Spring 2003 Charles River Review: Contributors

Julie Bellet, First Time
Julie Bellet is a physician and mother of three children. She wrote "First Time" for Julie Anne McNary's Introduction to Fiction. During rare moments when she is not driving in carpools, Ms. Bellet is working on a novel.

Linda Chanowski, A Joyous Time
Linda Chanowski wrote "A Joyous Time" for Emily Miller's Essay. This piece is part of a series of humorous essays Linda Chanowski has been working on dealing with memory loss and attention deficit. It was inspired by a concussion the author sustained during a serious automobile accident. Ms. Chanowski, a graduate of Emerson College, is president of a real estate management and development corporation.

Anne Hoppe, Wanted
Recollection of a boisterous childhood surrounded by large, yet sensitive dogs inspired Anne Hoppe to write "Wanted" for Gretchen Mazur's Master's Workshop in Creative Writing. Ms. Hoppe lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with her husband, two daughters, and cat. She is an ALM candidate in Literature and Creative Writing.

James S. Luskin, Bridgewater Bob and Articles of War
James S. Luskin wrote "Articles of War" and "Bridgewater Bob" for Emily Miller's Essay. Both essays were born of his nature as a packrat--a helpless collector of stuff, memories, and stories. Mr. Luskin has worked in newspaper reporting, advertising, and landscaping, and wrote these essays while laid off from his job as a financial writer and communications account executive. He expects soon to have less time to write but more things to write about as he and his wife, Jill, are expecting their first child in January, 2004.

Jeanne Miner, Untitled and Untitled
Jeanne Miner wrote the two untitled poems published in this volume for Susan Carlisle's Intermediate Poetry. The untitled "Altar of Bones" poem was both a challenge and pleasure to write. She says, "writing a tritina, with its requirement of repeating words ending each line in varying order, is something like working a puzzle, but the theme of this poem seemed to carry me along to such a degree that just when I was beginning to think I might not be able to do it, the poem practically wrote itself!"Ms. Miner's other untitled poem "--It was breath--of a kind--" was written in response to an assignment to imitate a well-known poet of the past century. Emulating Emily Dickinson, she not only imitated Dickinson's form but also her voice, her compressed passion, her dread of what Ms. Miner refers to as "the tyranny of life."Ms. Miner works in the Harvard University Development Office, managing special projects in the research department.

Joseph Newman, The Freeman's Oath
Joseph Newman lives in Milford, Connecticut, with his wife, Michelle. "The Freeman's Oath" is an excerpt from Mr. Newman's first attempt at a novel that he wrote in William Holinger's Writing the Novel.

Ann Plasso, Grace and Phantom of the Loch
Ann Plasso wrote "Grace" and "Phantom of the Loch" in Susan Carlisle's Intermediate Poetry. "Grace" was written during a blizzard and speaks about acceptance of the present moment and the beauty of even extreme weather. In "Phantom of the Loch," Ms. Plasso imagined the experience of a mythological creature that has survived from prehistory to modern times.

Rachel E. Pollock, Pageantry
Rachel E. Pollock is a displaced Appalachian now residing in the Boston area. A costumer at the American Repertory Theatre by day and an Extension School student by night, Ms. Pollock composed the piece "Pageantry" for Emily Miller's Essay and hopes some day to develop it into a full-length book. She would like to dedicate this piece to the memory of her grandmother.

Katie Ross, Portrait of the Clavicle as a Young Bone
Katie Ross wrote "Portrait of the Clavicle as a Young Bone" in Elizabeth Benedict's Creative Nonfiction after she and her clavicle walked from Georgia to Maine along the Appalachian Trail in 2002. She hails from Massachusetts and most recently spent the summer maintaining trails in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. What comes next, she knows not. Ms. Ross enjoys eating coconut pancakes, and her favorite palindrome is, "A man, a plan, a canal: Panama."

Ann Sheybani, The Virginal Cousins
Ann Sheybani wrote "The Virginal Cousins" in Sanford Kaye's Introduction to Memoir, one of several pieces she composed on her expatriate experience in Iran during the early '90s. She is convinced that life and people are funny no matter where you go.Ms. Sheybani currently resides in Simsbury, Connecticut, with her two amusing children.

Debie Thomas, Arrangements
Debie Thomas wrote "Arrangements" in Ellie Schaffzin's Intermediate Fiction, her first course at the Harvard Extension School. About this piece, she states, "in some sense it is the story of my generation, of the dilemma that comes from growing up in the gap between two very different cultures. Writing it was a powerful experience of transforming life into art." Ms. Thomas holds an MA in English literature from Brown University and now lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with her husband and two children.

Michelle Von Euw, Excerpt from "Leaving No Tracks"
Michelle Von Euw is a writer, editor, student, instructor, columnist, reporter, and workshop junkie. In fall 2003, she began the MFA program in creative writing at the University of Maryland, where she will attempt to finish her novel excerpted here, with the long-distance help of her writing group, formed in William Holinger's Writing the Novel. Ms. Von Euw states that she misses Boston and the Harvard Extension School, where she took classes for three years, and hopes to eventually return to both.

Stacey Williams, Baggage
Stacey Williams wrote "Baggage" in Susan Carlisle's Intermediate Poetry as a free poem rather than as an assignment. On the commute from class, she began writing it based on a scene she witnessed while out with friends.She turned it in about a week later in addition to the assignment due.Susan Carlisle brought it up in class and referred to it as a unique form she dubbed "a rap sonnet." Ms. Williams works at Harvard Medical School and hopes to enroll in the ALB Program in spring 2004.



