CREEK ROAD GANG
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Thoughts from the Editor: July 2009
September 1999: A long curving drive led me uphill to a big old house with a generous front porch. I parked in the side lot and made my way to the entrance. The lady at the desk directed me to the front room on the right, a high-ceilinged airy space with built-in book shelves. The white walls wanted fresh paint, and a cracked window needed fixing. The black table for the teacher blocked the view of the fireplace. I sat down on a hard chair smack in the middle of the front row, ready with pad and pen for my first autobiographical writing class.
As I chatted with fellow students before class began, I discovered that some of them were returning students from previous terms. In fact, a few had been taking this very same class for more than ten years! That was pretty strange, I thought. Why? I didn't think autobiographical writing was ever going to be a big thing for me. Well, maybe when I got real old, but certainly not before! If the class wasn't at such a perfect time for my schedule, and if the teacher's blurb hadn't sounded so intriguing, I probably would have registered for something else. After all, I wrote mostly fiction, some poetry on the side.
Two hours later, I was enthralled.
By the end of the term, I was hooked.
Ten years later: I'm still there.
Is it the teacher? The other students? The stories? The feedback?
Yes, yes, yes, yes. That, and more.
Those many life stories still take me into other cities, other countries, other backgrounds, other cultures, other times. They open windows through which I see something different in my own life. They startle me, set me nodding in recognition, bring tears to my eyes and make me laugh.
Who knew that class would change lives? Not me! But it changes mine.
This September I am launching Creek Road Gang, an Online Magazine of Autobiographical Writing. My goal is to bring you the same kind of experience I've been enjoying: delight, learn, share, grow, and keep coming back!
As I chatted with fellow students before class began, I discovered that some of them were returning students from previous terms. In fact, a few had been taking this very same class for more than ten years! That was pretty strange, I thought. Why? I didn't think autobiographical writing was ever going to be a big thing for me. Well, maybe when I got real old, but certainly not before! If the class wasn't at such a perfect time for my schedule, and if the teacher's blurb hadn't sounded so intriguing, I probably would have registered for something else. After all, I wrote mostly fiction, some poetry on the side.
Two hours later, I was enthralled.
By the end of the term, I was hooked.
Ten years later: I'm still there.
Is it the teacher? The other students? The stories? The feedback?
Yes, yes, yes, yes. That, and more.
Those many life stories still take me into other cities, other countries, other backgrounds, other cultures, other times. They open windows through which I see something different in my own life. They startle me, set me nodding in recognition, bring tears to my eyes and make me laugh.
Who knew that class would change lives? Not me! But it changes mine.
This September I am launching Creek Road Gang, an Online Magazine of Autobiographical Writing. My goal is to bring you the same kind of experience I've been enjoying: delight, learn, share, grow, and keep coming back!
- Kate Lydon
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