On February 26, 2025, Meg Elison, Western Illinois University’s (WIU’s) current Case Writer-in-Residence, visited for a craft talk and reading. Previous Case Writers include Javier Zamora (Spring 2024), Emily St. John Mandel (Fall 2023), Rebecca Roanhorse (Spring 2020), and Layli Long Soldier (Fall 2018). Elison, a journalist and science-fiction/horror writer, held two events in the Lincoln Room of the University Union, which were well attended and well enjoyed. 

Her 5:00 pm reading was kicked off by an introduction from WIU’s Dr. Rebekah Buchanan. Dr. Buchanan began by giving thanks to those within the English department who made Elison’s visit possible, citing people like Dr. Marjorie Allison (chairperson of the department), Amy Stoddard (English office manager), and Professor Barbara Lawhorn (associate professor of English) as instrumental.

Turning to Elison, Dr. Buchanan beamed with excitement, obviously a fan of the author’s work. She first confirmed the pronunciation of her last name, asking “You pronounce it Ee-lison?” To which, the author responded in good humor, “Yes.” Dr. Buchanan then briefly detailed Elison’s accomplishments, noting her publications and honors as a Philip K. Dick Award and Locus Award winner, after first thanking the author for her earlier craft talk. Elison’s first event of the afternoon was a masterclass on writing with and on trauma. Dr. Buchanan thanked her for this important work and emphasized how timely it was. With that, Dr. Buchanan turned the podium over to Elison.

Elison began with a reading from her 2022 thriller, Number One Fan. She explained that this book, a play on the idea established in Stephen King’s Misery, “gets at the fundamental center of the parasocial relationships” between author and reader. She illustrates this point by reading a scene that shows her protagonist, novelist Eli Grey, waking in the basement where she’s been held captive by her supposed “number one fan.” Interacting with her captor, she discovers that he hopes she will co-write his own fiction.

Following this captivating reading, Elison and Dr. Buchanan sat down to discuss horror. In response to a question about the genre, Elison said, “I’ve always loved the spooky and the scary . . . I was actually surprised when I wrote my first novel that it wasn’t horror!” Their conversation was entertaining and intellectual, showcasing the author’s own reading habits as she discussed the genre she has loved her entire life.

At one point, when the conversation shifted to the feminist perspective that exists in much of her work, Elison acknowledged her own political awakening. She said, “I read that book [Our Bodies, Ourselves] when I was too young . . . it radicalized me and there was no going back.” Much of Elison’s work has an overtly political theme. She discussed the allegorical workings of her 2014 novel, The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, which places women in a broken society where their reproductive health is threatened by the greed of powerful men.

The event concluded with a stimulating Q&A session. Students, faculty, and visitors alike asked the successful author the questions that her reading and resulting conversation led them to ponder. Questions were posed about craft, like the subgenres of fiction, dialogue writing, character refining and more. Still, others inquired about the more personal side of writing, like working as an author under the current political climate.

Notably, WIU English professor Anthony Vaugh asked Elison for her thoughts about fanfiction (fanfic) as an avenue into writing. Elison laughed, remembering a fanfic-esque fantasy novel she wrote as a high school student that featured “all of her friends and enemies.” She referenced the speed and potential volatility of fanfic writing. Yet, because of its publication speed made possible by online platforms like the popular “Wattpad,” it allows you to “Write [a] piece of work and walk away.”

Elison wrapped up the night by answering a question from WIU English student Nathon Lundberg. Lundberg asked how technical dialogue writing works—how do you get characters to sound real? Elison humorously but adamantly responded with, “Think of how people speak . . . steal it!” She explained that for a dialogue that sounds authentic, you must seek out and listen to the kinds of characters you want to write. 

Her answers to this question, and those posed before it, were thoughtful and well-received, and the same could be stated of Elison herself. WIU was happy and lucky to add her to the list of Case Writers-in-Residence.