Brown MFA: Day 15: alien workshop

MFA programs are weird.  Some days you don’t have class. I think I had class on Thursday.  I was there.  Three people brought in stories about aliens.  I read them all and then said, "I like aliens."  No one in the class said anything.  I asked, "What did you think of the aliens?"  No one said anything.  A few seconds passed and finally someone said, "None of the stories were about aliens."  The rest of the discussion went about the same.  When class was over I decided I needed to make a conscious effort to pay more attention when I read.  Just because every person in my program was alien in a dream I had last week doesn't necessarily mean their story is going to be about aliens.

Later that night Brian Evenson had a book reading.  When I showed up Brian Evenson was in the middle of the bookstore eating bits of the atmosphere with his pleasant smile.  There wasn’t anyone in the bookstore.  I asked if I was early.  It was a few minutes before seven.  He said, “The book talk started at six.”  I thought, “Shit, now’s probably not a good time to ask him for $15,000.”