Interview with Tracy Youngblom

1. What made you start writing? 2. What influenced you to start teaching a creative writing class? 3. What is your favorite part about writing and why? 4. Who has influenced you, and your writing the most? 5. Who is your favorite author and what readings by them would you suggest for others? 6. Why is writing/teaching important to you? 7. What kind of writing is your favorite and why? (ex. Poetry) 8. When did you start writing? 9. Have you ever tried to get anything of yours published, and if so what? 10. How often do you get rejected/accepted when trying to publish something of yours? 11. If you could meet any author of any time who would it be and why? 12. Any additional comments you may have about writing/reading that you would like to point out.

1) I became interested in writing for two reasons: I was interested in reading, and I had a great5th grade teacher. Since I read so much, and the books got under my skin so much, that I wanted totry to write something that could effect someone. Then, in 5th grade, we did a poetry unit wherewe created a little booklet and illustrated it--published poems that we had to find, and thensome original poems. My teacher just RAVED about my work, and I was hooked because she hadrecognized something in me and praised it. 2) Teaching creative writing rose naturally out of my life as a writer. Writing offers me so manydiscoveries because I learn something from each thing I write, whether it's a poem or an essay.And I think that creative writing requires discipline, attention to detail, andperseverance--and I think those qualities are important to students in any class. So it'sexciting to be able to share my love of writing and help students to see what's good in their ownwork. 3) My absolute favorite part about writing is finishing something and feeling like it'sdone--knowing that I've used words in a specific way to make a point, to effect a feeling, thatnot even a single word should be changed. It takes a long time and a lot of frustration to getthere, but there's nothing like the feeling of having MADE something. I'm not saying I don'tenjoy the process--I do, and I love drafting because I can just write anything I think of--butthe fine-tuning and the sense of completion are the best. 4) Teachers have been my main influence. As an undergrad, I had a teacher for Creative Writingwho was just so good about praising students in class when parts of their poems or stories reallystood out. His praise was limited--he was not the kind of teacher who praised everything, orpraised each student every time, so when he did, we knew that the student had really achievedsomething. I had him for a Fiction Writing course in grad school, too, and he continues to be amentor to me. His name is Lon Otto, at the University of St. Thomas. I also had an advisor in gradschool, David Baker, who was just so tough on me. One time I wrote a critical paper (which was partof the creative writing program) and it really didn't have a strong argument or thesis. He saidhe thought I should write it over--so I did. And he was right, it was better with revision. As forpoems, he was also tough, but I knew that he was no harder on me than on himself. He would say he wasworking on the 40th draft of a poem, or something like that, and he read everything I read thatsemester so we could have good discussions. The greatest compliments he gave me were sending mea poem he was working on, and saying in my evaluation that I was "teachable." But writers have influenced me as well. Shakespeare for the rhythms and images of his language.His phrasing is so powerful and memorable to me: thus the native hue of resolution is sickliedo'er with the pale cast of thought; and thus conscience doth make cowards of us all. As for morecontemporary poets, I have been influenced by the rhythms and syntax of Sylvia Plath and JohnBerryman, and for the overall quality in the many poems of Ellen Bryant Voigt. 5) Favorite author. . .I have to list Shakespeare, and I have to say that the tragedies,especially Hamlet and Othello, should be required reading. Not just the language but theissues are still so moving and contemporary. I'd include John Berryman's Dream Songs and poemsby Sylvia Plath (Mushrooms, Lazy Lazarus); one of my favorite books of poetry is Ellen Voigt'sThe Shadow of Heaven. She also has a book called Kyrie which is a series of linked poems that ismarvelous. And Louise Gluck's book The Wild Iris. 6) Teaching and Writing are important for me because they keep me in touch with other people in acommunity. The interchange of ideas, the chance to talk about important issues and how we cancommunicate well in a world that's chaotic and fast-paced is exciting. And I get a sense ofpurpose from sharing what I know with students--I don't see writing as some mysterious force,but as a way to communicate our experience. It's the connection. 7) This is a great question, because though I'm a poet and am becoming an essayist, I read a lot offiction. I love a good novel, though I don't have any desire to write one. Poems, though, aresomething I read daily, either on-line (Poetry Daily or Verse Daily) or in my side-gig as apoetry editor for an online journal. So I am continually exposed to it--I get through fewerwhole books of poetry than fiction, but I am more exposed to poetry in a continual way. 8) I started writing seriously in 8th grade, when I began what I thought was going to be a hit crimenovel (I was reading a lot of John D. MacDonald in those days). I hand wrote a whole bunch of pages,but I lost it! I never restarted it, but by the time I was a senior in HS I was writing a lot of poemsand getting a lot of encouragement from my English teacher. 9) Yes, publishing is important to me. I send out work pretty regularly, and my firstpublication was in 1993. I have a number of individual poems published in magazines, and I have achapbook of poetry coming out in a year or so. 10) Well, I'm also an editor, so I know that rejection is a more common occurrence for writersthan acceptance. Sometimes the work is not high enough quality, and sometimes it just doesn'tfit with our mission or goals (too long, too informal). I also know that the general acceptancerate for any journal is around 1%--that's because so many people submit poems. So, I have had alot of rejections! But, some acceptances to keep me going. Even if poems are returned with a"No," if there's a handwritten note or a simple comment that shows there's a human being on theother side of the transaction, I feel happy. 11) I would like to meet Virginia Woolf and John Berryman. Both were known for experimenting intheir work, but getting some recognition. Both also struggled with their own personaldemons--and I'd be curious to ask about that struggle, what their interior lives were like. 12) My final word on that topic to anyone who wants to write anything is that you have to READ. Readeverything you can get your hands on. Read voraciously. Read with abandon. If you read, you willbe filled with ideas, which is important, but you will also absorb the subtle ways that languagecan be formed, used, manipulated for effect. You will drink in the language, you will love thewords, you will remember certain phrases that haunt you--and you will become a better thinker,which is essential for becoming a better writer.

