Eryn Stilwell (They/Them) is completing their bachelor’s degree in Theatre with a minor in creative writing here at Western Illinois University (WIU). Stilwell works in the WIU Scenic Shop and enjoys helping out anywhere they can with WIU theatre productions. They are an active participant of WIU’s student chapter of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) and they perform in a short-form university improv troupe called the Surgin’ Generals.

M&L: What is your weekday routine as an English major/minor?

ES: My minor is in creative writing, so, at the moment, I’m only taking one English class: Short Story. I take this class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. My major is theatre performance, so the rest of my week is spent doing theatre classes!

M&L: What are your weekends like?

ES: I usually spend my Saturdays doing something more relaxing or fun to wind down after the week. Recently, I’ve been listening to Pride and Prejudice while I either sketch or crochet. Then on Sundays, I do my homework, clean up, and I try to allot a bit of time to reading, as I find I don’t have much time to during the week. I’ve recently started the Bridgerton series and I’ve also been reading a rewrite of The Phantom of the Opera.

M&L: What book are all your English peers reading that lies beyond assigned texts for class?

ES: I don’t really get to interact with other English majors/minors, but I have a friend who has been reading the How to Train Your Dragon series and a friend who recently started A Court of Thorns and Roses.

M&L: What book has changed your life as an undergraduate?

ES: I’m not sure I have a book that has necessarily changed my life, but the book I have reread so many times is The Help. I think it’s a very insightful book not only for the time it was written in, but also for the time we are currently in, and I always suggest it to anyone to read at least once!

M&L: Where do you hang out on campus?

ES: I like to hang out in the Brown Lobby most of the time when I’m not in my dorm. It puts me in the epicenter of the theatre department, so I get to interact with a lot of people who are also in my major that I might not get to interact with as much otherwise!

M&L: Where do you hang out off campus?

ES: I don’t spend a lot of time off campus, honestly. But when I do, I’m usually hanging at a friend’s house or out shopping with friends!

M&L: What has been or will be your biggest adventure as an undergraduate English major/minor?

ES: I’ve been writing a book for the past 3 years that I had taken a break from because I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go with it. I recently picked it back up again and my hope is to have at least the majority of it written by the end of the school year!