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kicked out of high school and had to go to this alternative
school and ended up picking up Mario Puzo’s The Godfather
and his other novel, The Last Don that I started formulating
these intricate stories and I was like, “Wow, I can write.”
But it still didn’t dawn on me that I wanted to be a writer.
It wasn’t until a couple months before I was to graduate,
this lady who was my mentor, Whitney Shinkel, she came to me
and said, “There’s this school that has this writing
program. You should send your application.” I was like,
“Writing program? OK, I’ll do it.” And I ended
up getting my acceptance letter to Columbia. Came here, I had
won a scholarship the same year, for the High School Institute
and was blown away by these other kids’ writing. And that’s
when I knew this was what I wanted to do.
JS: You didn’t look at any other schools?
AB: This is the only school I applied to.
JS: Did you know initially that you were
going to become a Fiction Writing major or did you explore
other programs?
AB: My concentration in high school was
graphic design. But when I came here that summer, I was like,
really blown away by the writing. And I started realizing
that writing is something I just wanted. It had been a passion.
So when these other kids blew me away it pushed me to want
to write more and get better. I was like, “This is it.
This is home for me.” And I ended up running into Randy
[Albers].
JS: What did Randy do?
AB: He sat in one of my classes…I
believe it was the summer class and I was reading, and after
I got through reading he was like, “Great read.”
And I was like, “What?” He was like, “The
voice. You can really hear it.” And I was like, “Really?”
And at that time I still didn’t know what voice meant,
but I was [impressed] that someone had actually paid attention
to my writing. The thing I think I loved about Columbia was
that they didn’t try to censor me. When I came here
I [found] this openness where I could say and do what I wanted.
JS: I know your primary writing focus is
comic-related. How did the things you learned in your Fiction
Writing classes feed that? Is there any connection?
AB: Oh, there’s definitely a connection.
I think the first and utmost part is my fiction training made
me realize that story is everything. There has to be a story.
I got into comics when I was sixteen or seventeen. When I
started reading comics and started coming here to write, I
started noticing that I would be reading certain comics and
there was no story there.
JB: Just big beautiful art?
AB: Just big beautiful art. But there was
nothing deep behind it. You’ve got the hero fighting
the villain, or the hero getting away and doing something,
but it was like, what are the ramifications of that? So I
was in and out of comics, because I’ve always been into
suspense thriller, but being at Columbia and being in the
Fiction Writing Department opened my eyes to doing short stories.
And one of the things I think I’ve learned from this
program…every instructor I’ve ever had always
said, “Just write.” But they didn’t say
just write fiction. They were like, “Write everything.”
And so I had this whole idea, I was like, why should I just
want to write novels, when I have so many other different
interests. And comic books was one of my interests. I had
this idea that I had formed back in high school that had been
sitting in the back of my mind. And Mike Sims [adjunct faculty]
had just started publishing One Step Beyond. I saw it and
I was like, “My god I gotta go write!” And I didn’t
know how to write a comic book script and was still trying
to do some research, started reading up on everything. I handed
Mike my first script and he read it and was like, “This
is good. But you’ve got the format wrong.” He
sent me to a couple [web]sites and gave me some samples and
told me about this book called Writers on Comic Book Scriptwriting.
It goes into the process. That was something that really helped
a lot.
Alverne Ball is an alumnus of the Fiction
Writing Department at Columbia College Chicago. He is also
founder of Quality Quill Publishing and Entertainment (http://www.qualityquill.com),
a small press that specializes in the publishing and distribution
of several comic books, including his own series, R-Squared.
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RF: Writing is a tool
that extends to every area of academic life. Everything a
person does involves words, and since the Fiction Writing
Department focuses so much on honing one’s writing skills,
there is a real sense of drive to produce work and accomplish
one’s goals. To many, writing stories is a luxury. Yet
it gives you the opportunity to succeed in other classes,
to push yourself not only as a student, but as a creator in
all facets of life. The Fiction Writing Department teaches
you how to be an individual, and that is a vital tool for
success, in my opinion.
NC:
You also published your first novel, A Woman's Ring,
this year. Was anyone in particular from the Fiction Writing
Department especially helpful with that?
RF: The book would not
have been written without the help of [Fiction Writing Department
professor] Antonia Logue. She pushed me as a writer to find
the truth behind my writing, to create a story that could
last, that I cared about, and that I had to tell. She was
not afraid to tell me when I needed to dig deeper and write
harder. Once I found the story, I wrote it from start to finish
in a relatively short amount of time. Though the idea for
the book had existed for a while, it was not until she worked
with me and helped me see what was strong or weak, that the
words developed into a novel that was of substantial quality.
NC: A Woman's Ring is
about a woman boxer, and in your photo you're dressed in boxing
gear. Do you box?
RF: I've been boxing
for four years. When I moved to Chicago, I had a bit of kickboxing
experience under my belt, but it was mostly from those cheesy
cardio classes and private sessions with greasy trainers who
actually smoked while they trained me. Once here, I joined
Crunch Gym and met Jerome Nealon, a boxing coach, who is truly
one of the best boxers in the world. He has a very unorthodox
style, and I picked the sport up quickly - sparring men and
then competing once I learned the proper technique. Though
the novel is not autobiographical, it was important to me
to include the sport as I know it - a sport that for women
is grossly underappreciated and should be brought to the public
eye.
NC: Which came first,
the idea for the book or your interest in boxing?
