Give them some history and they'll put the story into it.

Students of English professor Paul Kellermann's ENGL 212 (Intro Fiction Writing) are putting action into the historical markers posted all over Penn State. The project, called Historicity, is a junction between tale and truth that tells a narrative behind the 51 historical markers around Penn State.

While each sign gives a scrap of history to passers-by strolling around campus, Historicity's readers will feast on fact and fiction.

"What I'm trying to provoke is that there's more history to something than a sign," Kellermann said. "Students have the option of researching the topic or creating a fictional narrative."

Either way, Historicity rummages through the annals of people and places of Penn State, from past to present. Projects include the Creamery, diesel engineering and artificial insemination, the latter written by Elisabeth Workman, friend of Kellermann.

Here is a taste of what she has written:

"History would have it that sperm remains inaccessible, a vista of desire cleaved by abnormal palates. Susurrations of seminal fluids, however, rupture the forgotten soundtrack of a lost civilization . . . It was John Almquist, expert Angus, who said that the best bitch is merely the product of a surrogate mother. From his artificial offices of retrograde ejaculation, into the most expert halls of superovulation, Almquist piggybacked the eugenic revolution."

All student narratives are still in their rough draft phases "but so far the drafts have been pretty good, almost nifty," Kellermann said. He asked his contributing writers to keep their stories under 2,000 words, but students can make theirs as long or short as they want.

Jessica Fetter (senior-English) is crafting a story behind the Heart-assist pump, developed in part by the College of Engineering and the first to receive widespread clinical use. Using a timeline she dug up from Penn State's Web site, she'll tell a tale from the perspective of a Lion Ambassador adorned in a heart costume.

"What makes it different is that it's going to be defined as it goes along," Fetter said.

Also helping out with Historicity is Fetter's dad, who is considering writing the Indian leadership piece.

"He's an electrical engineer, but he wants to be a writer when he grows up," she said.

Kellermann and Fetter intend Historicity pieces to be performed during this summer's weeklong festival of words, Wordstock 2002. Both are organizers of the event. But for now, their attention is drawn to Historicity projects and their unsystematic creativity.