MFA Thesis Reading

Regrettably, the only part of the MFA Thesis Reading that I understood with complete clarity was the introductory greeting by Steve Tomasula. The acoustics of the LaFortune Ballroom did not lend themselves well to the reading, so it was extremely difficult to paste together the excerpts of each reader’s thesis and come away with any understanding of the narrative. Furthermore, the voices of the readers ranged from thick monotone to nasal exuberance, which didn’t help the problem. Add this to the fact that Brian and I had taken our rightful seats in the absolute last row of the ballroom, and you have a perfect storm of auditory hurdles that I was unable to clear with the sort of mastery that would allow me to thoughtfully comment on the content of each graduate’s thesis.
But that said, I would still like to offer some of my thoughts on the atmosphere at the reading and the way it contributed to my overall view of the MFA program at Notre Dame. My background is one without much exposure to higher education; both of my parents were the only ones in their families to go to college and they both attended very ordinary colleges in Iowa. Neither received graduate degrees. So when I was college-shopping, I had very little exposure to the American University system in general. I consider this a relevant component of what makes up my view of the MFA program because it shows that I had very little concept of what different degrees meant, let alone what an academic community looked/felt/functioned like.
Fast-forward to this past Friday night, where the only two men I saw read were wearing long flowing orange hair, tight jeans and a blazer, and black shoes, seersucker pants, a V-neck t shirt, arm tattoos, chest tattoos, a shaved head and a beard that would make even make an NHL player turn his head in disgust. I always find it interesting that extremely smart people seem to dress (at least) a little bit outside of the norm. I always wonder whether it’s because they want to be noticed as different, if they simply think it looks better or if they are trying to make a statement that people like me can’t understand.
I felt an almost tangible separation between the intellectuals at the reading and me. It was almost hard to describe but it was definitely humbling. The reading that I understood best was by Tasha Matsumoto, and it was about moving to South Bend. I couldn’t help but wonder how northern Indiana fosters an academic community of intellectuals. Having been from Boston, I can personally attest to the fact that the famous “Do you like apples?” scene from Good Will Hunting paints a pretty fair portrait of Crimson nightlife. I wonder how these people feel about their years in South Bend, how they view people like me and whether or not they resent Notre Dame’s whiteness, economic prosperity, homogeneity and tendency to promote the stereotypical “All-American” as the ideal.
The truth is, I found each of the writers extremely likable, and I believe that they would be very nice if ever approached by an undergraduate. I got the sense that they were very happy people and that they would probably love a chance to talk about their experiences in college, in grad school and the ideas behind their stories. I also was genuinely impressed and intrigued by the different styles each of them employed to introduce each other. I found their words to be overwhelming sincere, although extremely brief. It was one of those rare moments in life where you witness another person’s special moment and are left wondering whether or not it was as special as you perceived it to be and what moments had to occur over the last several months in order for something as meaningless as an introduction to take on a higher meaning. But again, maybe I am grossly over thinking that.
I am probably creating an unnecessary barrier between myself and “them”, but I am still wrapping my mind around the fact that each applicant was selected as one out of 200. Most people live and die without ever beating odds like that. Add that to the fact that (from what I could understand), I really couldn’t discern what was so special about their writing. That isn’t meant to be insulting. Clearly they spoke with a confidence that most of our class wasn’t capable of; but much the writing that I heard seemed like something that certain students in our class were capable of writing. I can only imagine that most of what they were trying to say went straight over my head.
I also would love to know what exactly the writers are in grad school for, what their goals are. I can’t think of a profession with higher highs and lower lows than creative writing. On one hand, you could end up broke and poor with a useless degree, entering the job market the better part of a decade later than your undergraduate peers. On the other, you could be in world’s highest income bracket, working from home on your own schedule, contributing something permanent to society. I wonder what these writer’s goals are, and what the main thing each of them trying to say is. I also wonder if any of them are planning on teaching; I see that as sort of the in-between of the above two scenarios, given the fact that they enjoy mild literary success.
There’s really no salient point to this blog entry; I guess it’s more of a series of observations into something that I know very little about and feel very detached/slightly intimidated by. In any case, I enjoyed my time at the reading and have spent a lot of time since thinking about the atmosphere of the LaFun ballroom and the untold stories of those who filled it.