RF: Boxing. Though I
came to Chicago to write, I had not even toyed with the notion
of writing about the sport. About a year and a half into boxing,
I began developing headaches. I decided to go to the doctor,
and she suggested I get a CT scan. They told me they would
call me in an hour with the results, and after three hours
had passed, I knew something was wrong. I discovered I had
a mass on my brain - an arachnoid cyst that was on the verge
of rupturing - and the doctor said I could either be sedentary
for the rest of my life, or get it removed. If I suffered
any kind of trauma to the head, it could be fatal. Obviously,
I decided to have it removed. So I had brain surgery, which
the novel also documents, as it is another event I wanted
to share with the world. When someone is faced with such a
serious illness, it sobers you a bit. I thought I would never
box again, that the surgery might leave me permanently damaged.
It was a truly frightening time. Luckily, the operation was
successful, though I now have four titanium plates and sixteen
screws in my head. I'm careful when I box now - nothing is
worth risking your health for. However, when I was in the
healing process after the surgery, I began to write about
my experience with boxing and how it literally saved my life.
If I hadn't developed those headaches and had gotten into
a car accident, I might not be here. So I wanted to write
about it, but in such a way that it was not entirely my experience.
Thus, the reason for a fictional novel.
NC: When did you first
start writing?
RF: I used to write
stories and poetry when I was little and also went to an arts
high school in Nashville, Tennessee, where you had to pick
a major (in order to prepare us for college). I dabbled in
dance and theater, but settled on writing. However, it was
mostly poetry, and I did not truly start writing short stories
until I came to Columbia. It's what I want to do, though.
Write. Be a little old lady with all my novels lined up on
a bookshelf, next to all the classics. That's when I'll know
I've arrived.
NC: What were your earliest
influences?
RF: As a writer, my father
was my earliest influence. He is phenomenal with words - he
has close to thirty spiral notebooks filled with the most
glorious poetry. I knew that to be that natural with words
was a gift. I wanted to be just like him. My family became
my backbone. Everything I've ever done, they have been there,
urging me to try different things and make my own decisions.
They are my greatest influences, in every area of life. Growing
up, I also adored Alice Walker, Dostoyevsky, Nabokov, Harper
Lee, James Joyce, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. I tended to read
the classics, though as a child, I was also a big fan of the
cheesy girl novels, which I will not name for fear of embarrassment.
However, I was always reading. I'd read a book a day, just
to see what these authors were doing. There were so many different
ways of telling a story, I found it fascinating. I always
thought it was the best job a person could have.
NC: Where did you grow-up?
RF: I've lived in Nashville,
Tennessee, my entire life, up until my acceptance to Columbia.
It was a wonderful place to grow up - as I've mentioned, I
am extremely close with my parents and my brother, so it's
a bit hard being away from them. But Chicago has been the
best place to live.
NC: How did you find
Columbia College Chicago, especially the Fiction Writing Department?
RF: My best friend,
Nikki Richards, told me about it. I think she found it on
a website, so we decided to take a trip to Chicago during
an open house and visit. I met Randy Albers and knew this
is where I wanted to be. I'd never been any place like it,
and I felt that this was the kind of college experience I
wanted. I've never regretted it since.
NC: 2004 seems like the
year of Rea: you got married, graduated valedictorian of your
class, and had your first book published. These are no small
accomplishments. How do you find the time?
RF: I've always been
one of those people that need many different things going
on at one time. Of course, I complain a lot, but that's just
in my nature (ha). The marriage was a complete surprise. I
thought I would be fifty and single and was completely happy
about that. However, I met my husband, Jeff, in the boxing
ring. He was one of the very first people I sparred. We were
friends for two years, and then went out on a date. That was
it for me. I simply knew that I would marry him, and it's
the best decision I've ever made. I took the summer off last
year to write my book, and was lucky enough to have someone
want to publish it. Being valedictorian is a complete surprise,
but such a wonderful honor. I must admit things have been
a bit of a whirlwind, but you make time for the things you
love. I am a very passionate and driven person - it doesn't
seem like work at all. However, I probably have more time
than most because I am a big homebody and get a lot of work
done that way. My favorite thing to do is stay in and rent
a movie. I'm a big nerd, but it works for me. I'm extremely
happy with the way things are.
NC: Now that you've accomplished
so much what are your plans after graduation?
RF: In a perfect world,
I would graduate and be able to support myself writing. I've
got some freelance work in the mix, and I want to work on
my second novel. I would love to open my own business as well.
Basically, I'm taking a month off after graduation to decompress,
write and see where my path takes me. I try not to plan too
much - but whatever happens, I will write. I would also like
to go to graduate school for Forensic Psychology at some point
in the future. But for now, I am going to relax, write, enjoy
the summer, and promote my book. We'll see where I go from
there.
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In 2000, she read through
the Fiction Writing Department's award winning Hair Trigger
publication, and also met a few Fiction Writing majors. She
heard good things about the program, took Fiction Writing
I, and enjoyed the class. Now she is a Fiction Writing Minor,
and has completed her third Advanced Fiction Writing class.
Primarily a painter, Ika has found that
various aspects of her Fiction Writing classes and the Story
Workshop© method translate into her artwork, for example,
the use of objects, point of view, and playing with recall/memory.
She adds that the Story Workshop Method merges the nuts and
bolts of writing with a sense of play in such a way that it
taught her how to write well in English. So well, in fact,
that Ika's Instance Collection, written in Chris Maul-Rice's
Prose Forms class, was chosen to be turned into an illustrated
book. Of that experience, she says that it was a very private
story, the only one she's ever written for the sole purpose
of making her feel better, and that she is surprised that
people want to read it. Currently,
Ika is trying to decide where to go for Graduate school.
By Lila Nagarajan
Irena Knezevic came to the United
States from Belgrade in 1999. She got her BA in January, 2004,
and is a writer and artist. |
