I strolled my way into the lecture hall;
This was not my first match with chemistry.
I made my way down the steps and fall.
Knowing me, this couldn’t have been a mystery.
My eyes were set upon the board.
Could I see from this distance?
The professor walks in, oh Lord!
Knowing him, I will need some persistence.
He welcomes the frightened class as they enter
He seems a bit gruff but I think I can handle
Approaches the board and writes his name in the center
I look at the floor and notice he’s wearing one sandal.
Although appearances may give your first impression,
I would only use them at your highest discretion.
Do you have a PRT horror story? Do you suspect that your professor’s really a werewolf? Does your roommate seem vampiric? Come share your very scary WVU stories tonight (10/4) at the Honors Dorm RFL Apartment.
I’m not going to lie; I was nervous as I walked up to Honors Hall on Tuesday. This being my first Bolton, I didn’t know what to expect. What if no one showed up? What if everyone hated the prompt? What if everyone was just plain mean?
My fears were quickly put aside as I stood in the RFL’s book-lined living room. A girl walked in, holding a notebook to her chest. “I can’t wait to write,” she said. I knew then that everything would be fine.
Six students put their homework aside for an hour and joined us at the dining room table. Eating cake and cookies, we wrote in between bites. The topic: dorm life. The rules: 50 words or less. Flash nonfiction. We discussed the importance of each word in writing, and I reminded them how flash fiction or nonfiction makes the writer pay attention to each word. When dealing with only a few words, each word has to carry its own weight. Frivolous words get thrown out quicker than a bowling ball in a sinking canoe.
The time came to share, and after the first student read, I wondered if they even needed any reminders on writing. They covered it all: roommate admiration, budding romance at an open mic, the enticement of chanting coming through open vents, the description of a flyer on a wall, the wonderment of living alone, the dangerous ground of hair spray in bathrooms amongst girls. Each of them reminded me of something that I forgot to mention in my mini-lecture: the importance of a final line. All of them had one final poignant sentence. Yes, I know, the whole students teaching the teacher something has been done, but at times clichés are true.
I left that night almost skipping out of the dorm. After all, any night that combines writing and cake is a pretty successful night in my book.
Next up: Fiction on October 4th.
Hello!Melissa Atkinson is a second-year poet. Melissa will be working with writers in Summit.
Lisa Beans is from rural Nebraska. She received her Bachelor's of Arts in English at Nebraska Wesleyan University. She is a poet. Some authors she likes are Thomas Hardy, James Wright, Christine Garren and Jeffrey McDaniel. She can knit scarves and only scarves. Lisa will be working with writers in Bennett Tower.
Ben Bishop is a native Kentuckian from a suburb south of Cincinnati called Burlington, and studied English with a creative writing emphasis at Kentucky Wesleyan College, also minored in music. He is a poet of the American confessional stream, but also delves into flash fiction and electronic poetry-- yes, you read that correctly. He loves classic Transcendentalist authors, as well as Christian mystics and scholars (Emerson, Annie Dillard, Thomas Merton) for brain food, and Carver, T. C. Boyle, and Lewis Nordan for gems of fiction. His biggest hobby is easily consumer tech/personal computers; he speaks Linux, Windows, Android, and generally runs a pro bono tech support service for friends and family. Ben will be working with writers in Fieldcrest.
Matt London is a 3rd year MFA student in WVU's poetry program. He has taught English 101 here for 2 years and looks forward to teaching 102 this fall. A graduate of Waynesburg University, Matt's background in writing includes poetry, fiction, and dramatic writings, both electronic and print. Publications in Muse & Stone, past simple, Connotation Press, and Zero Ducats. Matt will be working with writers in Brooke.
Because of divorce Connie Pan has two hometowns: Lahaina, Maui, and Grand Rapids, Michigan. She’s not bitter —it’s just a premeditated explanation because most people ask why she would ever leave Hawaii. She got her Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing at Grand Valley State University. She’s dabbled in all genres but fiction is her love. She adores Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Junot Diaz, Sherman Alexie, Janet Fitch and Kate Braverman. Her name is twenty-four letters long. If she ever gets married, she’d be tempted to hyphenate her name just to make it longer. She likes long names. Connie will be working with writers in Arnold.
Andi Stout hails from Belington, WV, and received her undergraduate degree in English with a minor in Philosophy from WVU. Her focus is poetry, but she writes in creative nonfiction, fiction, and screenplay as well. Andi is a fan of great writers and three of her favorites teach right here at WVU: Jim Harms, Mark Brazaitis, and John Ernest. In an attempt to combat issues related to social anxiety, Andi has dyed her hair purple. Andi will be working with writers in Braxton.
Rebecca Thomas is from Orange County, California (the land of Disney, The OC, and Arrested Development). She received her undergraduate degrees in creative writing and screenwriting. She is a fictioneer who has writerly crushes on Salman Rushdie, Sandra Cisneros, Flannery O'Connor, Carson McCullers, Daniel Handler (and his alter-ego Lemony Snicket), Dave Eggers, Mark Twain, Arthur Miller, and David Sedaris. She was married in Yosemite National Park. The first house she lived in with her husband was a re-purposed 1920s community center and church for the fruit packer community. Rebecca will be working with writers in the Honors Hall.
