Senior Showcase: Taryn Imwalle

Taryn Imwalle joined the guild as a transfer student from Xavier, finishing the final two years of her undergraduate career at the University of Cincinnati. During her time at UC she became a noticeable presence in the guild's weekly meetings and monthly workshops. Her work invoked a human situation that her audience could appreciate--especially empathize with for its relative contexts on struggle and problem-solving. In her second year with the guild (2013-14) Taryn was elected vice president by her peers, continuing the stewardship of the budding organization. She moved from being just a general member to a helpful teacher during the weekly meetings, offering a voice of reason and constructive criticism that young writers strive to move towards. These values reflected in her scholarship, and ultimately in the short pieces she submitted to workshop which branched from experience into a realm of fiction--the enlightening imagination Phillip Sidney spoke of--where writing comes alive. Through leadership and academic presence, Taryn exemplified the professional form our organization strives for: to promulgate the writing and reading skills of our membership in and out of the classroom. She graduated this spring (2014) majoring in Literary and Cultural Studies; also, she received a supplementary certificate in Creative Writing: Fiction. We wish her good fortune in her future endeavors in literature and in life. 

As the second member of our three graduating seniors, I asked the same questions about Taryn's experiences and growth as a writer enrolled at UC--as well as within the guild:

The UC Writer’s Guild is not just a community of undergraduate writers; it is also a community of friendship, support, learning, and acceptance.  To me, it is – in a way – home. Two years ago I transferred to the University of Cincinnati from Xavier. As a commuter student at XU, I found it extremely difficult to make friends and unfortunately there was an absence of anything like a writers’ group or English major oriented club. I had friends, but few who could relate to me on a creative level. I found my experience there rather isolating and a bit depressing, as neither my parents, my coworkers, nor my friends had the time, patience, or the objective eye to examine any work I produced. Luckily, Ree (the Guild’s former Vice President and real life super woman) happened to be in my Introduction to Shakespeare class in my very first semester at UC as a third year student. She passed out a sign-up sheet and I am very serious when I say I was never the same. Instantly, I was submerged into the nurturing family that is the Writer’s Guild. For the first time, my peers were objectively criticizing my drafted stories. They were not demeaning or pretentious. In fact, they (general members and board members alike) were quite humble and taught me a lot about the craft that I might not have picked up on in a class room setting. For the first time, I was bonding with people who had the same aspirations and dreams, the same hopes and fears, the same attitude about writing and using a voice to engender change in the world at large. I could not be more thankful for the support they offered both with my writing and my personal life that was oftentimes stressful and emotionally draining.

As I know all too well, life has a habit of getting in the way of creation. But it is an artist’s responsibility to keep working, to keep on trying to uncover and reveal the “human condition,” and to connect with others on a tangible, universal level. Expression is one of the most important things we do, as human beings. Representing the world (all of its triumphs and downfalls, those moments of bliss and pain, the beauty and ugliness of living, the tragedies and comedies of an imperfect society) honestly and with a desire to spin a narrative of some version of truth is a gift that should not be wasted. It is a talent and a drive that must not be discouraged. It must be cultivated. It must be shaped. It must be engineered into something that has the language and the entertainment quality to actually affect an audience. And maybe, with a lot of practice and a little luck, it will have the power to inspire empathy and change. Because, if we as writers cannot achieve solidarity, why is it that we write? Why is it that we have something to say at all? So much that we must think up an entire fictitious narrative about the thing we really want to examine? I think of writers like Margaret Atwood with her novel The Handmaid’s Tale. I think of Alice Walker’s The Color Purple or Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. These novels have a political message, as well as a message of empathy and love. But there are also stories like The Road by Cormac McCarthy or Wizard and Glass by Stephen King. These are not so much warnings embedded in narratives but tales about love and sacrifice – whether that be the relationship between a boy and his father in a post-apocalyptic world or the doomed love affair of two young teenagers in a world that is “moving on.”

