by Adam Trawick
Each year The Jasper Project asks its readers and patrons to nominate candidates who have demonstrated excellence in their respective fields. The names are then handed over to a panel of experts who discuss each candidate and select three exceptional individuals out of the lot as finalists for Jasper Artist of the Year. This year The Jasper Project is pleased to announce its three finalists in the Literary Arts: Dr. Ray McManus, Dr. Hope Clark, and Dr. Jon Tuttle. The Jasper Project contacted each of these distinguished figures for a brief conversation on the profession and the craft.
Our question: Just how do the up-n-coming literary artists break out of anonymity and break into recognition?
Dr. Ray McManus is a poet among whose publications include “Angels Already Know” from Binder Summer, “Undertow” in Open-Eyed and Full Throated: Irish American Poetry, and “Finding Teeth in the Yard” out of Talking River, and much more. McManus’ advice is “be vulnerable.” This is a complex suggestion. Vulnerability is often interpreted as sentimentality. This is not Dr. McManus’ meaning. “Be honest with yourself,” McManus says. “Walk unafraid. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable.” As a beginning literary artist, you will have to “go to readings, establish relationships—create your opportunity. [You will have to do all] the unsexy difficulty of asking for money, someone to help cover costs to get you started.” This is not a task for the sentimental. The vulnerability McManus speaks of is one that bears no shame in breaking out of the little ego that hinders most from breaking into social circles where networking and fundraising can be accomplished. But this vulnerability is also to be applied to the writing itself. He suggests reading the likes of Terrance Hayes, Sean Thomas Doughtery (who McManus calls a “gypsy punk poet”), Nickole Brown and Jessica Jacobs to “raise [your] emotional IQ” in order to render explicit that which you merely sense or intuit. Confront it. Put it down on paper. And let the world filter through you.
C. Hope Clark is a novelist having published a number of books including the two mysteries: Dying on Edisto and Edisto Tidings. Ms. Clark recommends one “be specific.” Clark recommends “[going] to the experts in your field. Not just any good writer…connect with the professional organizations of your genre.” Clark says, “Lisa Gardener, John Sanford, Raymond Chandler – I love his use of words – are among my go-to.” An emphasis on diligence and trajectory is Clark’s philosophy: “Read a lot. Take notes while reading. If [you] have not truly defined [your] genre, then read quality work that is entertaining. Don’t force-feed what you read, trying to become something you’re not.” Clark continues, “…write daily…allow criticism. Not all criticism is good and not all is bad. Accept it as [an] opportunity to glean nuggets of direction and improvement.” Break out of inconsistency and indecisiveness. Specificity begets direction. It facilitates refinement. It makes clear to the mind what it’s after and where to get it.
Dr. Jon Tuttle is a playwright. Among his publications are The Trustus Collection (which is an anthology of six plays that have premiered since 1994 at the Trustus Theater) and Boy About Ten, which was a finalist in the Screencraft Stage Play International Competition, and more. Dr. Tuttle’s suggestion is “be discerning.” Because of email “the competition is overwhelming.” This day and age “[it’s] difficult to even get rejected.” That’s because there is so much content being submitted that a large portion doesn’t even make it to a real set of eyes. “People spend the day unselectively sending out a submission and this clogs the system” and most of the time what’s being submitted are unpolished drafts. Tuttle fears this has enabled a lack of discipline in the scriptwriting process (and writing in general) for beginning writers, as well as blocked out a great deal of valuable scripts. Among Tuttle’s current go-to are Samuel French, Qui Nguyen (particularly her play She Kills Monsters), and Adam Rapp (notably, his play The Sound Inside). Get particular in what you are writing, what you’re sending out, and where you’re sending it. Discernment raises one’s standards. It aids in the production of quality work and gets it in front of the right eyes.
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If you’re looking for a start, are a fan of these lexical wizards and wish to celebrate, or would simply like to hear more about the arts in Columbia from those immersed in it, come to The White Mule on Friday, January 31 at 7:30pm for the Jasper Artist of the Year Awards Celebration and Mardi Gras Ball. Tickets available here.
For more info on these artists and those nominated in other disciplines check out http://jasperproject.org/what-jasper-said/pne6ka386aep4xhlf9sf8ysne2arh6
