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About
About
The University of Michigan Name Stories Project aims to pique curiosity about the world we inhabit everyday, encouraging viewers and participants to look closer and consider not only where they are, but the history of that place and what it meant then, now, and will mean for the future.
The project shares the stories behind names. It inquires about the history of the names of places on and around the UM-Ann Arbor campus, exploring the people the places are named after, as well as the history of the names themselves. The project also includes student explorations of their own name histories.
This project and its initial stories were developed and written by Angelé Anderfuren, Lecturer in the UM - Ann Arbor English Department Writing Program. Initial project research and development was partially funded by the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor LEO Inclusive Teaching Professional Development Fund. This project is part of Anderfuren's ongoing Names Redefined storytelling project.
Most stories here were written and edited by students in English 125 classes, overseen by Anderfuren.
If you have a UM campus place name, we've not researched yet that you'd like us to add to our list or you would like to take part in the project by proposing, researching and writing a campus name story, please email Angelé at AngeleUM@umich.edu.
“Names share a story in just a few letters. They are important and telling. Names can influence a person’s character, define us even. At the same time, they can become a reflection of us. We can define what a name means to another person because of their experiences with our name. Every person you meet, every story you read or hear or see (be that in person with friends, family or classmates, during a play or film, or while reading a book, newspaper, or magazine), their names become part of your collective feelings” (Anderfuren, 2015).
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