It took me six years to land a full-time, tenure track English position at a community college in California. Overall I sent out dozens of application packets, interviewed a handful of times, including three second interviews, before I finally triumphed. Some of my colleagues spent many more years in freeway flyer hell, others are still there.
Now that it is spring application season again, it seems like a good time to share the lessons I have learned sitting on the other side of the table. There is a lot of non-information out there, and very little guidance in general from most institutions. When I was looking and applying, I spent a lot of time online digging into different college's hiring practices and policies. I found that some colleges offer the occasional training, and every school has its quirks, but the process seems to be nearly identical wherever I applied. Interestingly, the biggest resource for community college job seekers, CCCRegistry.com, offers very little guidance.
Applying to a Community College
No matter the subject, it is crucial to understand the role of a community college: We prepare students to be successful in college and beyond. This often means remediation of math, English and life skills; we often help students develop study skills and learn to access resources. The most effective instructors scaffold learning in such a way that students can learn to climb the academic ladder themselves. My experience as a graduate of my local community college is that the rigor is solid, and there are lots of services and support.
The tenure process focuses on teaching and fulfilling contractual obligations. Professional development is a high priority; publishing and research are peripheral to teaching. Unless the subject of your Ph.D. or E.D. dissertation is directly related to that specific job description, you don't need to spend a ton of time talking about it in your application materials.
Understanding the Process
I have often heard from disgruntled colleagues that the system is rigged, that candidates are chosen in advance and then shepherded through the process. But here is the thing: all completed application packets are put through the same review process. Each packet is read by the hiring committee, each piece is assessed and assigned a number value using a rubric that is based on the advertised job description. Once the numbers are tallied, those with the highest scores are invited to interview.
Some colleges use one committee for the paper screening, and another for the interviews. Others use one committee from start to finish. Some committees are made up of only the department members and the division dean; others bring in other departments, staff and management. The whole process is overseen by the Human Resources department, and they are mindful of potential lawsuits of any kind; while I suppose rigging may be possible, I doubt pretty seriously it really happens.
When you are putting that packet together, make sure that your qualifications for that particular position are suuuuuper easy to find; don’t make the committee have to guess or spend extra time tracking down important information. Be explicit in the cover letter, CV, application and answers to supplemental questions. Larger colleges and departments may receive hundreds of application packets and every member of that screening committee probably has to read every single page. Make their reading experience count.
Application Packets
This is part of the process that always baffled me. I assumed that there were trick questions included in the directions or job descriptions. I have ultimately learned that adhering to the list of items to be included in the packet, or following the directions, is the only trick.
If the application has to be downloaded and is problematic, then ask for a hard copy or print one out and fill it out by hand. Fill it out completely! If you can submit everything online, make sure to review every document carefully before hitting the submit button.
Human Resources will use the teaching history information in calculating your initial salary. Simply writing “see resume” or “see CV” at any point on the application itself will almost guarantee that your entire packet will not make the cut.
If letters of recommendation are required, include them, and only the number requested. It is really a pain to have to ask for new letters every time you apply for a job, so lots of us recycle. That's fine, except that it doesn't look good if you include a letter to one college that is addressed to another, or if the letter is 10 years old, or if it doesn't address any of the job qualifications.
If a diversity statement is requested, write one. If not, don't bother including one you wrote for another college.
If supplemental questions are required, answer ALL of them, even if there are a dozen.
Avoid sending in anything not requested. Some colleges might accept additional materials like evaluations or lesson plans, but why take the chance if you don't know for sure? If there is a stated option, then send the best and most relevant materials.
Cover Letters
If the advertisement requires a cover letter, it should be written to the specific position and include information about how you are uniquely qualified for THAT position.
Adjuncts
Part-time instructors who currently work for a college might be openly encouraged or invited to apply for full-time positions. Adjuncts can have insights into the needs of the college, department, and students that can often be addressed in the application materials or interview. Encouragement from a department chair or administrator is not usually a signal that an interview is guaranteed.
All applicants, by law, are put through the same screening process. Treat the application process as if you are introducing yourself for the first time to new colleagues. Do Not assume that since they know you, they will fill in the blanks themselves because legally they cannot.
Adjunct instructors are not always interviewed. Track down and read the full-time and part-time bargaining agreements/contracts. These are very insightful. Some community colleges will interview all adjunct applicants as a courtesy, others will interview at least one. I would argue that most will only interview those who earn high scores in the paper screening process. Also check the Human Resources websites; they can sometimes be very illuminating.
The Interview
Becoming familiar with that particular community college will help you understand the needs of the student population. Scour the website, look for academic senate meetings, board of trustee meetings, and the most recent union contracts to help you get a sense of the climate and needs of that campus. Get to know the college and district so that when you are discussing your qualifications, you can offer the most direct and relevant answers. Do you know someone who works there? Went to school there? Ask them questions. Do your research.
In the interview itself, avoid badmouthing colleagues, administrators and, most importantly, students. Pay attention to the interview prep instructions. If you are asked to do a teaching demonstration, even about a topic you wouldn't normally teach, create a lesson plan and teach it. If you are asked to give a teaching presentation, create a lesson plan and be ready to explain and discuss it.
Often you will be given the interview questions as much as a half hour in advance. If you are allowed to keep them, do it. If not, take thorough notes. My adjunct friends and I shared questions with each other for years. After awhile you get to know the kind of information that committees generally want to know. Take another look at the job description; what kinds of qualifications beyond general teaching responsibilities is the college looking for?
