Absolute Gentleman

One of the many perks I receive as a teacher of English at a prep school is professional development funding to take courses to enhance my classroom teaching. Since teaching English is more an extension of my lifestyle than a job, these professional development opportunities provide personal enrichment, too. Last year, I received funding to attend the Juniper Writers Conference at UMASS, a subject I wrote about in earlier entries. Other colleagues of mine have gone on photography expeditions to Ireland, attended the AWP Conference, studied with Robert Pinsky for six months, and taught American History in Korea. It is an extremely demanding job that gives back in droves.

This year I wanted to do something that might give me the momentum I need to finish my novel by the end of 2009, so I asked for money to work with a writing mentor online. I think I researched this possibility after getting something in the mail from my MFA Program in Vermont, and the one I found at the University of Minnesota seems to be the only one with an organized program. I’m probably wrong, but this one did a good job of advertising. I imagine, though, that this sort of program could be another money-generating tool for schools trying to take advantage of post-MFA wanderers like I am.

The way it works: I apply by sending what they call “Groundwork,” which is a ten-page sample of what I’d like to work on, accompanied by a project summary and an author’s autobiography. The Program’s administrators look it over and assign the Groundwork to a mentor. The Program gave me the opportunity to choose my mentor, but I wanted to be assigned a mentor. The best writing teachers I’ve had were ones whose work I didn’t necessarily connect with.

After the Groundwork is evaluated and responded to, the writer and mentor agree on the length of the mentorship. There are three possibilities: a Level I, which consists of a total of three hours of the mentor’s time; Level II entitles you to six hours; and Level III, nine. I chose Level III, obviously, since I wasn’t paying out of my pocket, but also because I’m writing a novel now.

I was sent a login ID and password, which gave me access to the secret vault of the U’s inner sanctum, the place they carefully keep track of minutes logged on my behalf.

My mentor’s name is Wesley Brown:

Wesley Brown is the author of two published novels, Tragic Magic and Darktown Strutters, and a novel in manuscript, Push Comes to Shove. His plays, Boogie Woogie and Booker T., Life During Wartime,A Prophet Among Them, and most recently, The Murderess, have been produced in New York and around the country. He has co-edited two anthologies of multicultural American writing, Imagining America and Visions of America. He holds an MA in creative writing and literature from The City College, CUNY, and since 1979, he has taught creative writing, American literature, and drama at Rutgers University. (from Writers at Rutgers. http://english.rutgers.edu/news_events/war/calendar/0405/wbrown.html)

My first thought is that I’m working with a possible literary disciple of Langston Hughes, a true artist of the word who used syllables like blues notes – sentences like chord progressions – his expressiveness like a master improviser. OK, I’ll stop. I’m looking forward to working with Professor Brown, regardless of his association with Langston Hughes.

We’ll see how this goes. I have four months to accumulate momentum, and you, Professor Brown, have your work cut out for you.