	THE HARVARD EXTENSION SCHOOL WRITING PROGRAM PREVIOUS \| CONTENTS \| NEXT Contributors Julie Bellet, First Time Julie Bellet is a physician and mother of three children. She wrote "First Time" for Julie Anne McNary's Introduction to Fiction. During rare moments when she is not driving in carpools, Ms. Bellet is working on a novel. Linda Chanowski, A Joyous Time Linda Chanowski wrote "A Joyous Time" for Emily Miller's Essay. This piece is part of a series of humorous essays Linda Chanowski has been working on dealing with memory loss and attention deficit. It was inspired by a concussion the author sustained during a serious automobile accident. Ms. Chanowski, a graduate of Emerson College, is president of a real estate management and development corporation. Anne Hoppe, Wanted Recollection of a boisterous childhood surrounded by large, yet sensitive dogs inspired Anne Hoppe to write "Wanted" for Gretchen Mazur's Master's Workshop in Creative Writing. Ms. Hoppe lives in Providence, Rhode Island, with her husband, two daughters, and cat. She is an ALM candidate in Literature and Creative Writing. James S. Luskin, Bridgewater Bob and Articles of War James S. Luskin wrote "Articles of War" and "Bridgewater Bob" for Emily Miller's Essay. Both essays were born of his nature as a packrat--a helpless collector of stuff, memories, and stories. Mr. Luskin has worked in newspaper reporting, advertising, and landscaping, and wrote these essays while laid off from his job as a financial writer and communications account executive. He expects soon to have less time to write but more things to write about as he and his wife, Jill, are expecting their first child in January, 2004. Jeanne Miner, Untitled and Untitled Jeanne Miner wrote the two untitled poems published in this volume for Susan Carlisle's Intermediate Poetry. The untitled "Altar of Bones" poem was both a challenge and pleasure to write. She says, "writing a tritina, with its requirement of repeating words ending each line in varying order, is something like working a puzzle, but the theme of this poem seemed to carry me along to such a degree that just when I was beginning to think I might not be able to do it, the poem practically wrote itself!"Ms. Miner's other untitled poem "--It was breath--of a kind--" was written in response to an assignment to imitate a well-known poet of the past century. Emulating Emily Dickinson, she not only imitated Dickinson's form but also her voice, her compressed passion, her dread of what Ms. Miner refers to as "the tyranny of life."Ms. Miner works in the Harvard University Development Office, managing special projects in the research department. Joseph Newman, The Freeman's Oath Joseph Newman lives in Milford, Connecticut, with his wife, Michelle. "The Freeman's Oath" is an excerpt from Mr. Newman's first attempt at a novel that he wrote in William Holinger's Writing the Novel. Ann Plasso, Grace and Phantom of the Loch Ann Plasso wrote "Grace" and "Phantom of the Loch" in Susan Carlisle's Intermediate Poetry. "Grace" was written during a blizzard and speaks about acceptance of the present moment and the beauty of even extreme weather. In "Phantom of the Loch," Ms. Plasso imagined the experience of a mythological creature that has survived from prehistory to modern times. Rachel E. Pollock, Pageantry Rachel E. Pollock is a displaced Appalachian now residing in the Boston area. A costumer at the American Repertory Theatre by day and an Extension School student by night, Ms. Pollock composed the piece "Pageantry" for Emily Miller's Essay and hopes some day to develop it into a full-length book. She would like to dedicate this piece to the memory of her grandmother. Katie Ross, Portrait of the Clavicle as a Young Bone Katie Ross wrote "Portrait of the Clavicle as a Young Bone" in Elizabeth Benedict's Creative Nonfiction after she and her clavicle walked from Georgia to Maine along the Appalachian Trail in 2002. She hails from Massachusetts and most recently spent the summer maintaining trails in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia. What comes next, she knows not. Ms. Ross enjoys eating coconut pancakes, and her favorite palindrome is, "A man, a plan, a canal: Panama." Ann Sheybani, The Virginal Cousins Ann Sheybani wrote "The Virginal Cousins" in Sanford Kaye's Introduction to Memoir, one of several pieces she composed on her expatriate experience in Iran during the early '90s. She is convinced that life and people are funny no matter where you go.Ms. Sheybani currently resides in Simsbury, Connecticut, with her two amusing children. Debie Thomas, Arrangements Debie Thomas wrote "Arrangements" in Ellie Schaffzin's Intermediate Fiction, her first course at the Harvard Extension School. About this piece, she states, "in some sense it is the story of my generation, of the dilemma that comes from growing up in the gap between two very different cultures. Writing it was a powerful experience of transforming life into art." Ms. Thomas holds an MA in English literature from Brown University and now lives in Charlottesville, Virginia, with her husband and two children. Michelle Von Euw, Excerpt from "Leaving No Tracks" Michelle Von Euw is a writer, editor, student, instructor, columnist, reporter, and workshop junkie. In fall 2003, she began the MFA program in creative writing at the University of Maryland, where she will attempt to finish her novel excerpted here, with the long-distance help of her writing group, formed in William Holinger's Writing the Novel. Ms. Von Euw states that she misses Boston and the Harvard Extension School, where she took classes for three years, and hopes to eventually return to both. Stacey Williams, Baggage Stacey Williams wrote "Baggage" in Susan Carlisle's Intermediate Poetry as a free poem rather than as an assignment. On the commute from class, she began writing it based on a scene she witnessed while out with friends.She turned it in about a week later in addition to the assignment due.Susan Carlisle brought it up in class and referred to it as a unique form she dubbed "a rap sonnet." Ms. Williams works at Harvard Medical School and hopes to enroll in the ALB Program in spring 2004. PREVIOUS \| TOP \| CONTENTS \| NEXT

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