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My Account of Writing "A Conversation with Bill"

By John Brawley

Stuart asked me to jot down some thoughts about my experience with the National Story Project for inclusion in his website. Apologies to him for being late. I hope this will suffice.

The encounter that prompted me to write "A Conversation with Bill" had persisted in my mind for several years prior to the birth of the National Story Project. I had actually written one version of it in my journal after reading Paul Auster's "Red Notebook." However, when I decided to submit it to the Project I had misplaced the original story and had to begin from scratch. I can remember finding only a couple of hours of solitude one evening to recall the events of the story. During this time I was working at completing a dissertation, had begun a new, challenging job, and my second child had just been born. Thus, I was quite short on time and felt somewhat fortunate when I realized that the necessary motivation to write about Bill's death had developed. Although I felt somewhat dissatisfied with its composition, I sent it into Paul anyway. I also added a note that indicated my interest in assisting in the production of a compilation of stories that had been submitted. The anthology had not yet been announced, but I knew that Paul must have certainly been interested in such a project. Nothing came of my request for involvement with the Anthology, but several months later I did receive a letter stating that my story had made the final cut. I eagerly signed the publisher's contract, releases, etc., and six months later I was sitting on a stage at Harvard University with Paul, Jacki Lyden, and a group of four fellow contributors. The reading at the Sackler Museum was thrilling and afterward all of us, plus poet/writer Bill Corbett, had dinner together in Harvard Square where we all traded stories, backgrounds, and interests. It was a magical evening; spending time with one of my favorite writers and getting to know a group of truly remarkable individuals - the other contributors to the book. I had planned to keep in touch with the others; it seemed a natural thing to do. However, it is now seven months since, and I haven't. I wish that I had. It will always remain a warm, exciting memory. I owe it all to Bill.