Man found shot to death in Minneaolis

This morning a man what shot to death while sitting in his car in a parking lot.
He was found in south Minneapolis near Groveland Ave. Witnesses said they saw a group of people running away from the car earlier on, and the man was pronounced dead at the scene.
His identity has not yet been released.

-Star Tribune Online

Sandra Benitez Visits Anoka-Ramsey Community College

Sandra Benitez Visits Anoka-Ramsey Community College

Benitez was as enthralling in person as she is through her stories. The animation in her voice as she speaks about her novels and her own life shows her true passion: writing. Benitez didn’t always want to be a writer though, when she was younger she didn’t have any idea what she was destined to be. When she was born Benitez had an identical twin, who died a few months later from complications, but she grew up happy just the same. Her Mother was Porto Rican and her Father was a farm boy from Unionville Missouri. They met in Washington D.C and married soon after. Her father joined the foreign forces when she was still really young and the whole family moved to Mexico. She grew up in a lavish house and always had servants while she was young. That’s where she found out the importance of stories. In Mexico there was no middle class, either you were poor or you were rich at that time and she was considered to be rich. Benitez’s servants were mostly illiterate and would have her read their letters to them, and then write responses back as well. While reading she would ask questions and would be observant, trying to read the people she was speaking with. Through this process she learned all about these servants lives and what their stories were.

Reading was very important in her life too. She would read anything and everything she could find just to learn about someone else, and their story. Now she says, “It’s all about story. That is why we text, twitter, and e-mail.”

When she turned fourteen her Father sent her to America to live with her Grandparents to become more Americanized. When she got there life was immediately very different for her. She was used to having servants and getting whatever she needed with out having to do it herself as she said in her own words, “I was a bit of a spoiled brat before that.” Her grandparents home had no running water but instead had an outhouse, and was with out servants. Benitez was absolutely amazed by the outhouse, for it had two seats and she never understood why. Later she was told it was for mothers with children who all needed to go to the bathroom at the same time. From then on she never lived with her family again.

Later in life she married a man from Missouri and moved to Minnesota and has now resided here for 45 years. Then she became a teacher, and began taking writing classes as well when she became to stressed with her regular work. Benitez then started writing at the age of 39. Her first novel she wrote was a mystery murder and when she had a critic review it at a convention he said it was, “flushable.” For a few weeks Benitez was very surprised and upset with this view. Then one day she realized it was flushable and she said her goodbyes to it, and put it under her bed as a sacrifice and it is still under her bed today.

Benitez published her first book in 1973 after thirteen years of trying to get it published. She still gets scared every time she starts a new novel and worries about her characters. Now Benitez waits for the characters to speak to her, and that is how The Weight of All Things came to be. A boy by the name of Nicholas spoke to her in her mind, begging her to tell his story. From there on he lead her through the journey in this book and became a best seller, and won Benitez many awards. Benitez shared some insight with us, “ The simplest things can change our entire lives,” and for her it was listening to Nicholas, learning with him about the story he became.

Article By: Melissa Holthaus

Final Defendant Guilty in Beating of a Vunerable Man

Last October a man by the name of Justin Hamilton, was attacked and robbed. He was taken to a remote area and beat for hours. Now all of the people involved were charged, found guilty and sentenced, the last one being Jonathan Michael Diepold who was the primary attacker.
-StarTribune Online

Obituary

Melissa Holthaus, 18 years old died Tuesday October 14th from a roller skating accident, at around 7:00 p.m. She was rolling down a hill and hit a patch of black ice, skidded out and ran face first into a pole. The impact was so great it killed her imediatly.
Miss Holthaus was loved by many and was always a joyful person. She loved dancing, quilting, and baking, along with helping out in schools as a mentor whenever she could. Melissa was attending Anoka Ramsey Community College with the intent of transfering to St. Olaf next year to eventually become a journalist.
Visitation will be held Monday October 20th from 1:00 p.m to 3:00 p.m. in Trinity Lutheran Church in Monticello. Her funeral will be Tuesday October 21st at 4:00 p.m.
Melissa leaves behind her parents, Steve and Becky, two brothers, Kent and Mitch, and her boyfriend Josh.

