One of the more interesting experiences I had outside the classroom at the University of Baltimore was sending a short story I wrote to Welter. Welter is a literary journal produced annually by the students in the School of Communication Design and contains fiction, essays, and poetry. Now let's be clear: I have no literary talent whatsoever. Really. But I try not to let lack of talent get in the way of doing things.
So back in 2002, I wrote a brief (about four page) short story, set up as a series of journal entries, about how I was building a spaceship in my apartment (then in Silver Spring). I don't really recall why I wrote it. But I kept it around for a while. And then I sent it to Welter in the Spring of 2006. And for some reason they printed it. And then at the issue party, Lydia West stepped up to read it (it was kind of a poetry slam, except a short story). She sounded better than I would have reading it.
So, in all its glory, you can read the story online. Enjoy!
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4 comments:
I enjoyed it!
James,
My name is Mike and I came across your blog. I am currently in a Masters program in NY for Urban Policy. I am however thinking about leaving to come to Baltimore for the UB Public Admin Program. I would love to hear your opinion about the program and maybe pick your brain a bit. I can be reached at mstack28@gmail.com.
Thanks
Mike
That story was one of my favorites in the 2006 Welter! It was very quirky and silly without being too tongue-in-cheek absurd. The voice of the narrator came through as very real somehow. Hope you have written more since.
Mike, I will email you shortly.
AlizaEss, thank you. I describe it as my brief (oh, it took an hour or so to write) descent into insanity after being laid off from a, wait for it, satellite communications company. I had never attempted writing fiction before or since.
The funniest thing for me was the parts that were true. It had been a month since I was laid off. And there were 10 more floors above me from the seventh. And the window did face south. In other words, anything not plainly absurd was just reality.
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