Chicken Soup for the Michigan Soul:
Stories that Celebrate the Maize and Blue Spirit

The Alumni Association has partnered with the publisher of the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books to create "Chicken Soup for the University of Michigan Soul," and we're looking for stories from alumni. Did a University professor change your outlook on life? Did you make the friend of a lifetime in the dorms? Was your life changed by a U-M alum? We are currently accepting heart-warming, engaging, unusual or funny stories about your Michigan experience---whether as a student or an alumnus/a.

Here is the preliminary list of categories for the book and the types of stories that might fall under them. Please note that these categories and story ideas are just suggestions. Your story can be about a different experience and will still be considered:

Getting In—Why/when you know Michigan was the right place for you? What did you do to get in, what did you think when you were accepted, student orientation, family histories at Michigan.

The Transition to Campus—What was it like coming to Ann Arbor? What did you think about the campus, the town? How did you know it was a special place? Stories about your favorite places on campus.

Lessons from the Classroom—Did a U-M teacher/professor change your life? Did a class make you rethink your future or your values or how you look at the world.

Lessons outside the Classroom—Roommates, dorm stories, student involvement, etc.

Extracurricular Activities—The student groups, athletic competitions, sororities/fraternity experiences that shaped you.

Maize and Blue Sports—Stories from participating in rec sports, going to U-M games, road trips, etc.

Senior Year—Stories specific to your last year and how they shaped you.

Love 101—Did you find your true love at U-M? Stories of partners/spouses who met at U-M or who are U-M alumni but met later in life

Friendship—Stories about the friends you made, how they changed your life, special stories, etc.

Life as Alumni—How your alumni status has made a difference in your life since graduation, how you've stayed connected to U-M (clubs, groups, friends, etc.)

All stories will be considered for publication. Due to the volume of submissions, the Alumni Association will contact only those who submit stories that are selected for final publication. Authors of stories that are published in the book do not receive any monetary reward.

"Chicken Soup for the University of Michigan Soul" is scheduled for publication in 2006. Suggested story length is 1,000 to 1,500 words. The deadline for submission has past. Thank you for your interest.

Update May 2006—We are in the process of selecting stories for "Chicken Soup for the University of Michigan Soul," contacting the authors and editing the submissions for production. There is not a publication date yet but it will be posted here when it's finalized.

Send your questions to chickensoupbook@umich.edu.