Saunders

Leaning In

—story by Emily Dressing

George Saunders has had what Writing Program Chair Eileen Schell calls a “checkered work history,” working jobs as a doorman and in a slaughterhouse. But on October 21 Saunders spoke to an audience about a different part of his experience—his work with nonfiction. Saunders’ appearance was part of the Nonfiction Reading Series, which features local, national, and international writers of all types of nonfiction: memoir and autobiography, the personal essay, political essays, and historical narrative among others.

First a fiction writer, Saunders explained that he fell in love with fiction and started writing in his early 20’s but found that it took awhile for his work to be published. Since that time, he has authored three collections of short stories: Pastoralia, CivilWarLand in Bad Decline, and In Persuasion Nation. Saunders is also the author of the novella-length illustrated fable, The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil, and the

New York Times bestselling children's book, The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip, illustrated by Lane Smith.

Saunders’ entry into nonfiction occurred when GQ asked him to travel and write about it for the magazine. Though he wasn’t sure about the work, he wanted the “Dad points” that he would earn with his daughter, who was in favor of the idea. The nonfiction excerpts he read were those that initially appeared in the magazine—pieces about visiting Dubai, driving the Mexican border, and spending time in a tent city in Fresno. Some of this work has been collected in Saunders’ book of essays, The Braindead Megaphone, which has received critical acclaim and landed him spots on The Charlie Rose Show, Late Night with David Letterman, and The Colbert Report.

After reading, Saunders responded to questions from the audience, offering details about his appearances on television, his work with editors, and his ideas about both fiction and nonfiction. The full house in attendance listened intently, laughed enthusiastically, and left the reading with an understanding of the challenges and rewards of undertaking nonfiction projects.

When asked what he seeks to bring to the page, Saunders responded that he tries to offer readers a human presence that they can "lean into" when reading, letting readers sense someone there on the other end. Saunders explained that as he has written more and more he has come to believe that this presence is ultimately what is most important in all kinds of writing. "I think there is value in that, whether it is fiction or nonfiction."

Green Tea and Advice

—story by Samantha Paige Stark
Writing Program Intern

Four wide-eyed and curious women, including myself, sat down to dinner with George Saunders at Panda West following his book reading. I had a million questions swirling through my head and a belly rumbling for some rice.

As we began chatting, the questions started flowing. I waited my turn as the eager freshman beat me to the punch, asking questions about his travels and experiences. Finally, it was my turn and I jumped on the break in the conversation to ask Saunders how he ended up becoming a renowned author. He explained how he had always had this passion for fiction and would write all the time, on his own, as a child and young adult. However, when he and his wife met, got married, and had children at seemingly lightning speed, he put his dreams of becoming an author on hold in order to adequately support his family by becoming a professor.

He went on to tell us how he found his way back to writing, and I nearly made green tea come out of his nose when I asked if he made a decent income from writing in the beginning. After a few years, however, Saunders found his niche and started producing best sellers both in fiction and non-fiction. Saunders began to make not only a decent income but started to receive recognition for his work as well. Hearing all of this, I had to ask him to relay some advice to current and incoming writing majors.

George Saunders

The other women at the table, who had politely been eating their Kung Pao and white rice, eagerly leaned forward to catch Saunders' response. Saunders, as if anticipating this question, immediately responded through mouthfuls, “Practice, practice, practice!” Putting down his fork, he seemed to have an important point to make, and I awaited his next move. He began to explain how the writing world is not like acting or singing, that it is fairer and that it’s not about whom you know but rather what you know. He said that if you feel you have a great idea and you believe you can express the idea through words, then you should keep writing and keep submitting your work to publications.

He went on to explain how with enough practice, determination, and will, you will be on your way to being published. I thanked him for his advice in addition to a wonderful evening, and as we all energetically and meticulously picked our fortune cookies, I ended our talk by asking how he felt about the bloggers of today and if he felt that blogging would kill the professional writing world. Saunders smiled and responded with a distinct "no—everyone can write but not everyone can be read.” His almost Mona Lisa smile suggested he did not wish to discuss this matter any further. I respected both his opinion and his swift response and cracked my cookie in the silence. The cookie crumbled and out came the tiny white paper with five powerful, small, words. As my eyes scanned the text I knew it was the perfect way to end a perfect evening: "You have a bright future.” With that I put my trusty pen and paper in my bag, shook Saunders' hand, said goodbye to the others, and exited the restaurant into the pouring rain of Marshall Street.

Samantha Paige Stark '11 is a dual major in Writing and Rhetoric and Sociology. Her public relations internship in the Writing Program is providing her with some real world insights and, occasionally, some Chinese food.