tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8407679229975998493.post3008099621979522746..comments2024-03-29T05:19:53.293-06:00Comments on The Quivering Pen: My First Time: Claire McMillanDavid Abramshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06013514596973186440noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8407679229975998493.post-51703800112874753332012-06-25T08:49:31.875-06:002012-06-25T08:49:31.875-06:00Memory is so strange. At first I recalled none of...Memory is so strange. At first I recalled none of this, though I distinctly remember my initial experience of reading Claire McMillan's prose. I was on the admissions committee for the Bennington program, and reading great stacks of submissions, each 25 pages. The task was so large, it was a relief to come to the end of even the good ones. But I became so engrossed in Claire's submission, part of a novel, that when I finished it I pawed around in the pages on my desk, wanting more. <br /><br />Now that she talks about her difficult experience of learning to write well consistently, I remember it too. I guess I knew that sooner or later she'd find and sustain the story-teller's confidence that I'd already witnessed. I'm thrilled that she has a book, and that our books came out together.Alice Mattisonnoreply@blogger.com