The first day, of poets, was met with tragedy, as we learned that Ed Ochester was hospitalized for an aneurism. His replacement was a friend of his from Fresno and he entertained us with his poetry. We all wished Ed Ochester well.
The second day, of memoirists, proved to have no absences. I ran into Gordon Johnson, who showed up early for the event and seemed lost. It was wonderful to chew the fat with that guy. We talked about everything from drinking beer to playing guitar. When he came up to read he treated us not only with some excerpts of his book Fast Cars and Frybread, but he read us some of what he called “memoir poetry.” And after he was done with his section he sat with Susan Straight and became part of the audience, asking the next person questions like the rest of us. It’s a shame that I forgot to get my copies of his book signed.
The third day, of fiction writers, was one I spent the most time in. I brought over books for Alex Espinoza and Chris Abani (Alex’s book, Stillwater Saints, I read on my own time). It was this day that I realized how different writers can be. Alex Espinoza was very inviting, and we got to talk a little about craft while he stood at the podium. Chris Abani, on the other hand, seemed a bit cold to me, though it could be that he can’t tolerate a lowly person such as myself. One person that surprised me was Marisa Silver, who read excerpts from her latest book. What piqued my interest was her talk of her transition from the movie to the literature business. I just wish I knew more about both to ask some decent questions.
I was unable to attend the noir day. However, I did catch the Joyce Carol Oates speech that night. In her speech she said that the most successful writers (of the students that she taught) weren’t necessarily the best writers during their stint at school. Instead, they’re made to recognize their flaws and work toward improving them. This made me realize, again, that writing is a lot of work. It’s only increased my resolve to become a writer.
