Roxane Gay Visits York, PA. | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Roxane Gay Visits York, PA.

Her witty humor and compelling voice when reading captured the audience.

10
Roxane Gay Visits York, PA.
flavorwire.files.wordpress.com

On Thursday, April 28, 2016, Roxane Gay graced York College of Pennsylvania with her presence during the semester’s Writer in Residence event. When stepping into the auditorium beforehand, you couldn’t help but notice the excited atmosphere. The room was abuzz with talk, people passing around Roxane’s two books and patiently waiting for her to make an appearance on stage. When the lights dimmed, the considerably full room became hushed, and the anticipation was palpable. The moment she stepped into the room, everyone gave their applause.

Travis Kurowski, Ph.D., and Coordinator of the Creative Writing department at YCP, introduced Roxane Gay and her writing to the crowd with a very nicely written speech. One of my favorite comments from his speech was about how “writing is pain”. Roxane thanked Kurowski for that wonderful introduction and then addressed the crowd, expressing that she wanted to give us a few readings, and then take some questions.

Within a matter of minutes, we learned that Roxane Gay has a very entertaining sense of humor—especially when she opens her readings with a well-written piece about her obsession with her UPS man. While there may have been a few flushing faces in the crowd—Gay was extremely open about how much she enjoyed UPS man’s calf-muscles—there certainly was a lot of laughter and applause. I wouldn’t put a PG rating on the event, that’s for sure!

While her relationship with the UPS man is one-sided, her relationship with her writing is not. When everyone calmed from their fits of laughter, the room grew more serious as Gay went on to talk about her debut novel An Untamed State.

An Untamed State is about a Haitian-American women named Mireille that is kidnapped for ransom and must strongly endure the tortures of her kidnappers for several days. Roxane Gay chose to read us the very first chapter of this riveting novel; captivating us with the tone of her voice and the tale she wove with her words. One sentence really stood out to me when she had read it:

“ …the relief that it was not yet their time; the wolves had not yet come for them.”

The applause roared in my ears when she was finished, my own drowning among the rest. She spoke more about the book, telling us that she wrote the violent parts to the point that they were “unreadable,” and that many people have expressed that they simply had to “skip over” those pages because they were unbearable to read. I knew then that I would have to buy the book; that I had to read the tale for myself.

The serious died as Roxanne continued her readings from her book Bad Feminist, which is a collection of her nonfiction essays.


She read three passages from it, one about her experiences teaching for the first time, another about being friends with other women, and then the second part of her essay Bad Feminist. Laughter abounded once more, and later on during the book signing, I expressed to her that she should consider being a stand-up comedian. Roxane had previously stated that she is afraid of public speaking—though she hides it very well—and is naturally a shy person.

When her readings were finished, she answered a variety of questions about her writing, teachings, getting published, feminism, family and background. I think many writers, or aspiring writers, in the room could take a lot away from what she had to say. One of the things that I took away from it is this:

"The only thing you have to do as a writer is write."

She expressed taking down those walls and barriers that we put up as writers and just write. Very sound advice, though not necessarily easy. Especially for those writers like me who tend to overthink things!

The event ended with a standing ovation and a book signing.

Definitely check out Roxane Gay and her work; she won't disappoint!

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

72854
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

5289
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less
Health and Wellness

10 Hygiene Tips For All College Athletes

College athletes, it's time we talk about sports hygiene.

8715
Woman doing pull-ups on bars with sun shining behind her.

I got a request to talk about college athletes hygiene so here it is.

College athletes, I get it, you are busy! From class, to morning workouts, to study table, to practice, and more. But that does not excuse the fact that your hygiene comes first! Here are some tips when it comes to taking care of your self.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments