This past Saturday I had the wonderful opportunity to listen
to Catherine Rankovic’s lecture “Holy States of Authorhood.”
Ms. Rankovic, a published poet, essayist, and journalist in
her own right, is also a professor of English at both Washington
and Lindenwood University and an editor. Simply put,
this woman knows her stuff. Even better, she is funny. I was immediately struck
by Catherine’s wit – sharp, cutting. Listeners needed to participate in her
lecture or you might miss a clever zing inserted in the midst of her talk.
Catherine took us through three stages of authorhood or as
she called it, writerhood. During her presentation, I surveyed the room to view
of a sea of heads bobbing up and down in agreement. It is not an easy time to
be an author, to know how to be successful. It is easier to have self-doubt as
a writer, especially during these changing times. If we had been in church a
chorus of “Amens” would have followed!
She discussed grief, failure, and self-deception. During
each theme, Ms. Rankovic shared poignant moments or thoughts, perfectly attuned
to the feelings and needs of a writer. The Holy States of Authorhood is her
talk, not mine to copy or steal, but I want to share just one major take-away
from each of the themes. Listening to her on Saturday was just what I needed
during this particularly rough time. With self-doubt about everything taking
over and writer’s block in full effect, Catherine appeared on the horizon at
just the right time for this wannabe writer.
The Holy States of Authorhood:
Grief: Catherine reminded us that everyone suffers. She
continued on, telling us that grief is not a burden but “instead a privilege
because it means you have written and despite your grief, you plan to write
again.” This comment stuck with me long after she left for the day. What
powerful words!
Failure: There is much I wish I could “borrow” from Ms.
Rankovic here. Her words on failure rang out like a beacon in the night. She
told us we are not alone in our failure, especially that Saturday, surrounded
by a supportive group of writers, colleagues, and friends. We are a shared
spirit, helping each other succeed when experience success and rise again when
we fall. Perhaps her words sum it up best, “Accepting failure is a state of
grace.”
Self-Deception: Catherine, while bold during her entire
presentation, was particularly strong about this theme. An independent woman by
nature, I thought I could see sparks igniting behind her eyes in this
section. My favorite from this part was
short and to the point. Ms. Rankovic said, “We should only write because we
enjoy writing.” Agreed.
Catherine’s talk was so much more than I could attempt to
outline here. The best I can do is share that I needed to hear it and
appreciated her candor and spirit. Write on friends, write on!
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