Prep
Find someone to help you practice with mock interviews. Use the interview questions you have found online or from colleagues and review potential answers. Some are standard like "What qualifies you to teach at this college?" Duh--they want to hear you talk about your qualifications, the same ones you listed in your packet. But hearing it and reading it are two different things.
I found that I did better if I viewed the interview like an opportunity to talk about teaching with other teachers, which I love to do, so I felt less nervous.
The Aftermath
If you are not invited to interview, or asked back for a second, you can still learn something from the experience. Human Resources can give you some limited feedback about how you fared in the process. If you don't ask, you will never know.
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Friday, July 21, 2017
Today's Struggle
I am discovering just how painful a daily writing practice can be. I'm revising essays I wrote a decade ago and parsing out what stories to include in this larger piece, what to leave out, what to rearrange and what needs to be newly written. Some pain comes from revisiting the past, and some comes from trying to write something, anything, compelling.
It is both an advantage and a handicap to revisit childhood memories through the lens of time, therapy and maturity. I felt pretty bullied as a kid. But some of the folks I considered to be my nemesis in those early years are now adults I care about a great deal. I even have a level of compassion for those I am not close to because I have done enough work on my own shit to understand that we all had shit as kids. We all had traumas and pain and stories. And I can also see how my issues and behaviors might have aggravated the hell out of the kids around me. I think that I often inadvertently set myself up to be the loser.
So the question becomes how many of these stories to tell, and how much responsibility do I take for the pain or trauma inflicted on me. Do I focus on my truth in the moment, or the truth I have discovered along the way.
Today's struggle is in balancing the need to offer a whole picture within the theme I have chosen for this project with the conflicting realities of current and old memory.
It is both an advantage and a handicap to revisit childhood memories through the lens of time, therapy and maturity. I felt pretty bullied as a kid. But some of the folks I considered to be my nemesis in those early years are now adults I care about a great deal. I even have a level of compassion for those I am not close to because I have done enough work on my own shit to understand that we all had shit as kids. We all had traumas and pain and stories. And I can also see how my issues and behaviors might have aggravated the hell out of the kids around me. I think that I often inadvertently set myself up to be the loser.
So the question becomes how many of these stories to tell, and how much responsibility do I take for the pain or trauma inflicted on me. Do I focus on my truth in the moment, or the truth I have discovered along the way.
Today's struggle is in balancing the need to offer a whole picture within the theme I have chosen for this project with the conflicting realities of current and old memory.
Friday, July 7, 2017
Oh the Planning!
The very first semester that I taught, I was hired less than two weeks before the classes began, so planning was a constant, ongoing, all-consuming task. I had little previous experience to draw from; I had worked as a TA and grader and tutor. I often walked into class sessions with no clear idea of what I was going to teach. I was able to assign readings in advance, but the lessons and assignments that were attached to the readings were most often made up on the spot, seat-of-my-pants style.
This was the norm for quite awhile because we were in the midst of a recession and planning for the department was in flux. Classes were being cut right and left, and several adjuncts already burnt out from a wacky system left the profession and classes behind, and a few landed full-time teaching gigs elsewhere. Then administration would realize at the very last minute that they needed more sections of a course, and I would just happen to be lurking near the department chair's office in time to volunteer to take the class.
Still, these days when I sit down to plan, even with plenty of experience and material to draw on, I get kind of panicky and freak out that I don't have all seventeen weeks in the forefront of my brain. I can't recall every lesson I have ever taught and the nuances for each, so I worry that I will fail. Never mind that I have an entire filing cabinet full of hard copies and multiple electronic copies on multiple computers and clouds. I freak out about having to re-invent the wheel.
Eventually I settle into reviewing past semesters and new ideas and hammer things out with only a few gaps to fill in as I go.
I'm discovering that planning a memoir is really similar to planning a class. I'm kind of panicking. I have told lots of stories over the years, and written lots of essays about my childhood, but deciding what to include and what to leave out is really daunting.
My training focused on the memoir as a piece of pie. The whole circle represents the entire life. The triangular slice represents the material for the memoir.
I really, really don't want to write an autobiography. I really want to spend my time focusing on some piece, some theme, some aspect that is neither overwhelming nor boring nor simply navel gazing. And as with most of us, the various stories overlap in theme, time, and impact.
I struggle with the guilt of incorporating pieces I wrote ten years ago into this new project. I feel overwhelmed about writing new material.
Some moments I really want to stop-- walk away from the project and forget I have aspirations as a writer. But again, as I chip away at the process I am finally discovering where I need to focus, what I need to include and what I can leave out. It's a really messy process sometimes, much like planning a semester.
Right.
I knew this!
:-)
This was the norm for quite awhile because we were in the midst of a recession and planning for the department was in flux. Classes were being cut right and left, and several adjuncts already burnt out from a wacky system left the profession and classes behind, and a few landed full-time teaching gigs elsewhere. Then administration would realize at the very last minute that they needed more sections of a course, and I would just happen to be lurking near the department chair's office in time to volunteer to take the class.
Still, these days when I sit down to plan, even with plenty of experience and material to draw on, I get kind of panicky and freak out that I don't have all seventeen weeks in the forefront of my brain. I can't recall every lesson I have ever taught and the nuances for each, so I worry that I will fail. Never mind that I have an entire filing cabinet full of hard copies and multiple electronic copies on multiple computers and clouds. I freak out about having to re-invent the wheel.
