I recently made my first visit to Hunter College for a reading by Téa Obreht, author of The Tiger’s Wife, a book that was nominated last year for the National Book Award and a book that received the 2011 Orange Prize for Fiction.  She is a young writer who has been on the best “20 writers under 40” list by The New Yorker and The National Book Foundation’s “5 under 35” list.  It’s always impressive to see young writers getting their work out there.  In the music industry, there are a lot of young musicians, still in their 20s and at the pinnacle of their careers.  I see the same thing happening in Hollywood and in pro-sports.  However, I don’t see a lot of writers getting published so early in their careers, which is why I admire writers like Téa Obreht and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (who was at QC recently) because they had their works published while they were young.  It gives me hope that I too might be able to get my work out there one day.

I went to hear Obreht is because I wanted to hear about her experiences as a writer and what it feels like to be on the path that so many young writers (myself included) wish we were on.  Having a book published by the time you’re 25.  Having your book nominated for well-known awards that pay well in the prize department.  Seeing your title on the New York Times Bestseller’s List.  Writing something that most of the critics love.  Every writer dreams of this.  She herself said that she is very fortunate and grateful to have received such acclaim for her first novel because there are so many writers out there who just don’t receive the attention they deserve. I noticed that Téa was all smiles as the speaker introduced her to the audience and described her novel as “extraordinary”. She started her reading by telling us a bit about herself; she was born in Yugoslavia, went to USC, and was a student in the MFA program at Cornell. She then read from a few pages of her book.  The event ended with her taking questions from the audience.  She seems like an incredibly nice person, and she has a sense of humor. (I definitely need to work on my public speaking!)

As I have said many times, it’s events like these that keep me inspired, especially when I start questioning why on earth I came to this city.  Writing is not easy to do and it’s not easy to make a living from either. As much as I am hoping for the best, I always realize that it’s important to have backup plans and other areas of interest to devote my time to. But I will always keep writing.  I don’t know where that path will take me but I’ll keep trying.