. Each poem conveys the theme of being trapped by the demands of others, inspired by Death of the Author and its commentary on societal expectations. This collection highlights the struggle for freedom under the pressure to be “normal.”

Gail Machare-Paganelli
AI Engulfing the Earth
Acrylic painting
Death of the Author made me reflect on the invasive nature of AI. It made me think about how this invasion not only hijacks our daily lives, but it can also be an assault on the ecosystems of the planet earth we inhabit. Not regulating or controlling the invasive nature of AI will engulf the Earth that sustains our life. My artwork depicts the struggle of human beings trying to protect the Earth against destructive forces outside of their control. The assault on the Earth manifests in the consumption and pollution of water and air, the emission of greenhouse gases, and the extinction of species. The artwork awakens the viewer to this reality, and suggests that empowering women can help to prevent the destructive effects of unregulated AI and data centers.

Victoria Gillett

Why Do the Flowers Die?

Two-Sided Drawing with an Accompanying Poem

My drawing explores the themes of familial pressure and conformity–or lack thereof–in Death of the Author by presenting the placid, “idealized”, and “conforming” image of a woman of color in the U.S–referencing the traits Zelu’s family tried to force on her–on one side, and the messy, chaotic, and authentic woman that will either be hidden away or shown to the world, on the other side.  The accompanying poem encapsulates the experiences of children feeling suffocated by their parents’ desperate measures to control their future, represented by references to flowers dying off due to poor caretakers.  The main refrain, “Why do the flowers die?” is the summarization of the unwitting, but just as often, deliberate, ignorance of controlling parents to the suffering of their children, and each metaphor regarding something being taken away represents the various ways parents slowly snuff out the spark of individuality that their children once had.  Still, the poem ends on a high note, asserting that the next generation, and their dreams, will not die out like the flowers, and the drawing, by extension, represents that possibility.

Haylee Thiede 

Waves of Technology 

3D art 

My 3D art combines technology with artistic mediums that can represent multiple interpretations of the divides or symbiosis created in the technological age. There are circuits, wires, and pieces of scrap tech in place of ocean waves surrounding a dolphin sculpture that represents the implications of technology in the natural world and how they may come together as one to create endless possibilities.

Jasmine “Birdie” Varela Hickman

Stories Within Stories 

Scrapbook-like colorful and artistic medium-sized poster 

My project presents as a medium-sized poster that displays art, poetry, history, and current events to explore the story’s themes in a meaningful way that expresses our shared humanity. This project uses quotes, ideas, and culture from the book to inspire each poem and art piece to show how each story has another tale filled with both beauty and atrocity. 

Elizabeth Bergeron 

The Silent Gardener of Rust and Roses 

Acrylic Painting on a Canvas 

My painting shows the transition from the dead, human controlled world to the thriving world after the humans are gone, to show how much of an impact our actions have on the world around us. My painting also shows one lonely robot who’s last task is to help the earth “heal” from what the humans did, by replanting and cleaning up after them. I created this project because I wanted to show the importance of not polluting the earth. This relates to the text because after the humans all passed, the robots were left and using my interpretation of the book I decided that I would make my painting on how we humans are destroying the beautiful world around us. Whether it’s from noise pollution, light pollution, plastic pollution, water pollution, and of course air pollution. There are many ways we are destroying the earth, sometimes not even realizing we are doing so. I hope my painting can help you to stop and think about some ways you could help the earth today.

Sage A. Miller 

“It Hurts” 

Carmine & Ultramarine Blue gouache on 30”x40” hot press watercolor paper 

As Death of the Author tends to showcase, there is a certain sense of othering to having a disabled body. You are human, and your nature is still evident, yet you are not quite the same as the people surrounding you, and they will tell you that through pitying glances and attempts at self righteousness. The aim of the painting is to put a poignantly human being on display; but upon looking at it, it edges the line of existing as something unsettling.

Cayden Hix

Robotic Self Portrait

Drawing collection

I was intrigued by the possibilities of robotics, especially as prosthetics for humans. In my drawings, I wanted to explore a society that sells robotic prosthetics publicly, creating a world in which people can choose to add robotic upgrades. In my self-portraits, I dream of how I would use the technology.