Memoirs and Eurotrash
Yesterday the printer called Erin, editor in chief of the Swinging Bridge, and told her that they wouldn’t be able to deliver the paper until Thursday afternoon. So considering that no one will be around anymore by that time thanks to Spring Break, we decided to cancel this issue and take a rain check for a possible graduation edition SB later this semester. I have absolutely no qualms about this; in fact, I couldn’t be happier. Not running an issue this week relieves me of about 5-8 hours worth of SB wrapping and polishing and gives me more time to work on my memoir due at the very last hour of school before break.
For this memoir, we have to write about…well, our writing life. I’m exploring how a writer finds his/her voice through experiences and personal growth (or lack of growth), which sounds like a very fundamental aspect of writing to delve into, but after about 7 or so years of cold hard news writing, you’d be surprised how difficult it is to kick the style. I’m also writing about being a first generation American writer. My parents, Philippine islands born and raised, came here in the 80s just before I came into their lives, and I spent my childhood correcting their grammar and refining their American social skills. What effect did this have on me as a writer? As a person? Really interesting stuff.
I’ve never been one to pick up memoirs for fun, but I’m really getting into a select few (I think most are vain and self-indulgent). Memoirs that I’m finding extremely helpful are by Mary Karr, amazing author of The Liar’s Club; I’m reading her coming-of-age story Cherry. Sooo good. Amy Tan, one of my favorite authors to begin with, wrote The Opposite of Faith, and as a first generation American writer herself, she has a whole lot to say about her family life and its impact on her writing, and I’m finding I relate to her life experiences in more ways than one. I can’t put these books down, and they’re ironically not making my 20-page memoir any easier (I actually need to start typing at some point).
Last weekend, my house mates and my friend Maria went to Eurotrash 2008. The Restoration House has this party every year, and this being the last year of the Resto House’s life as a house, I just had to experience it for once. Before leaving our house, we had fun w/ the camera in the basement, which is super creepy and served as an excellent backdrop for our Eurotrash fashions.
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