Poet and author Teresa Svoboda dropped in on different classes to talk with students during her four-day visit last week. On her first day, Monday, Feb. 20, she held a presentation in addition to her classroom discussions at 7:30 p.m. in Wygal Auditorium.
“I’m really a poet, I’m in love with words,” said Svoboda during the presentation.
In the introduction class of fiction writing, taught by associate professor in creative writing Dr. Steven Faulkner, Faulkner said she shared short excerpts from two of her new stories - one short story, one novel. He said she demonstrated the different approaches toward introducing conflict and characters into a story.
“I was glad Terese Svoboda stressed the need for revision. She even called it fun to revise, which I agree with,” said Faulkner. “I hope students will take that away from her visit, along with the possibility as a writer to branch out into new genres as she has done.”
During her presentation, she shared a variety of works with the audience, like novels, books of poetry, a memoir and short stories. In some cases, she detailed her inspiration for some of the pieces.
“I’ve always admired her writing, even when I didn’t fully understand it. She’s very direct, emotion-wise, and lately she’s begun playing with language almost like a musician,” said Dr. Craig Challender, professor of modern American literature.
Svoboda asked students for the difference between life and art, smiling as she listened to the different answers from each student. Some had a similar theme, revolving around art as a reflection or expression of emotion from an individual’s perception of a situation or society.
“Art has consequences,” said Svoboda.
She explained the importance of writing fearlessly, saying she believed anyone can write, but not everyone has the perseverance to stay with it. While pointing to her forehead just below the hairline, she told the audience how her mentor emphasized that she always had a story in her.
“Just need to tip your head forward and let the words write themselves,” Svoboda said.
During the question and answer period of each presentation, stories were told by both audience and author, some were already inked stories while others were life experiences. Students would ask for advice on their writing and how to make it better. Svoboda replied by telling students that they should love their first draft, that each word was their own and that in itself was significant. Admitting that she herself was “always madly in love” with her fresh first drafts or words just written on a page.
“I also like how she writes in so many different genres, and how she sometimes mixes them together—e.g., the ‘little play’ in the middle of her recent memoir,” said Challender.
Svoboda, who was ready to answer questions, said writing is entertaining for her. She said she didn’t know what she was thinking about until she started writing. She encouraged the audience to start writing without an idea, explaining that the hardest stories to write are ones a person already has an idea for. Nevertheless, she said each writer needed to do research when appropriate and understand their own feelings toward any situation chosen as a subject for their pieces.
“I thought that she talked in a very energetic way,” said senior and economics major Brett Chandler. “She also got very personal in her stories and connected them with her own life.”
The next author brought in by the Longwood Author Series will be novelist and short story writer, Danzy Senna, on March 30. She is the winner of this year’s Dos Passos Award for Literature, one of the biggest Literary Awards presented by the university.
Poet Terese Svoboda read parts of her biography and poems to students and faultily Mon. night Feb. 20.
Poet Terese Svoboda read parts of her biography and poems to students and faultily Mon. night Feb. 20.
