Guest post by Assistant Teaching Professor of French & Italian Irina Markina, who is teaching FRENCH 303: Projects, Pathways, and Possibilities in French Studies this Autumn 2022 quarter.
I am thrilled that our students got the chance to meet Jessica Oublié, who is an award-winning author and an essential voice in the realm of the francophone graphic novel. As a class, we had been reading Ms. Oublié first bande dessinée, Péyi an nou which focuses on the BUMIDOM, the French government office which organized the emigration of thousands of people from the Antilles to France. Needless to say, it was a treat to discuss this rich and complex work with the author herself. Ms. Oublié not only led a fascinating discussion on her past, current, and future projects, but also generously offered to give students feedback on their own ideas for the final project. At the end of her guest seminar, we came away with an insider's look at what it takes to conceive and create a bande dessinée, a genre which is so widely read and appreciated in many francophone countries. It was truly an honor to (virtually) welcome Jessica Oublié in our FRENCH 303 classroom!
Students of FRENCH 303 shared their feedback on this guest visit:
Alina Guyon: C'était vraiment génial de rencontrer Jessica (sur zoom) tout en lisant sa BD. Cela a rendu l'histoire vraiment vivante et réelle pour moi.
Shana Arius: J'ai beaucoup aimé le rencontre avec Jessica sur Zoom jeudi dernier! Elle était très gentille. De plus, j’ai trouvé que le concept de sa nouvelle BD était intéressant.
Marlena Rooney-Wilcox: Having Jessica Oublié in our class was a great experience. I especially appreciated her willingness to share and have a more personal conversation as opposed to a super-formal lecture or question-and-answer format. She was an inspiring guest and took a special interest in each of our projects, offering insights where she could. I want to extend many thanks to Jessica Oublié and Irina Makina for setting up the opportunity to meet and discuss in our class.