Eventually I settle into reviewing past semesters and new ideas and hammer things out with only a few gaps to fill in as I go.
I'm discovering that planning a memoir is really similar to planning a class. I'm kind of panicking. I have told lots of stories over the years, and written lots of essays about my childhood, but deciding what to include and what to leave out is really daunting.
My training focused on the memoir as a piece of pie. The whole circle represents the entire life. The triangular slice represents the material for the memoir.
I really, really don't want to write an autobiography. I really want to spend my time focusing on some piece, some theme, some aspect that is neither overwhelming nor boring nor simply navel gazing. And as with most of us, the various stories overlap in theme, time, and impact.
I struggle with the guilt of incorporating pieces I wrote ten years ago into this new project. I feel overwhelmed about writing new material.
Some moments I really want to stop-- walk away from the project and forget I have aspirations as a writer. But again, as I chip away at the process I am finally discovering where I need to focus, what I need to include and what I can leave out. It's a really messy process sometimes, much like planning a semester.
Right.
I knew this!
:-)
Tuesday, July 4, 2017
If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times
One of the interesting aspects of teaching composition and trying to support my own writing life is that the lessons I so often try to impart on my students are essentially the same that I return to in my own writing year after year.
This morning I'm rereading Judith Barrington's book, Writing the Memoir, and I have come back to the idea, yet again, that my primary struggle is not about the lack of time to write, or the lack of interesting material, or even a lack of training and practice, but that I doubt that I have anything interesting to say or that anyone would care to read it.
This became a huge stumbling block during my first project period in grad school. My mentor gave me some feedback early on that I mis-interpreted. She was asking me to decide exactly what point I wanted to make in an essay, to focus in on that idea and then expand the story around it. But I internalized a different criticism. I heard her saying "So what? Why would we want to read about your life?" I was hearing what Natalia Rachel Singer refers to as "who cares?"
This fear, that no one will care, comes back to me again this summer as I dive into a new memoir project. I have often toyed with the idea of a full-length memoir; it is something I feel a strong pull toward, and something that brings up so much fear that I push myself away. I struggle with structure and focus, much like when I plot the day-to-day plans of an entire 17-week semester that will creatively and academically nourish my students. The questions are never-ending: What should I write? What should I focus on? What voice should I use? What is safe to reveal? What should stay hidden? Why would anyone outside of my circle of family, friends and students want to read this?
The shortened version of a potentially larger memoir has already been published at StoryScape Journal. It's a pretty funny piece. But a full-length memoir likely wouldn't be, and of course I worry that if it's not funny, no one will care.
My students often face a similar struggle. They worry that they won't have anything interesting to say, that they have nothing to offer the conversation, that no reader will be interested in their story. They tip-toe around sensitive or painful ideas or memories. They play with words, allude to some happening then back off and wax philosophical. If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times: don't dance around the subject, say it. Don't question the validity of the idea, memory, or trauma, write about it honestly.
Yep, teachers and students; we have the same struggles.
This morning I'm rereading Judith Barrington's book, Writing the Memoir, and I have come back to the idea, yet again, that my primary struggle is not about the lack of time to write, or the lack of interesting material, or even a lack of training and practice, but that I doubt that I have anything interesting to say or that anyone would care to read it.
This became a huge stumbling block during my first project period in grad school. My mentor gave me some feedback early on that I mis-interpreted. She was asking me to decide exactly what point I wanted to make in an essay, to focus in on that idea and then expand the story around it. But I internalized a different criticism. I heard her saying "So what? Why would we want to read about your life?" I was hearing what Natalia Rachel Singer refers to as "who cares?"
This fear, that no one will care, comes back to me again this summer as I dive into a new memoir project. I have often toyed with the idea of a full-length memoir; it is something I feel a strong pull toward, and something that brings up so much fear that I push myself away. I struggle with structure and focus, much like when I plot the day-to-day plans of an entire 17-week semester that will creatively and academically nourish my students. The questions are never-ending: What should I write? What should I focus on? What voice should I use? What is safe to reveal? What should stay hidden? Why would anyone outside of my circle of family, friends and students want to read this?
The shortened version of a potentially larger memoir has already been published at StoryScape Journal. It's a pretty funny piece. But a full-length memoir likely wouldn't be, and of course I worry that if it's not funny, no one will care.
My students often face a similar struggle. They worry that they won't have anything interesting to say, that they have nothing to offer the conversation, that no reader will be interested in their story. They tip-toe around sensitive or painful ideas or memories. They play with words, allude to some happening then back off and wax philosophical. If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times: don't dance around the subject, say it. Don't question the validity of the idea, memory, or trauma, write about it honestly.
Yep, teachers and students; we have the same struggles.
Tuesday, September 27, 2016
Anticipation
I had three essays out for consideration. One was rejected, so I immediately sent it back out to another publication. I received word that another was also not chosen, but I haven't really had the focus to resend it, so for now it has returned to the back of my mind.
As of this writing, I am waiting on two responses, one is due any day now, and the anticipation is killing me. It is a tremendously personal piece (I know, I'm a memoirist, what isn't personal about my writing?), although the subject matter has a far more universal appeal than I think most editors would like to admit, and I really am not sure if the editor (Dinty W. Moore) will see the appeal. The finalists are set to be announced in September, and the month is waning.
I've spent some time obsessively stalking the publication and my submittable account and learned nothing.
Did I mention that the anticipation is killing me?
As of this writing, I am waiting on two responses, one is due any day now, and the anticipation is killing me. It is a tremendously personal piece (I know, I'm a memoirist, what isn't personal about my writing?), although the subject matter has a far more universal appeal than I think most editors would like to admit, and I really am not sure if the editor (Dinty W. Moore) will see the appeal. The finalists are set to be announced in September, and the month is waning.
I've spent some time obsessively stalking the publication and my submittable account and learned nothing.
Did I mention that the anticipation is killing me?
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Creating Rituals with Pants
I learned many good things in graduate school about craft and the writing process. One suggestion was about creating a writing ritual. The idea is to have a ritual that always precedes and/or includes the act of writing. This, along with a regular writing practice (re: daily), is good advice that came from well-grounded writers.
Some of my colleagues began lighting candles when they sit down to write. Others have specifics things at hand: computer, pencil/pen and paper, a favorite visual object, etc. One writing friend outlines his entire project on paper on the wall before sitting down to write.
I purchased a pair of writing pants.
I only wear these subtle pants when I am writing. At home. I've not yet ventured down to the local coffee house in them. When the hubby sees me wearing them he smiles that special, "atta girl" smile that I love.
I'm wearing my pants now, so I'm off to create. :-)
Some of my colleagues began lighting candles when they sit down to write. Others have specifics things at hand: computer, pencil/pen and paper, a favorite visual object, etc. One writing friend outlines his entire project on paper on the wall before sitting down to write.
I purchased a pair of writing pants.
I only wear these subtle pants when I am writing. At home. I've not yet ventured down to the local coffee house in them. When the hubby sees me wearing them he smiles that special, "atta girl" smile that I love.
I'm wearing my pants now, so I'm off to create. :-)
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Out There Again
I just sent of another essay out for consideration in an online literary journal. That makes three this summer. That may not sound like much, but considering how little writing I have done in the last few years, this is a big deal for me.
They say that the art is in the revision. If that is the case, then I have been particularly artistic of late. One piece was written ten years ago. Another was started in 2008, and today's submission is the youngest, only dating back to early 2015.
The oldest piece was the most difficult to revise, it tells the story of the year I was ten and being molested by my guitar teacher. I have submitted it in the past with no luck. One respondent suggested that the story didn't have a very universal appeal. Ha! That is funny. Considering that 25% of girls and 20% of boys report sexual abuse, this is hardly an isolated phenomenon. The respondent was clearly in deep, deep denial or simply clueless.
With all that being said, it needed a good revision. But it took a long time before I could read it over and over again and make the necessary cuts and revisions. The end result is a piece that is leaner and more focused, with a clearer arc and theme. The fact that I spent most of a weekend dealing with panic attacks is a side-effect that was well worth the effort.
I'll let you know what happens!
They say that the art is in the revision. If that is the case, then I have been particularly artistic of late. One piece was written ten years ago. Another was started in 2008, and today's submission is the youngest, only dating back to early 2015.
The oldest piece was the most difficult to revise, it tells the story of the year I was ten and being molested by my guitar teacher. I have submitted it in the past with no luck. One respondent suggested that the story didn't have a very universal appeal. Ha! That is funny. Considering that 25% of girls and 20% of boys report sexual abuse, this is hardly an isolated phenomenon. The respondent was clearly in deep, deep denial or simply clueless.
With all that being said, it needed a good revision. But it took a long time before I could read it over and over again and make the necessary cuts and revisions. The end result is a piece that is leaner and more focused, with a clearer arc and theme. The fact that I spent most of a weekend dealing with panic attacks is a side-effect that was well worth the effort.
I'll let you know what happens!
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Re-Immersing Myself in Creativity
I've had to face my writer's block head-on these last few months as I explore who I am outside of the classroom, and I find myself with many of the feelings my composition students complain about:
I don't know how to start.
Everything I write sounds like shit.
I can't think of anything to write.
It takes me forever to write a few hundred words.
And worst of all:
I don't think I am a writer anymore.
A colleague at work, award winning author Jody Gerhman, recently initiated "writing dates." We meet for a few hours a week, spend some time talking about our projects, then spend time working on said projects.
These weekly sessions have forced me back into my creative life. I lost a great deal of ground in this aspect of my life because I was so focused on building my teaching resume, finding full-time work, then trying to prove that I am worthy of tenure. Now that I feel reasonably secure and I safely on the tenure-track, refocusing some of my brain power and effort certainly makes sense.
Jody's influence has sent me back to fiction writing; I am working on a new novel idea and begun reworking on an old idea. She introduced me to the Scrivner app ; this is lots of fun and so much better than using Word! I have pulled out a ten year old essay about the year I was molested by my guitar teacher and begun a heavy revision. I've submitted an essay to a literary contest. I have created an author page on Facebook and updated my website (although that still needs work).
Facing my writer's block has given me greater insight into my own process; I've had to take my own advice and learned to honor my writing process, to push the critical editor in my head aside. I haven't quite managed to put her into a jar as Anne Lamott suggests, but I do feel like I am gaining some ground over the negativity. I have a bit more sympathy for my students, which will likely improve my teaching this year. By re-immersing myself in my own creative life, I feel as though my full self is becoming more rounded, more healthy and more productive.
I don't know how to start.
Everything I write sounds like shit.
I can't think of anything to write.
It takes me forever to write a few hundred words.
And worst of all:
I don't think I am a writer anymore.
A colleague at work, award winning author Jody Gerhman, recently initiated "writing dates." We meet for a few hours a week, spend some time talking about our projects, then spend time working on said projects.
