January 29th, 2009 / 5:13 pm
 Vicarious MFA

Vicarious MFA: Participation Grade

dagata We always get really great guest speakers here and I always wish I had a good question at the end, but I never do.

John D’Agata is doing a talk about something next week, and I know you kids love D’agata, so let’s come up with something good. Post your inquiries in the comments, and assuming that a good question is generated and I get the chance to ask it, I will post his answer here also.

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7 Comments

  1. January 29th, 2009 / 9:57 pm Blake Butler—

      if you could find a way to record it somehow i would love love lvoe

  2. January 29th, 2009 / 5:57 pm Blake Butler—

      if you could find a way to record it somehow i would love love lvoe

  3. January 29th, 2009 / 9:38 pm pr—

      oops. I posted my question on the earlier mfa post.

  4. January 29th, 2009 / 9:44 pm pr—

      Here it is- I’m adding a bit-

      And Montaigne? His influece on Montesquieu? Sort of fucking around. But, I have never read Dillard or D’Agata. I would ask D’Agata (who I googled and found really intriguing) what his thoughts were on Montaigne. My spelling might be off. I am often off. I find the translations- the little I know of them- accesible and sort of- the history of the essay? Because on your own, you can read all sorts of contemporary stuff, but when at school, I really wanted to read the shit I wouldn’t read on my own. That’s why I’m paying. But that ’s cause I’m lazy.

      I would ask D”Agata- what should I read? To get the history of what I want to do? The same way Picasso studied classic techniques of painting so he could do what he did, And I don’t agree with his idea of Frey as being creative non-fiction. I would give him a hard time about that. It shoudl be called fiction, and respected as such.

      I also would argue against his idea of “non-fiction” as being a term that he find unlikable, especially because of his love of Didion. I guess, I think, she would totally disagree with him, especially in regard to her work on her husband’s and her daughter’s death. I think Didion would want to have that all important work called non-fiction, proudly, and ethically.
      I’m just jealous. I wish I were in school.

  5. January 29th, 2009 / 10:03 pm pr—

      Also, I say all of this- and I guess there is no way to really prove it, but I do mean it- I love D’Agata’s idea of melding poetry and the essay, and I liked what I read about him and I liked the work I found of his online. But this is your chance- your q and a with him, and I would want to pick his brain. Pick at it. Not massage it. That’s my feelings as a student. I think I might have been an obnoxious student, but it came from the gut. From my desire to rip open other peoples knowledge.

  6. January 31st, 2009 / 10:30 pm Catherine Lacey—

      I just bought a fancy portable recorder. I will see what I can do.

  7. January 31st, 2009 / 6:30 pm Catherine Lacey—

      I just bought a fancy portable recorder. I will see what I can do.