My reading at NJCU….

Alchemy? Not so much. But what a lovely and inspirational experience it was for me to read excerpts from Sayonara Cowboy to students of creative writing and memoir at New Jersey City University. Though my expectations were high, I didn’t anticipate the level of the students’ enthusiasm, intelligence, and curiosity. I saw that Dr. Edvige Giunta’s command of teaching the art of memoir blended her technical grasp of the genre with an intuitive sensitivity to, and appreciation for, the aspiring writers. Such was the dynamic that lit up the room with the mutual warmth and respect shared by students and their teacher.

from left: Khadija Dio, the author, Dr. Edvige Giunta

As I prepared for my reading, I had ruminated about useful take-aways I could leave with the students. Whatever one’s take on memory, we can agree that without it, there can be no memoir. But the conversion of memory to memoir is not a matter of alchemy, like the magical conversion of lead into gold. Rather, it is the labor of refining a memory so that it is worth reading about—the literary form we call memoir. It is hard and rewarding work. In a way—and I mean it in the most secular sense—it is an opportunity to be born again. One caveat I left with the students was to take advantage of opportunities to harvest memories from their parents and grandparents. Too often, I think, we turn a deaf ear to the past, until, in our own old age, we may regret those opportunities foregone.

The Sayonara Cowboy has developed a voice of his own, one that has kindled new friendships, as well as beckoned friends and colleagues from the past. I’m grateful to have been a part of such a special and sweet afternoon. The cherry on top of this confection was the reconnection with my former colleagues from NJCU, when I served as VP of University Advancement. I am grateful to Dr. Giunta (Edi, as she is affectionately known), and my friend and colleague, Ella Rue, NJCU’s Director of Creative Services, for the latest in the Sayonara Cowboy’s long wagon train of memories.