My First Author Visit

On February 12, 2010, I went back to where it all began. My former professor, Jimmy Chesire, invited me to visit his Introduction to Short Story Writing class at Wright State University, and present my journey to publication to his students. It was strange, preparing for this visit. The topic – me – seemed awfully mundane. But then I started to think back.

I remembered my early days as a writer, how interesting it was to hear other writers speak of their habits and goals. And I realized that now, just a few months before the publication of my debut novel, it’s even more invigorating and inspiring to connect with other writers and discuss all the details of our writing lives. As I prepared for my presentation, I thought about an incredible week I’d spent at Antioch Writers’ Workshop back in 1997, when I was able to meet and speak with several official authors. Back then, I had been star-struck, hanging on every word those authors said, hardly daring to dream that I would one day join their ranks. But as I soaked it all in, I learned a great deal. Thinking of this week at Antioch made me realize that the students in Jimmy’s class might be able to learn something from me. That while I’m a writer, a soon-to-be-published author, I can use my speaking engagements as opportunities to tap into another side of myself, the side of me that was born to teach.

As I prepared for my fist author visit, I recalled my fist day of class with Jimmy, which was in the fall of 1994. I was intensely shy and terribly afraid to share my work, but he provided a safety zone, and for the first time in my life, I let others read my writing. How ironic that my first public reading would occur in a classroom with the very man who was the only official writing teacher I have ever had, the person who had first supported and guided me, like a father, through the crazy process of writing fiction. It felt so very right, every single aspect of the day.

I arrived and saw Jimmy for the first time in several years. He was the same. Exactly the same. And that fact was comforting. Standing next to him as he introduced me was a moving experience. I mean, how cool that I have made him so proud! I spoke, telling little stories about my journey – from the first day in his classroom to this day, my very first author visit. And then I read the first chapter of The Tension of Opposites.

I realized, as I stared out at the faces of Jimmy’s students (and the faculty of the WSU Creative Writing Department) that I finally had a story to tell. And that moment was one of the most amazing moments in my crazy journey to publication.

Jimmy Chesire & Kristina McBride

Jimmy Chesire, Kristina McBride, and Brady Allen – Brady, who is now a member of the Creative Writing faculty at WSU, and I took a creative writing class with Jimmy back in 1996.

My first public reading.