These weekly sessions have forced me back into my creative life. I lost a great deal of ground in this aspect of my life because I was so focused on building my teaching resume, finding full-time work, then trying to prove that I am worthy of tenure. Now that I feel reasonably secure and I safely on the tenure-track, refocusing some of my brain power and effort certainly makes sense.
Jody's influence has sent me back to fiction writing; I am working on a new novel idea and begun reworking on an old idea. She introduced me to the Scrivner app ; this is lots of fun and so much better than using Word! I have pulled out a ten year old essay about the year I was molested by my guitar teacher and begun a heavy revision. I've submitted an essay to a literary contest. I have created an author page on Facebook and updated my website (although that still needs work).
Facing my writer's block has given me greater insight into my own process; I've had to take my own advice and learned to honor my writing process, to push the critical editor in my head aside. I haven't quite managed to put her into a jar as Anne Lamott suggests, but I do feel like I am gaining some ground over the negativity. I have a bit more sympathy for my students, which will likely improve my teaching this year. By re-immersing myself in my own creative life, I feel as though my full self is becoming more rounded, more healthy and more productive.
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Revisiting Old Posts
FROM 2010
A reason for book lists
Here comes the cliche:
In order to be a good writer, an aspiring writer must be a reader.
I do read a lot. I have a very bad habit of going from one book to the next, a bit like an addict I suppose (big surprise). I don't always take the time to digest the contents before I move onto the next fix.
Instead of just chewing them up and spitting them out, I thought it would be interesting to begin a list of non-fiction books I have read (and enjoyed) in the last few years. I'll do this periodically, and possibly add in novels as I go.
Consider this Part 1. Some new and some classics (in no particular order):
The Possibility of Everything by Hope Edelman
Shot in the Heart by Mikal Gilmore
Columbine by Dave Cullen
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Part 2 of my list of favorite non-fiction books, but this time I'm going to include some exploration of what I enjoyed about each one.
Fire in a Cane Break: The Last Mass Lynching in America by Laura Wexler
Lynchings are not a new concept, and one reason many stories are still timely is because the silence surrounding the perpetrators is slowly cracking. This leads, in a few cases at least, to prosecution of the evil doers. This book takes the time to solve a decades old mystery. The author spent probably hundreds of hours doing research and tracking down the living survivors, guilty and innocent, of a horrific and unjustified mass lynching. Wexler takes what could be a fairly simple story and tells it in a way that is always riveting. I find her combination of reporting and suspense building to be inspiring.
Wrapped in Rainbows: Life of Zora Neale Hurston by Valerie Boyd
I originally purchased this book because I wanted to work with Valerie in my graduate program. I did work with her, but didn't read the book until a few years later in preparation to teach a Hurston novel for a community college English class. This book is the first time that someone attempted to unravel the various stories that Hurston told about herself to get to the truth of an extraordinary life. A fascinating story, and great insight, about a fascinating woman.
Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Why are we fascinated with serial killers? Never mind, don't try and answer that. Just read this book. Larson does a wonderful job of telling the stories of the Chicago World's Fair just before the turn of the 20th century, one of the first serial killers who preyed on people who flocked to the fair, and the detective who cracked the murder cases. The author's only flaw is his tendency to take on the lofty tone and sentence structure of the men of late 19th century Chicago, and to refer to historical happenings that were (sometimes only peripherally) related to the story as if we all know all the stories. It sucks to be on the outside of an inside joke without enough information to find the story yourself.
Let's Not Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller
I could relate to most of Fuller's experience even though she grew up in Africa on a ranch and I grew up in a small town in the U.S. The woman simply has a great way of telling a story. An interesting life doesn't hurt.
Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
On one hand this is an incredibly inspiring book. A young girl lives through cancer, the chemotherapy and years of failed reconstructive surgeries. She is a world-class poet and all around fun gal. On the other hand it is depressing because she ultimately died of a drug overdose. It is still a great read.
Books Part 3
This time around are three completely different books; each is an incredible piece of literature for very different reasons.
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
This story has been told already, several times in fact. It has been the subject of at least two other books, including a pictorial of the actual events as captured by the ship's photographer. Lansing's style of story-telling, however, takes the reader far beyond the retelling of a harrowing event. He spends time developing characters, much like a novelist would, and he begins with the ship herself as she struggles to survive long enough to see her crew off safely. Riveting, fascinating and sometimes terribly disturbing, I could not put this down.
Lit: A Memoir by Mary Karr
This is a follow-up to Karr's earlier memoir, The Liars' Club, where she danced deftly between observing her parent's demons and fending them off. Here she attacks only her demons, and does so in a brutally honest and incredibly creative way. Not may authors can get away with prose like:
"Through that fishbowl lens, you’ve been looking for the truth most of your life. Recently that wide eye has come to settle on me and I’ve felt like Odysseus, albeit with less guile and fewer escape routes, the lens itself embodying the one-eyed Cyclops."
AND
"I shit you not!"
And once again she goes beyond the naval gazing effect of the confessional memoir to share her descent into alcoholism and climb out into the arms of her newly discovered God. So good on so many levels.
The Kiss by Kathryn Harrison
This is not for the faint of heart. It is the story surrounding Harrison's incestuous relationship with her estranged father. There are no real details of the sexual encounters included, only the raw emotional truth that resulted. I kept asking myself how something so horrific could be written so beautifully. I have read some of her fiction, which is quite good, but the level of writing here is above and beyond the other attempts at retelling her story through fictional characters. As difficult as this must have been for her to write (and I once heard her tell a story about just that) the truth truly set her creative powers free.
