My Time at the Iowa Writers' Workshop + 3 book reviews
Since the internet is terrifying, I withheld the location of my previously mentioned writing adventure, and I'm so excited now to share that I was accepted to (and attended) the first summer session at the Iowa Writers' Workshop in Iowa City.
First, let me say that I'm not just a reading addict and writer, I'm a total nerd about both of those things. I love all the details around the universe of books, and few places have reached the status of mythical proportions as the Iowa Writers' Workshop (which I'll now refer to as, 'The Workshop').
The Workshop presented the first opportunity to obtain a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in creative fiction and poetry in the United States. Alumni include mind-boggling giants of the literary world like Raymond Carver and Flannery O'Conner. John Irving and Paul Harding and T.C. Boyle. Abraham Verghese, Daniel Alarcón, and Ann Patchett. And famous faculty? Kurt Vonnegut, Philip Roth, and Fred Cheever. People apply from all over the world, and the full-time program accepts around 2%-3% of applicants, give or take, each year; a lower yield than Harvard and even other creative programs, like Juilliard.
I only applied to their highly-competitive summer program because I was applying to other programs anyway and there was no application fee. I'm not kidding. I have a tracking spreadsheet showing all the places I was planning to apply to for the summer, and next to the Workshop entry I wrote "lol". Sans application fee, I figured I might as well manifest my goals into the universe. Maybe get on a list of one of the many people who apply multiple times before they get in (the Workshop encourages multiple application rounds!). I think if I had to pay $30 I wouldn't have done it. Well thank goodness the Workshop isn't short on funds, I guess.
So there I am one day, working away, when an email comes in. I read it twice before it sinks in. I'd been accepted to the Workshop with alumna Afabawje Kurian, author of the Before the Mango Ripens, which was a finalist for the Aspen Words Literary Prize award (along with writers like Perceval Everett and Tommy Orange...). I honestly just blinked at the email in complete shock for a good minute. I figured it was an administrative error so of course I accepted RIGHT AWAY. Maybe they couldn't take it back if I already said yes, you know?
But nope, not an accident, I guess, I got in. Wow. I honestly still can't believe it.
I'm not just here to throw a parade for myself, I have a point. It's to tell you something I learned (fortunately) the EASY way: APPLY 👏 TO 👏 THE 👏 THING
Folks, I've yet to see a single word of my creative writing published. The second draft of my novel will be heavily rewritten after the Workshop feedback and beta reading. I am not the person who gets into illustrious academic programs, in fact I went to middling institutions my entire life. I am not some obvious choice for a program that spawned the writings of Ann Patchett and Abraham Verghese.
And there were a million excuses not to apply:
- I won't get in anyway.
- Everyone will be too far ahead of me, I'll look stupid.
- I have two kids! I can't leave them for 2.5 weeks!
- I'm too old. Everyone will be young and cool.
- I need to have some publications under my belt first.
Trust when I say the excuses only got more self-deprecating and dark from there.
But none of that was true. While my cohort was brilliant, and my teacher even more so, I did belong. Why? Because I was there. And you belong too.
The Workshop selected people with a wide range of experience, and also of writing styles and genres. In my cohort, we had a: ghost story, romance, high fantasy, bildungsroman literary fiction, and, of course, my psychological thriller obvs. Some wrote short stories, some wrote novels. I would say less than half of my cohort was writing realistic literary fiction, something that the Workshop is famous for turning out Pulitzer Prize winners for.
You write science fiction? You should still apply. Never been published? You should still apply. NEVER TAKEN A WRITING WORKSHOP? You should still apply. For a handful of my cohort members, this was their first taste of the experience and they were brilliant in there.
I'll definitely be writing more about what I learned at the Workshop in future editions (and also a review of Afa's Before the Mango Ripens, which is next on my TBR, but based on her reading I attended, I can tell it'll be amazing), but for now I want today's edition of HAVING WRITTEN to carry one message and one message only.
Book Reviews!
