By Jordan Wannemacher
On Feb. 19, at the fourth annual Savannah Book Festival, the Free Speech Tent highlighted some of SCAD’s finest.
Four of SCAD’s writing students in the MFA program who were featured in the graduate literary journal “Document” were invited to read their piece from the journal.
Harrison Scott Key, a graduate writing student from Brandon, Miss., read his nonfiction piece “The Fabulous Bestiary of Alton’s Creek.” The self-proclaimed “love letter to [his] father” reflects on his memories of a child growing up in Mississippi when they had “doe day” every year. “Doe day” and hunting in general wasn’t something Key found himself being particularly good at.
When asked about what brought him to write this essay, he said, “I failed my Dad in so many ways, and I know that he would be proud of me for writing this.” Key explained that he was never very good at hunting, sports or fishing as a child, so the story acts as a sort of explanation to his father explaining why he failed.
“All sons fail their fathers miserably,” Key joked, “which is why I have daughters. They will fail their mother miserably.”
Jennifer Dunn, a second year graduate student from Buffalo, N.Y., read her nonfiction essay, “Ink Maps,” reflecting on her history of tattoos and her experiences receiving them.
Dunn explained, “There are stories that writers will tell eventually. For me, it was just the right time to tell that story, last year after I received my fourth tattoo.” Her writing piece describes this adventure.
“I think it’s funny to have stupid tattoos. It makes for a great story, I don’t regret them at all.” Although it is Dunn’s first literary journal publication, she is already a published author with more than 30 clips. Dunn reflected, “As a writer, how could you not want ink under your skin?”
Amy Paige Condon, a graduate student from Fort Worth, Texas read an excerpt from her character profile essay, “St. Francis of Savannah.” The story gives the account of a local man named Bill Peterson who refers to himself as the “pet pastor” and helps locals grieve with the loss of a pet.
“I saw his business card one day, and since Savannah is a dog city, I thought it was a gimmick,” Condon explained. Once she met him and had a theological conversation with Peterson, she realized how serious he was about his practice.
Condon wrote the story when she was asked to write a character profile in her Nonfiction Writing II class. Peterson was the first to come to mind. Amy explained, “I knew I didn’t want to do a famous person.”
Condon is currently in the process of helping to write the cookbook for Savannah’s nationally renowned Back in the Day Bakery.
Austin Floyd, a graduate student from a small-town farm in Horrey County, S.C., read his essay “Truth in Quotations: ‘Truth’ in Creative Nonfiction.” The essay explored the ethical and moral obligation of the nonfiction writer’s use of quotations through Floyd’s own reflection and research.
Floyd explained that he was inspired to write this piece because he “always really liked dialogue in writing.” Floyd admires the literary device as a “powerful” instrument in writing. He’s always felt strongly about writers being fair while representing another person. Quotation marks should truthfully indicate the interviewee’s intention.
While not using direct quotations, it levels the playing field. Floyd adds, though writers may take this route, “A lot of things are up for interpretation.”
All of the essays read by Key, Condon, Dunn and Floyd can be found in SCAD’s literary publication and graduate journal “Document” along with two other essays by other graduate students.
Editor’s note: Amy Paige Condon is not writing the “Back in the Day Bakery” cookbook but helping owners Cheryl and Griffith Day to write it.