A reason for book lists
Here comes the cliche:
In order to be a good writer, an aspiring writer must be a reader.
I do read a lot. I have a very bad habit of going from one book to the next, a bit like an addict I suppose (big surprise). I don't always take the time to digest the contents before I move onto the next fix.
Instead of just chewing them up and spitting them out, I thought it would be interesting to begin a list of non-fiction books I have read (and enjoyed) in the last few years. I'll do this periodically, and possibly add in novels as I go.
Consider this Part 1. Some new and some classics (in no particular order):
The Possibility of Everything by Hope Edelman
Shot in the Heart by Mikal Gilmore
Columbine by Dave Cullen
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Part 2 of my list of favorite non-fiction books, but this time I'm going to include some exploration of what I enjoyed about each one.
Fire in a Cane Break: The Last Mass Lynching in America by Laura Wexler
Lynchings are not a new concept, and one reason many stories are still timely is because the silence surrounding the perpetrators is slowly cracking. This leads, in a few cases at least, to prosecution of the evil doers. This book takes the time to solve a decades old mystery. The author spent probably hundreds of hours doing research and tracking down the living survivors, guilty and innocent, of a horrific and unjustified mass lynching. Wexler takes what could be a fairly simple story and tells it in a way that is always riveting. I find her combination of reporting and suspense building to be inspiring.
Wrapped in Rainbows: Life of Zora Neale Hurston by Valerie Boyd
I originally purchased this book because I wanted to work with Valerie in my graduate program. I did work with her, but didn't read the book until a few years later in preparation to teach a Hurston novel for a community college English class. This book is the first time that someone attempted to unravel the various stories that Hurston told about herself to get to the truth of an extraordinary life. A fascinating story, and great insight, about a fascinating woman.
Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Why are we fascinated with serial killers? Never mind, don't try and answer that. Just read this book. Larson does a wonderful job of telling the stories of the Chicago World's Fair just before the turn of the 20th century, one of the first serial killers who preyed on people who flocked to the fair, and the detective who cracked the murder cases. The author's only flaw is his tendency to take on the lofty tone and sentence structure of the men of late 19th century Chicago, and to refer to historical happenings that were (sometimes only peripherally) related to the story as if we all know all the stories. It sucks to be on the outside of an inside joke without enough information to find the story yourself.
Let's Not Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller
I could relate to most of Fuller's experience even though she grew up in Africa on a ranch and I grew up in a small town in the U.S. The woman simply has a great way of telling a story. An interesting life doesn't hurt.
Autobiography of a Face by Lucy Grealy
On one hand this is an incredibly inspiring book. A young girl lives through cancer, the chemotherapy and years of failed reconstructive surgeries. She is a world-class poet and all around fun gal. On the other hand it is depressing because she ultimately died of a drug overdose. It is still a great read.
Books Part 3
This time around are three completely different books; each is an incredible piece of literature for very different reasons.
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
This story has been told already, several times in fact. It has been the subject of at least two other books, including a pictorial of the actual events as captured by the ship's photographer. Lansing's style of story-telling, however, takes the reader far beyond the retelling of a harrowing event. He spends time developing characters, much like a novelist would, and he begins with the ship herself as she struggles to survive long enough to see her crew off safely. Riveting, fascinating and sometimes terribly disturbing, I could not put this down.
Lit: A Memoir by Mary Karr
This is a follow-up to Karr's earlier memoir, The Liars' Club, where she danced deftly between observing her parent's demons and fending them off. Here she attacks only her demons, and does so in a brutally honest and incredibly creative way. Not may authors can get away with prose like:
"Through that fishbowl lens, you’ve been looking for the truth most of your life. Recently that wide eye has come to settle on me and I’ve felt like Odysseus, albeit with less guile and fewer escape routes, the lens itself embodying the one-eyed Cyclops."
AND
"I shit you not!"
And once again she goes beyond the naval gazing effect of the confessional memoir to share her descent into alcoholism and climb out into the arms of her newly discovered God. So good on so many levels.
The Kiss by Kathryn Harrison
This is not for the faint of heart. It is the story surrounding Harrison's incestuous relationship with her estranged father. There are no real details of the sexual encounters included, only the raw emotional truth that resulted. I kept asking myself how something so horrific could be written so beautifully. I have read some of her fiction, which is quite good, but the level of writing here is above and beyond the other attempts at retelling her story through fictional characters. As difficult as this must have been for her to write (and I once heard her tell a story about just that) the truth truly set her creative powers free.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Spring Emerging
The essay submission from my last post wasn't accepted for publication. Ah, well. Onward.
I did post a link to an old essay, One Simple List on Facebook that got a little bit of friendly attention. It felt good.
Despite the fairly high level of stress that I am current dealing with (see my other blog Visceral Musings), I am also experiencing a creative emergence of sorts. In the last week I have posted three new blog entries (counting this one), and started a brand new short story. I am also revisiting another short story idea, and am about to dive into a revision of an essay that I wrote earlier this year.
I find myself thinking about writing as I drive or walk between classes, then jumping on my computer to work. It feels darn good, let me tell you. I wonder if I am experiencing a thaw, a renewal of energies, a bit like the spring I see emerging around me.
Hey, no matter how long it lasts, I'll take what I can get.