When The Wolf Comes Home, by Nat Cassidy
Rating: 4/5
Genre: Horror
Vibes: Lots of squick on a road trip
Super Short Synopsis: A struggling actress works at a diner over the night shift, where she encounters LA's finest residents. She gets home one day and finds a kid in the bushes outside her apartment, who is very afraid of something, and then sees a naked man, who turns into something of a wolf or a monster in between. The girl takes the kid and tries to protect him. Lots of people get brutally slaughtered. Shenanigans ensue.
Review: When I read Nat Cassidy's Mary (see this post for my review) I became convinced that I'll read anything by the guy. I haven't been able to start Nestlings yet because it's about like evil babies or something (I think), which freaks even me out, but Cassidy's latest novel sounded right up my alley. And it was. A total gory, blood-soaked romp. There is real tension and conflict, the plot moves at a record pace, the scenes can be terrifying and very eerie. A warning which should be evident by now: if you can't handle gore, this is not for you. But if you like a supernatural-ish kind of creature slasher, hit this one as soon as it comes off your Libby hold list.
Strange Pictures, by Uketsu
Rating: 3/5
Genre: Mystery
Vibes: Thriller vibes, lots to puzzle over
Super Short Synopsis: This book is sort of like if Sherlock Holmes told you what was happening as he figured out, instead of doing a big reveal at the end. You're essentially in the detective's head as they go. There are indeed pictures and they are indeed strange, as you, along with a few protagonists, puzzle over what said pictures could possibly mean.
Review: This didn't change my life or anything, but I did read it very quickly, and I was encouraged to keep reading as more strange pictures were in fact revealed. Apparently Uketsu is the anonymous identity of some guy who people follow online. They create and shares puzzles, in pieces, so followers can solve their mysteries. We have this now in book form. The writing, as usual for Japanese authors, is very clear and direct. We have some expository dialogue, but I find this is common in Japanese fiction, and also screenwriting, so it doesn't really bother me (and, also, it's done well). Suffice it to say, you'll want to solve the mystery too.
The Secret History of the Rape Kit: A True Crime Story, by Pagan Kennedy
Rating: 4/5
Genre: Nonfiction
Vibes: True crime that'll piss you off
Super Short Synopsis: From the jump, we learn that the creator of the rape kit in the 1970s was actually a woman, not the man everyone once thought (because of course it was). We learn about the fight Marty Goddard took on to protect the evidence that left assaulted girls and women without recourse for justice, and how police responded to it (hint: not well). This is not a spoiler. You learn this in the opening pages. And fun fact: it was 2005 before all states were required to offer rape kits to victims without then charging the victim's for the collection and processing (🤯).
Review: You know how sometimes you want to know specific information, but then you're forced to bear the pain of knowing that information? Yeah this is one of the examples. Getting police departments and hospitals to do this procedure as a matter of course should not have been so hard. It should not have happened this way. But also, thank God for Marty Goddard. Still, rape kits aren't all they're cracked up to be. While the exams are the only reliable means to collect evidence that will stand up in most courts, they're incredibly intrusive and can take 4-to-6 hours. One need only read Chanel Miller's story in Know My Name to see what she endured. Not only during the exam, but as the evidence is plastered all over the big screen of a court room where the public is allowed to watch.
Clare Danes reads the audiobook, and she is, obviously, extremely talented with a beautiful voice. I really don't want to spoil anything for you, if you choose to read it. And I do think you should read it. But it's one of those that will leave you with simmering coals of rage sitting in your gut. But then again, you can use it to fuel for fire for ultimate justice! (I guess that's the silver lining anyway). I gave this 4 stars because I need creative nonfiction to punch my lights out to get a 5. This was more journalistic, and super interesting, but didn't leave me weeping like some of them do.
Thanks for reading up to this point, I hope I encouraged you to go after some crazy pipe dream you never thought you'd tackle. Or at least to read one of these books. Or at least to like this post, and then maybe also whatever Reel the algorithm wants to suck from me on Instagram (sigh).
Have a great week, and read banned books.
ILYSM,
Charlotte Chambers