Schafale, Chris

The Way to Unburdening: Two Travel Essays

Chris Schafale is a graduating senior with a concentration in Literary Studies and minors in History and Classical Studies. He has had one poem published in Abstract: Contemporary Expressions and has given presentations on Ben Hecht, ideal learning environments, haibun poetry, and mindfulness. He has worked as a peer tutor for three years and was a research assistant on Reading Chicago Reading. In January 2020, Chris started a literary magazine—The Orange Couch—to showcase creative writing at DePaul’s Writing Center. He is currently working on two travel essays for his thesis and hopes to continue both traveling and writing after graduation.

Major: English

Minors: History and Classical Studies

Senior, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

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Abstract

These two nonfiction essays tell of the difficulty and beauty of travel. So often, these features are intertwined, and certain setbacks can actually propel an adventure to become something far greater than points on an itinerary. “Losing My Way Through Rome” tracks the interesting characters I met in the first three days of a solo vacation to Italy, how I fared after an airline lost my luggage, and the travel tips I learned from the Tao Te Ching. “Americans in Dublin: Shitty Guests” is an essay about poop: while studying abroad, I face off with a house’s plumbing and a few “personal” issues.

Thesis Director: Michele Morano

Department: English

Faculty Reader: Kathleen Rooney

Department: English

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Project Poster

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Presentation