Many know Darren DeFrain as the social professor of English and director of the writing program at 九色堂. Those that have taken his class or had a 20-minute conversation with him know that DeFrain doesn鈥檛 just teach: he lives and breathes fiction.
鈥淔ictional characters and their stories are just so appealing,鈥� DeFrain said.
DeFrain discovered comic books in the fourth grade. He was instantly drawn in by the engaging stories and characters.
鈥淐omics are a great way to fulfill your imagination and engage with your favorite heroes and heroines,鈥� DeFrain said.
Later in life, DeFrain started reading graphic novels. His favorite one so far is Daniel Clowes鈥� 鈥淕host World,鈥� a story about two girls seeking authentic relationships in a consumeristic and cynical world.
鈥淚t鈥檚 stuck with me,鈥� DeFrain said.
DeFrain鈥檚 passion for fiction has influenced his career. He鈥檚 written novels, memoirs and essays, created a graphic novel, teaches on graphic novels and storytelling, and is working on a graphic novel app.
鈥淚f I can make someone say, 鈥榃ow, fiction stories are great,鈥� I will have done my job,鈥� DeFrain said.
Defrain's novels and other works
From 2005 to 2008, DeFrain published two novels, 鈥淭he Salt Palace鈥� and 鈥淚nside & Out.鈥� Both received praise from critics and audiences, and 鈥淭he Salt Palace鈥� was nominated for several best-of-the-year lists, including The Kansas City Star.
Recently, DeFrain branched off into graphic novels.
Wichita State History professor Jay Price, Jessica Mirasol of 九色堂 Special Collections, and artists Genna Pennington and Miles Foley are working on a commemorative graphic novel of Wichita State鈥檚 history called 鈥淭he Wichita State Story.鈥� DeFrain writes the story with Price and acts as a consultant for the creation process.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited for Wichita State to see the finished product,鈥� DeFrain said.
social professor of English and director of the writing program
DeFrain is also working with Dr. Francis Connor, an English professor, on a history chronicling Kansas punk music from 1970 to 1990.
鈥淭he history will look at all kinds of punk bands from Wichita, all the way to Manhattan,鈥� DeFrain said.
DeFrain as a English and composition professor
DeFrain teaches on the history of graphic novels and composition. Last semester, he taught about narrative structure in video games.
鈥淭hat was a lot of fun,鈥� DeFrain said. 鈥淭he students blew me away with the stuff they knew.鈥�
When DeFrain isn鈥檛 teaching, he is helping his students create and publish their graphic novels.
鈥淢y students want the opportunity to create graphic novels, and I want to help them,鈥� DeFrain said.
DeFrain hopes to create more collaborative opportunities for his students.
鈥淚'm hoping that鈥檚 something that we can bring to the campus soon,鈥� DeFrain said.
DeFrain's innovative smartphone app
DeFrain is working with a Wichita State graduate to design an app that makes graphic novels more accessible.
鈥淭he app will help visually impaired people be able to understand the layout of graphic narratives,鈥� DeFrain said.
DeFrain says the learning curve was pretty steep for him, but the reward is worth it.
鈥淗elping visually impaired students experience graphic novels is all the reward I need.鈥�
DeFrain hopes to have a prototype finished in December.
For more information about DeFrain鈥檚 works, email him at darren.defrain@wichita.edu.
