Here’s the metaphor: Rebecca Rasmussen, who got an MFA from Penn State’s creative writing program, just released her first novel, on April 11, called The Bird Sisters. From the moment I heard about her background as a published Penn State alumna, I decided to use this blog post of mine to explore further parallels between her and many other aspiring Penn State writers. It’s a real up-by-the-boot-straps kind of tale.
But first I want to take a moment to recognize how cool it is that Rebecca still feels so much attachment to Penn State when it was while doing coursework for her second MFA at the University of Massachusetts that she did the real writing of her novel which eventually became The Bird Sisters. Before she began her reading at Foster Auditorium, Rebecca acknowledged the recent cutbacks in Penn State’s English department and volunteered herself as a resource in any way possible. She stressed how great her experience with the program was and as an English major myself I couldn’t help but feel the same pride in Penn State English studies. Nothing could have set my Penn State pride going more.
And while we’re on the topic of cool, can we also spend a moment getting excited by the fact that our very own alumna has a Wikipedia page in her name? You know you’ve arrived when you’ve hit the Wikipedia scene. She joins the ranks of fellow Penn State faculty writers Robin Becker (a frequent feature on the Liberal Arts Blog) and James Brasfield who have similarly been making a name for Penn State.
When Rebecca began her reading, she let the audience know that this Penn State stop was her very first one, not only on her book tour for The Bird Sisters, but also in her career as a writer. In her novel The Bird Sisters, there are really two narratives at work: one of two sisters Milly and Twiss as old women, and one of Milly and Twiss as younger women in the summer of 1947. Rebecca read an excerpt of each to give us a sense of how this one summer in and out of the Wisconsin town fostered a pivotal change in the lives of these two women. From the younger years, Rebecca created a hilarious priest that would rather be off in Mexico with a Margarita than moderating a cycle of peace be with yous. If you want to see for yourself, you can check out a preview of the book online.
After her reading, Rebecca sent shout-outs to other Penn State faculty. Professor Toby Thompson, who I had last semester for a class on Gonzo journalism, was Rebecca’s professor for biography writing. As a man who writes by the skin of his generation, he asked her about the challenges of writing about a generation that was not her own in the 1947 part of her story. She stated simply that she made it up; that was one of the benefits of writing about a rural town that was largely untouched by the war. She used her hometown experience in the rolling hills of Wisconsin as a model.
But the more interesting part of her response was when she referenced her class time with Professor Thompson, who is a successful Rolling Stone reporter and Bob Dylan biographer. She said she didn’t think she could hack it in his class anymore where accuracy of detail was a must. Rebecca also had her fair share of memories and banters with Professor Bill Cobb, or William J. Cobb if you’re looking at his own published novels.
“I was trying to forget about that,” Rebecca said, laughing, in reaction to something from their class time together that Professor Cobb brought up.
It’s thrilling to think that current Penn State professors, who are still teaching students now, had a memorable impact on a recently published writer. And it’s thrilling to think of how many Penn Staters have truly made it in writing. During the question and answer portion of her reading, Rebecca made herself vulnerable for the hope of aspiring writers. She talked about the dark days of trying to get her novel published: the query letters, the rejected manuscripts, the yearlong adventure in crying and the painstaking revisions. She stressed that being a writer isn’t easy, much less being a published writer, but that despite all the hardships you can find people who will support you. It is in building your own support group and working closely with them that a young writer can work towards success. And, Rebecca said, make sure to celebrate the small stuff. When she graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a draft of The Bird Sisters as her thesis, her husband had it bound and covered for her as a gift. They drank champagne and toasted to that accomplishment. The process is only worthwhile in the light of these little celebrations.