In the Spring 2025 semester, Jodie Mortag, Associate Professor of Writing, will be taking a sabbatical to work on her collection of creative nonfiction essays she plans to publish. This collection explores Mortag’s personal experiences concerning fish.
When asked about the overall goal of her sabbatical, Mortag explained how she wanted to complete her entire draft. She also said she wants to focus on “keeping the Sabbath” during her time away from teaching. Her sabbatical will not just be all about writing as she plans to get a lot of field experience. She will be taking multiple fishing trips including fly fishing for trout on the Brule River, sturgeon spearing on Lake Winnebago, and salmon fishing on Lake Michigan.
Mortag has been wanting to take a sabbatical for a long time, but she explained that it never felt like the right time until now. She went as far as to say, “I felt like I had something to say.” She also shouted out her colleagues when she called them all “exceptional.” She knows that all the students will be in good hands when she is away.
For someone who described herself as “not a very good fisherman”, Mortag is incredibly passionate and knowledgeable about fish. Fishing has played a very large role in her life. She discussed the role fishing has played in her relationships with her father and husband who are two people that appear quite frequently in many of the pieces she has written for this collection so far. This collection will also largely focus on motherhood. Mortag explained, “When my daughters were born, I started to think about fish more.”
So far, her favorite piece she has written for this collection is called “Talking Underwater” — an essay comparing the bedroom she and her husband share to a fish tank alongside her battle with postpartum depression. Many writers understand that a piece often does not go where it was originally planned, and Mortag experienced that with this piece. She loves it because she “listened more to that piece.”
Writing creative nonfiction is not an easy thing. When asked what she struggled most while working on this collection, Mortag said, “writing the truth” and sharing things she has “hidden for so long.”
On top of discussing what she has struggled with so far, Mortag explained what she fears will be a challenge for her during her sabbatical. She wants to focus on relaxing, but she worries she will become “too relaxed.”
Mortag also discussed her plan to disappear during her sabbatical, comparing her plans to the way anglerfish hide in the depths of the oceans. She said she would come back to campus for very few things, one of those being graduation.
As part of her plan to disappear, Mortag said she likely will not even be using social media or checking her email. To remain even more in touch with nature, she might even give up television.
Before leaving, Mortag plans to take everything off her office door. She is encouraging everyone to leave messages and photos of fish on it for her to come back to.
