In my last post, I introduced some of the people I met during the “limbo” year. There’s a few more. These people will definitely show up in future entries. All names have been fictionalized.
Dramatis Personae (Continued)
Natalie was only in the program for one year. She was strong and assertive and very charismatic. I could picture her doing these writing workshops on her own with the participants believing they could appropriate whatever talent she has. She was extremely disappointed with the University’s MFA program and decided to drop out after the term was over. When I told her I got accepted into the program, she cynically told me, “Good Luck.” I did not know how to take it. I would have plenty of time before her reaction made sense to me.
Andrew was a quiet one. He sat in the corner during the Form and Theory class and never said a thing. He was also very handsome, but stood with a slouch. He could be witty at times, but this hid the emotionally intense side of him. I would learn more about this during the following fall semester. He often wrote extremely brief stories with spare prose. Nothing would ever be longer than three pages, and I’ve often wondered how he would ever get a book done. Joe one time mentioned that Andrew rarely read and was surprised when he showed Andrew a book and he assumed it was a gift. Andrew was very geeky. He was very good at using computer technology (which made him useful to Joe), but he also knew as much about Star Trek as I did (and I know a lot). He could not get a girl to date him, despite his good looks. However, he had a steady girlfriend who was extremely dry and conservative.
Gillian wrote stories about hipsters, glitz, and glamour. I think that’s why we hit it off. She was a prolific blogger (before the term came out) and she almost posted every day on Live Journal. She was definitely an online diva with the readership to prove it. Unlike most online personalities, Gillian was outgoing, but subject to mood swings. She often was honest about what she felt in real life or on her blog. Like me, Gillian was attempting to transition from an undergraduate English career to a graduate writing career. She was also cultivating a writerly relationship with Joe and she even got her husband to meet him. She definitely kept me sane during the Joe’s spring semester writing workshop.
More posts to come. To be continued…
