Creative Writer Inspires Students

UConn's Creative Writing Program hosted the first part of their new series called "Writers Who Edit, and Editors Who Write" Thursday night. Guest speaker Keith Gessen fit that description perfectly.

The discussion held in the Class of 1947 Room in Homer D. Babbidge Library was filled with students willing to learn about Gessen's life and how he became a writer.

Gessen, a Harvard graduate, has had his works published in the Atlantic Magazine, New York Magazine and The New Yorker, as well as other literary publications. He attended grad school at Syracuse University where he studied creative writing. In 2004 founded a literary magazine, n+1.

"All the Sad Young Literary Men" is the name of Gessen's latest book, to be officially released in April. The author read a passage from his book titled "The Vice President's Daughter." The piece Gessen read started off with the author, as an adult, in New York running into Al Gore and his daughter. Gessen had met the former vice president's daughter when he attended Harvard. Meeting up the young woman reminded him of his college career. The passage soon turns into the retelling of Gessen's young adulthood and college life.

His audience learned about Gessen's time at Harvard, his roommates, his seclusion, the classes he neglected, his social life, etc. The audience laughed many times as Gessen read about his Harvard experiences.

Gessen also read pieces from n+1, the literary magazine that combines politics, literature and culture. An essay he read from the magazine was about how much money a writer needs to live. Another essay Gessen read was a conversation between several people who spoke about regrets they had, if any.

The author explained how creating n+1 was a way to get out there and start something up.

"If you're a writer you just sit at home all day and it gets lonely" said Gessen.

Starting up the magazine got Gessen out of the house. He was able to talk and meet people. He plans to keep the literary magazine (which is a combination of academics and journalism) going for the next six years.

"If you keep a magazine for more than 10 years, then it keeps repeating itself. It'll get lame," the author said.

After reading pieces of his work, Gessen talked about his life after college, and getting his career together. He let it be known that it wasn't easy. Gessen wrote book reviews, when he really wanted to write fiction. The author explained how it was hard to get himself published, and that the writings that include "your deepest thoughts" don't always make it out there.

Julie Trzaski, a sixth-semester English major who has a concentration in creative writing came to the event so she could figure out the next step after college.

"I'm trying to figure out what else I can do besides teach," said Trzaski who found the discussions with Gessen to be interesting and beneficial. She realized that he had done it all.

Creative writing professor Ellen Litman introduced Gessen to his audience. Litman met Gessen in graduate school, and when she needed a writer/editor to talk to students for the spring installment of the Creative Writing Program series, she picked Gessen. Gessen is young and a magazine editor, so Litman believed students who are writing and editing for UConn's Long River Review magazine could learn something from Gessen.

"It's rare for a group of young people to come together and take a risk," said Litman, referring to Gessen and his co-workers who started up n+1. "It's interesting for students to see someone who did take a risk."

Contact Kim Primicerio at Kimberly.Primicerio@UConn.edu.