Whichever story you choose to write, you must write it with a purpose. Whether you want to rage against societal power structures or portray the love and tensions in a dysfunctional family, you should be writing to achieve some end. Someone, somewhere, is reading your work for a reason. They want to be satisfied when their eyes roam over the last words on the page. They want to be moved. And sometimes, they want to be shaken. One thing I have learned, both from experience and from the Guild, is to be bold as a writer. Rock the boat. Shake things up. Be dauntless. Say what you mean, and mean what you say (to borrow from the ineffable Dr. Seuss). With a community of writers at your back, you’ll find that this will become less and less frightening as time goes on. You’ll grow more confident in your ability and you’ll know what needs to be written.

Finally, don’t write for money or fame. Chances are, you will have neither, because that is the nature of the beast. Do it for yourself and for the ones you love. Do it for your neighbor. Do it because it keeps you sane. But most of all, do it because it brings you joy. To hold that finished draft in your hands, like a newborn baby – I can confirm that there is perhaps no greater feeling in the world. And you know it might never amount to anything, just like your future descendants, but in that moment… it has all the potential in the world.

Thank you for the memories. Thank you for your everlasting support and your keen eyes. I am truly a better writer for all that you have given to me. Keep writing and stay in touch. Much love.

-Taryn 

Writer's Guild Senior Showcase: Benjamin Truax

Benjamin Truax served the Writer's Guild at the University of Cincinnati as its acting president for two academic years (2012-13, 2013-14) with a tenure marked by expansion and redefinition. Ben's work with Short Vine, UC's undergraduate literary magazine, helped him to become a consummate editor of prose and fiction--some poetry as well--which directly translated to the group's activity, specifically the monthly workshops where copy-editing and writing conventions are stressed for members' revisions. His demeanor was welcoming as a president, but most will remember his dedication to the group, undaunted scholarship (a triple major: Philosophy, Creative Writing: Fiction Track, and Literary Cultural Studies) and companionship within the Writer's Guild. We all wish him well in his future endeavors in life and in literature.

As incoming secretary, I asked our departing senior class about their writing and educational experiences at UC, and within the guild, that have contributed to their growth as writers. In a broad sense too, I also wished to learn more about their maturation and philosophy on writing:

What has the club done for your writing? What has improved/matured during your time at UC and within the club? What is your idea/philosophy about your writing--explain in any terms or association that is natural to your process?

I say that in my years as a creative writing student I have become jaded. In the life of any artist, there is, I think, ample reasons to be so: the keys to the kingdom are guarded by people with interests most likely contrary to my own, my vision will be marked up and critiqued and I will be dogged by people who want me to fit in a tidy box, and most of all the churning vat of alternative forms of entertainment will severely limit my reach, if I ever manage to have one at all. What is a writer to do? Many take to writing purely for other writers as an exercise in masturbatory ego-stroking, others write in form and pander to the middle age women or men who only read one type of thing for the rest of their lives. I’m not going to lie, it is a tough world for an artist, and it’s just going to get tougher.

I wish I had the answer. I wish it was as easy as writing “show don’t tell” in sassy red ink as if those words tell me how to do it, instead of having to figure it out on my own. But here are some things I do know, and I share them now to supplement all we have worked on together over the years; things I maybe just didn’t have the words for in our meetings, or thoughts that are still half formed, or half remembered. One, each and every one of us has a unique view of the world. We have stories to tell. They threaten to burst forth and we only need to find the right words. Inundate yourself with words, fat words, skinny words, big words and all kinds of words because first and foremost, it is your job to make your reader see what you see and feel how you feel. Two, remember that people are different. The range of human emotions and motivations is vast and varied in and of itself, but even that shouldn’t impose a limit. The imagination is not something people are simply born with; it can be strengthened. It only takes a bit of practice. Learn to have empathy and see things from other angles and other perspectives unlike your own. That will give you fodder for any situation. Three, let your work speak for you. Do not compromise yourself or your vision to jive in harmony. Don’t be afraid to be discordant. Don’t forget that if it came from you it is an extension of you. Be flexible and creative and adapt when necessary, but never let them change your essence or the essence of your masterpieces.

My friends it has been a pleasure. We fortify each other knowing that we are in this together. Don’t hesitate to keep in touch.

Ben Truax

(The Proper)