Thanks To All
[As most of you probably know, I graduated from Goddard College yesterday. I am now, officially, a Master of the Fine Art of Creative Writing. During the ceremony, Goddard allows each graduate to give a brief speech that says whatever the graduate wants. The following is what I said. Oh, and there's a tradition at Goddard to give presents to your advisors, and to buy a book for the Goddard library. I combined the traditions and bought books for my advisors too.]
First, for my first advisor, Kyle Bass, I have The Meme Machine, by Susan Blackmore. Everyone always says how Goddard is an uncanny place where the energy is as real as the sunshine, and where connections are made for a reason. I hope this book will serve as a reminder of how much connecting with you meant to me. You taught me to write like a man.
Next, for my second advisor, Rebecca Brown, I have The Narrative of Ethan Allen, written by Ethan Allen. I hope it’ll remind you of our little adventure through the Green Mountains of my mind. The motto of Vermont is Freedom and Unity. That motto couldn’t be more accurate for our friendship. In your letters, you always seemed united in my vision, but you also gave me the freedom to take that vision in the weirdest directions. I am so thankful for having had the opportunity to work with you. You taught me to write like myself.
I also want to thank my second reader, John McManus. John, your first letter kicked my ass. But after four weeks of sitting on your criticisms, I realized just how constructive they were. Thank you for helping make my book better than it was. In one of your letters, you mentioned that you’d never read Lao Tzu, so for you, I have an illustrated copy of the Tao Te Ching.
The next book I have is for the Goddard writing community. It is The Gutenberg Elegies, by Sven Birkets. You’ll hear from a lot of quarters how books are on the way out. From the Amazon Kindle, to Netflix, to good old boob-tube, there are more and more ways for people to not snuggle up on the corner of the couch with a glass of red wine and wonderful book. But in The Gutenberg Elegies, you’ll find why craftspeople like us will always find an audience who is eager to crack open our covers and dog-ear our pages. When you get downhearted about the fate of your chosen profession, I recommend picking up this delightful book.
All right, some quick thanks to the Goddard-ites who helped me get through all this. First to Dana, who has read more drafts of my book than I think even my advisors did. Then to the rest of the Frollicking Froleichers: Mike, Bev, MJ, Midge, Chad, and Maria. I also want to thank Mike, Anthony, Alphonso, Donna, Will, Seven, Seren, YoungJames, and all the rest of you, including the faculty, whose readings and conversations make Goddard the unique experience that it is.
And of course, I’d like to thank my mom and dad, who’ve never given me anything but their full-throated support, and my brothers and friends from back home, both in Poultney and in Swampscott, who’ve always pushed me to take my writing further, further, and further again. And to my in-laws, who made the drive out from Chicago to be here today, and to the in-laws who couldn’t make it out but who I know are here anyway.
And lastly, I want to thank the woman who gave me what is, hands-down, the best sentence in my entire book — “His mud-caked feet make the earth look new.” — my incredibly talented, beautiful, smart, and funny wife, Dawn. While I may be a Master of Creative Writing, I can’t even begin to write the gratitude that is in my heart. You have every idea and you have no idea how much you mean to me. Without you, I simply cease to be. Always already. I love you.