There are a number of books taking up space right now on my nightstand and many more sitting on my desk.  The ones on my desk are anthologies that I will probably try to sell on Amazon or something once the semester is over.  Although I think I’ll keep To Wake The Nations by Eric Sundquist.  It’s a book that explores African-American literature and I’m also going to keep The Norton Anthology of African-American Literature because there’s a lot of great reading in it.  Wondering about those books on my dresser?  I’ll get to that in a minute.

I love reading.  (Well, certain things anyways).  Novels, short stories, play.  The Bible.  Some poetry.  I like non-fiction books about pieces of U.S. history that interest me.  I can’t tell you how much money I’ve spent on books.   I’m sure I left over 200 books at home for the time being.

I’ve already read quite a bit since the semester started.  Seize the Day by Saul Bellow.  Swann’s Way by Marcel Proust.  Cane by Jean Toomer.  These three books have been my particular favorites.  On my own, I have been reading Middlemarch by George Eliot.  I love this book but it’s taking me forever to get through it because I have so many things to read for class and class readings come first.  I also finished some of the books by the MFA faculty at Queens College.  I figured I should read the works of the people I’ll be working with in the program.  So I’ve added those books to my reading list as well.  I’m also using my time at the university to check out some non-fiction books that I need to do research for my own writing projects.  One of the advantages of being a college student is you can find a lot of great works in a university library that you won’t find in the public library and that are very expensive everywhere else.

On my dresser, is what I’m supposed to have read for class in the coming weeks.  Spring and All by William Carlos Williams, The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot, The Lover by Marguerite Duras and Coming Through Slaughter by Michael Ondaatje.  There’s still plenty of reading ahead.  And the MFA program has a required reading list so I’ve still got to get to work on that as well.  These two years will go by fast so I need to get started on those 30 books this semester.

Why am I writing about this? Reading has always provided me with a comfort that I can’t quite explain.  Maybe it’s because reading has been my chance to learn about so much, and the chance to explore worlds that I’ll never be a part of.  As a writer, it’s my chance to study how others write and to see what methods I can apply to my own writing.  When people tell me they don’t read, I sometimes think I’m going to have a heart attack and fall over dead.  How can anyone not want to read?  But I know that reading doesn’t interest everyone.  I understand that we all have something that we’re passionate about.  For me, it’s books and writing.  I’m not a big sports fan but others are.  My love of books is no different than someone’s love of football or poker or cooking or traveling.  We all have different things that we are passionate about in this world.  That’s the important thing that I want you to take away from what I’m telling you here.  Find something that interests you.  Find something in this world to be a part of.  If you have a dream, work to make it come true.

This program is going to be a lot of work.  That’s very clear, but the opportunity to read and discuss literature and writing with my fellow peers is definitely worth all of these late nights.  I believe that reading will help me become a better writer so I’m all for picking up a book and reading every word.  I don’t have time to do much of anything else these days, but I’ll manage.