I did post a link to an old essay, One Simple List on Facebook that got a little bit of friendly attention. It felt good.
Despite the fairly high level of stress that I am current dealing with (see my other blog Visceral Musings), I am also experiencing a creative emergence of sorts. In the last week I have posted three new blog entries (counting this one), and started a brand new short story. I am also revisiting another short story idea, and am about to dive into a revision of an essay that I wrote earlier this year.
I find myself thinking about writing as I drive or walk between classes, then jumping on my computer to work. It feels darn good, let me tell you. I wonder if I am experiencing a thaw, a renewal of energies, a bit like the spring I see emerging around me.
Hey, no matter how long it lasts, I'll take what I can get.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Stumbling through
Stumbling and lurching through a renewal of creativity. Yep. That's me alright.
I submitted an essay to Lunch Ticket through the online submission site. Then I realized that I had misspelled the title in the entry. So I withdrew and re-submitted it. Once that was done I realized that I didn't include the word count that was required. I'm not withdrawing again; I'll just sit here quietly and wait until they reject it and try again later. *sigh*
At least I submitted something...
I submitted an essay to Lunch Ticket through the online submission site. Then I realized that I had misspelled the title in the entry. So I withdrew and re-submitted it. Once that was done I realized that I didn't include the word count that was required. I'm not withdrawing again; I'll just sit here quietly and wait until they reject it and try again later. *sigh*
At least I submitted something...
Saturday, February 1, 2014
It's About Time
It's been just over a year since I sent anything out, but I did! I pulled out a favorite essay, cut 600 words and submitted it to A Room of Her Own!
Go Me!
Go Me!
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Inspiration is the Doorway
Dorothy Allison about writing,
"Inspiration is the doorway,
Curiosity is the Engine,
Fear is the Gasoline
Lust is involved, lust to get it right."
"Inspiration is the doorway,
Curiosity is the Engine,
Fear is the Gasoline
Lust is involved, lust to get it right."
Torn Open
Yesterday I attended the Sonoma County Book Festival at the SRJC campus. I went primarily because I wanted to see Dorothy Allison speak. She is the author of Bastard Out of Carolina which I LOVE, and Cave Dwellers which I like. I knew nothing of the person, except that she lives locally (which excites me to no end), nor what kind of presenter she is. The buzz in the room was that she is a great public speaker. I initially sat four rows behind her (I saw her sitting in the front row in the minutes before her portion of the program began). I moved to the row right behind her (squeeee) to join a colleague.
In a throwback to my first rock concert, (he's pointing at meeeee) I felt that she saw me in the audience. More than once I felt that she was speaking to me directly. Maybe she was. She talked about writing; about how there are times when a story comes into our head and you transcribe it as best as you can. Then late at night the uncertainty creeps in and you realize that you know nothing. My head nodded, as did many in the room. She took note of the number of heads nodding.
When I handed her my book to sign, she said, "I saw you nodding in the audience." She did see me; she was talking to me directly. When I responded with, "I'm mildly starstruck and trying not to say something stupid," she patted my hand and said, "Honey, I can show you stars." The first stars I saw were the natural bi-product of the tears that welled up in my eyes. I had to sit down, my back to her and those still gathered around her, to fight back the tears. They were tears of joy, of inspiration, of awe, of being seen. Just a few minutes before, she had spoken about the joy that we feel when we are torn open by a writer's words. She so lovingly tore me open, and my joy was, and for now still is, boundless.
In a throwback to my first rock concert, (he's pointing at meeeee) I felt that she saw me in the audience. More than once I felt that she was speaking to me directly. Maybe she was. She talked about writing; about how there are times when a story comes into our head and you transcribe it as best as you can. Then late at night the uncertainty creeps in and you realize that you know nothing. My head nodded, as did many in the room. She took note of the number of heads nodding.
When I handed her my book to sign, she said, "I saw you nodding in the audience." She did see me; she was talking to me directly. When I responded with, "I'm mildly starstruck and trying not to say something stupid," she patted my hand and said, "Honey, I can show you stars." The first stars I saw were the natural bi-product of the tears that welled up in my eyes. I had to sit down, my back to her and those still gathered around her, to fight back the tears. They were tears of joy, of inspiration, of awe, of being seen. Just a few minutes before, she had spoken about the joy that we feel when we are torn open by a writer's words. She so lovingly tore me open, and my joy was, and for now still is, boundless.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Word Counts or Words Count
I have written over 2100 words this week. This does not include anything academically work related. All 2146 words are for creative works. This does not include blog postings, which I also consider to be creative works, so the count is actually much higher.
I also wrote a 100 word essay and submitted it for publication. It has been accepted and will be published in the (hopefully near) future. I will post when I have the specifics.
I don't yet consider myself un-blocked, but definitely can see some sunlight up ahead and have hopes that I will emerge from this dark tunnel soon.
Breathing and writing both feel a bit easier this week.
I also wrote a 100 word essay and submitted it for publication. It has been accepted and will be published in the (hopefully near) future. I will post when I have the specifics.
I don't yet consider myself un-blocked, but definitely can see some sunlight up ahead and have hopes that I will emerge from this dark tunnel soon.
Breathing and writing both feel a bit easier this week.
Monday, December 10, 2012
A Little Inspiration
A student in my Thursday evening class has a tattoo on his hand. He is certainly not alone; nearly all his classmates sport some sort of inked skin. His tattoo, and the attitude that comes with it, has finally pushed me passed my disdain for what I have often considered to be a symbol of white trash, drunken irresponsible behavior. I am actually inspired by his tattoo: Believe.
