Some graduated more than 40 years ago; others graduated less than a year ago.
Seven Saginaw Valley alumni authors returned to campus Wednesday, Oct. 21, to speak to students about writing as part of the University Writing Committee’s National Day of Writing celebration.
These alumni — including Marlin Jenkins (’14), Justin Brouckaert (’13), Chauntel Brusie (’08), Joe Johnson (’05), Kurt David (’86), Lynn Klammer (’86) and Deborah Frontiera (’74) — participated in a speaker panel at 4 p.m. in the Rhea E. Miller Recital Hall.
David, who earned his bachelor’s degree in elementary education from SVSU, played college basketball and professional basketball in Europe before creating the book and TV show “From Glory Days” and co-authoring “The Change.”
“I didn’t really like writing a whole lot at Saginaw Valley,” David said. “Being a basketball player, I definitely remember slipping my essays under my professors’ door … before we would leave for games.
“But thank God I really took in my experience … because I learned the foundational skills I needed to do the writing that I need to do,” David continued. “It wasn’t everything I wanted to do, but I got it done and I’m glad I did.”
Frontiera spoke about the influence her creative writing classes had on her.
“I could relax in poetry class, and I could write what was in my heart and escape for a little while,” she said. “If you can write poetry, where you have to be so precise … it makes you a better writer in anything you want to do.”
She now writes historical fiction.
Johnson laughed when he admitted he didn’t remember the English classes he took at SVSU.
“My identity was so caught up in being an athlete,” Johnson said. “It wasn’t until I did not get a call after working out for some NFL teams … that I began competing in life the same way I’d compete in sports.
Klammer, author of several books and hundreds of magazine articles, is a clinical psychologist and freelance writer. She said her experiences at SVSU opened up many opportunities for her.
“(Students should) keep (their) eyes open and be willing to see new opportunities,” she said. “The best thing is that even though I’ve done a lot … in my life, writing isn’t something I do. It’s who I am.
“Being able to do something that is so fulfilling to me and make a living from it … it’s just the best thing.”
Brouckaert, a James Dickey Fellow in Fiction at the University of South Carolina, advised students not to take rejection of their writing personally.
“Be kind to yourself,” he said. “As an editor myself, I turn down lots of work that I like … work that I know is going to be published elsewhere. (The work) may just not be a fit for where you sent it. Allow yourself time to feel bad about rejection and mourn, but then get your butt in the chair and get back at it.”
Marlin Jenkins, a graduate poetry student at the University of Michigan, expressed similar sentiments.
“Rejection can be discouraging, and it means a lot to me when my work can find a home in a place I respect with people I respect,” he said. “Remember publishing isn’t the end goal. Ask what you can do through that publishing.”
The panel discussion was followed by a book signing at 5 p.m. in Groening Commons. Students could interact with and ask questions of alumni authors.
An open mic night followed at 9 p.m. in the Student Life Rotunda. The event featured competition for writers in five categories: songs, short stories, YouTube videos, poetry and comedy routines. Judges based their decisions on clarity and originality.
