OK, I didn’t get to see Bjork or go to Cochella, but I did get to hear Abbie Berry read some of her work. This was part of an MFA rite of passage–the graduation reading. This one was held at the Hardy Memorial Tower, at the end of the Campanile Mall at San Diego State University. The event was supposed to start at 7pm, but started sometime after 8pm due to some technical difficulties in setting up. I saw some people I knew from my MFA past, and a lot I didn’t know at all. Joanne Meschery, a very popular visiting writing professor, gave the introductions once the event got started.
I’ve known Abbie a couple of years before getting into SDSU’s graduate writing program. Her writing centers around love and desire, definitely a Marguerite Duras influence. Given that comparison, the rhythm of her writing is her own and that was apparent in a very strong version of her story “Topography.” Abbie’s reading, overall, was wonderful.
I’ve never met Kimball Taylor or had any previous exposure to his writing, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. This guy is good, and I enjoyed his Texas Street story immensely. It just sounds too strange to be true.
Tony Shafer delivered a quirky, rambling multi-media presentation with a flair for the dramatic. He was accompanied by a few of his friends, who read various monologues, dictionary definitions, and bits of trivia. One reader was in the audience, while the others read from the balcony in the back of the lecture hall. Tony also used PowerPoint slides to illustrate points in his story. A bit like Kenji Siratori, but there was more story.
Overall, a very enjoyable evening. I’ll be looking out for these three in print in the future.
Tags: creative writing, graduate school, MFA Creative Writing Program, San Diego State University