In addition to the permanent reminder that he should always believe in himself, his choices, and his forward life momentum, he carries small cards with him everywhere, in his car, as bookmarks, in his binder/notebook, in his pocket. They follow the simplicity of his tattoo: Believe.
I find this inspiring, so much so that I was able to temporarily work around my writer's block to produce a short short essay about him for the Fine Line E-Book call for submissions. In just under 100 words, I told the briefest of stories about how he has inspired me.
THEN, I dusted off a long-shelved essay and submitted it to The Kiss anthology. No new writing on this one, but I feel that the publication would be a very good fit for this essay aptly entitled "It Started With a Kiss and Ended in Silence."
THEN some of my writerly friends got fired up about forming a new writing group that includes me. I am so overwhelmed by the most recent gestures that I can't think about them/the group without crying. I should be able to get beyond that within a few days.
A little inspiration can go a long way. It helps the breathing AND the writing.
In addition to the permanent reminder that he should always believe in himself, his choices, and his forward life momentum, he carries small cards with him everywhere, in his car, as bookmarks, in his binder/notebook, in his pocket. They follow the simplicity of his tattoo: Believe.
I find this inspiring, so much so that I was able to temporarily work around my writer's block to produce a short short essay about him for the Fine Line E-Book call for submissions. In just under 100 words, I told the briefest of stories about how he has inspired me.
THEN, I dusted off a long-shelved essay and submitted it to The Kiss anthology. No new writing on this one, but I feel that the publication would be a very good fit for this essay aptly entitled "It Started With a Kiss and Ended in Silence."
THEN some of my writerly friends got fired up about forming a new writing group that includes me. I am so overwhelmed by the most recent gestures that I can't think about them/the group without crying. I should be able to get beyond that within a few days.
A little inspiration can go a long way. It helps the breathing AND the writing.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Two years and seven months later
I received an email rejection for a short essay I wrote about traveling. I submitted the essay in March 2010. More than 2 1/2 years later, the publishers finally decided to let me know they wouldn't be using my story.
Saturday, July 21, 2012
BLOCKED
Ugh!
I have managed to block myself away from writing.
I have some theories as to how and why, but not a lot of luck in working through far enough to really write more than a few sentences.
I haven't even managed to blog.
Ugh!
But technically this is a blog post.
Okay.
Writing.
Not work related writing. Not writing assignments or email to students. Not lesson planning.
Writing.
I'm writing.
Ugh!
I have managed to block myself away from writing.
I have some theories as to how and why, but not a lot of luck in working through far enough to really write more than a few sentences.
I haven't even managed to blog.
Ugh!
But technically this is a blog post.
Okay.
Writing.
Not work related writing. Not writing assignments or email to students. Not lesson planning.
Writing.
I'm writing.
Ugh!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Imaginary Obstacles
All week I have been thinking about a book project I put down a few years ago. I was wondering, yet again, what the best approach to telling this particular story should be. I have recently been in the building where important events of the story took place. I began to write a bit in my head about visiting the site of a murder. I even thought of some new things to write about. Maybe it is time to revisit this concept; the last time I seriously looked at it was back when I attended the Napa Valley Writer's Conference during the summer of 2010. The story I want to write about is true, but I am afraid that it will hurt the survivors, so someone suggested that I fictionalize it.
It feels like it is time to move the obstacles out of the way. I may not be able to get completely around all of them at this time, but I am feeling as if I need to revisit the idea.
So today I opened the long unused files; thankfully they survived the hard drive crash from last Fall because I back up pretty regularly. I opened the most recent version of the book proposal and found quite a bit of information I had forgotten.
I knew that I had done some writing. I knew that I had done a decent amount of research, but I had not yet made my way to the county courthouse where presumably there sits a treasure trove of vital information. I was thinking that it is time to figure out how to map out the story so that I can move forward with the project.
What I found was summaries of 15 chapters!!! I have already done so much work on this project! Zounds! I have already organized the story and built the table of contents.
I think I have found my summer project. I am teaching in the middle of the day M-Th this summer, but it is only one class and I will have time to breath, maybe even time to research and write. Whooppeee!
When I really examine the obstacles in my way, realize that they are mostly imaginary. Nothing is so large that I can't write my way around it. This could be a really good summer.
It feels like it is time to move the obstacles out of the way. I may not be able to get completely around all of them at this time, but I am feeling as if I need to revisit the idea.
So today I opened the long unused files; thankfully they survived the hard drive crash from last Fall because I back up pretty regularly. I opened the most recent version of the book proposal and found quite a bit of information I had forgotten.
I knew that I had done some writing. I knew that I had done a decent amount of research, but I had not yet made my way to the county courthouse where presumably there sits a treasure trove of vital information. I was thinking that it is time to figure out how to map out the story so that I can move forward with the project.
What I found was summaries of 15 chapters!!! I have already done so much work on this project! Zounds! I have already organized the story and built the table of contents.
I think I have found my summer project. I am teaching in the middle of the day M-Th this summer, but it is only one class and I will have time to breath, maybe even time to research and write. Whooppeee!
When I really examine the obstacles in my way, realize that they are mostly imaginary. Nothing is so large that I can't write my way around it. This could be a really good summer.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Oh, never mind
"Scent Memories" is not actually going to be published right now. The lit journal that accepted it has gone on an extended hiatus. Blah. Back to the submission board.
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