Newspaper Article

Man Shot, Killed by Deputies in Elk River ID'd


Last week there was a shooting at the government building in Elk River, MN. A man by the name of Dana Dempsey entered the building carrying a gun when two police officers noticed and shot him. Dempsey was transfered to Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids where shortly after he passed away. Dempsey was already in the courthouse earlier that week because he was to be sentenced for running a methamphetamine lab.


I chose to write about this for a couple special reasons today. First of all my boyfriends mom actually works at this building and I knew about this only minutes after it happened when I got a phone call from my boyfriend because he was upset. He couldnt get any details and he was told to stay away.
My second reason is because Dana Dempsey was the father to someone whom I graduated with who has had a hard life, so this particular article was hard to just look over and ignore for me.

-Fox 9 News online

Interview Paper

Religion Still Influences Many

Today I had the privilege of being able to speak with a very socially involved young man. This 20 year old from Princeton Minnesota has the power to influence many youth today, and he does so by helping out at church.

Isaac Jenson helps out with the youth group at United Methodist Church along side the youth group leader who is 23. You can find him at the church on Sunday nights when the youth group gathers for its meetings. Jenson’s' main work is to just sit and talk with the kids, and lead them in their discussions as he says, "I play the games with them and just be there." For most this could mean more than just a few hours a week Isaac spends just chatting and playing games with them, for many it is a safe place where they can just relax and get advice from a trusted adult. It wasn’t always easy though, he had to teach the junior and senior youth when to realize they need to be serious and listen and when its okay to just relax and have fun.

His favorite memory was when he was actually asked to help out in this youth group. Isaac was on a summer service trip in South Dakota helping fix up their homes, and playing with the kids, just helping out any way they could. Then one day he got a call from the youth director asking if he wanted to help out at the youth group gatherings. "It was weird because I was trying to think of a way to get involved in the church," Jenson told us during the interview.

In many ways he has helped a younger generation, but for him it was much more. He was able to find something he loved doing that also benefited others. "This has greatly helped my life in a positive way. I have grown a lot spiritually."- Isaac Jenson
Written by: Melissa Holthaus

Interview (Kevin Jack)

1. What is your favorite hobby? Photography

2. How did you get involved with this hobby?

I was doing a class paper at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts when I saw interesting photographs of local happenings. It kind of sparked my interest in photography.

3. Why did you start this hobby?

I was focusing a lot on school and my current job and I needed to find something else to do besides going to school, or work.

4. Who introduced you, and instructed you in this hobby?

I introduced myself in this hobby, although I never had any real instruction on how to do it. I decided to take a Beginning Digital Photography class at Inver Hills Community College in Inver Grove Heights, to help me further my digital photography.

5. Who was the biggest influence to you concerning this hobby?

There really wasn't anyone influencing me on my hobby. I got bored one afternoon and wanted something to do. I took my parents digital camera and started shooting pictures. It was something that grew on me as the years went by.

6. What is the biggest challenge for you, and the easiest?

I haven't had much challenging issues with photography, besides my memory card filling up or the battery dying. No one (so far, knock on wood), has gotten mad at me for taking a photo with him/her involved. Wednesdays at Inver Hills are my long days. I have class first thing in the morning. For a majority of the day, I spend time working on other class assignments. Wednesday evenings I spend about three hours in the computer lab working on my photographs on Photoshop. Basically, I'm on campus from 8:00 in the morning until about 8:30 at night working. Makes it challenging to spend some time with friends and family and do the things I enjoy doing but it is something that I'm interested in. After all, all of us has to sacrifice something in life. The easiest thing about photography is the possibilities for photos are endless. There's always something that is picture worthy.

7. What is your favorite thing about your hobby?

The memories that come with every picture I take. Whether it is a picture with friends and/or family, an event or scenery, every picture I taken has a story of some sort behind it.

8. When did you start this hobby, and do you still continue with it today?

I've been doing it on and off since 2007. I've been doing more photography since I decided to take the photography class, which started in August, 2009.

9. Where do you practice this hobby?

I go everywhere you can imagine in the Twin Cites area. I've taken pictures of my vacation in Northern Minnesota, at the tie-breaker game between the Twins and Tigers (on Tues. 8/6), and the 2008 Republican National Convention. I live about 10 minutes from downtown so it wasn't a chore to get pictures. It is one event (the RNC) that I won't forget anytime soon. As long as it is served by a bus route, I want to explore what the Twin Cities has to offer.

10. How has it impacted your life?

Besides giving me something to do when I'm bored out of my mind, it is giving me a chance to get to know my hometown and surrounding area. Plus it's leading a career, hopefully into photojournalism, although computer graphics doesn't sound so bad.

11. Would you change anything about your hobby? If so what?

I wouldn't really change anything about my hobby. Maybe an actual camera (with a lens) instead of a point and shoot camera that everyone has for everyday usage.

12. What would your life be like with out your hobby?

Probably really boring. It would no doubt help me forget the most memorable moments of my/others life.

13. Is there anyone you would like to thank for helping you with something concerning your hobby?

I started this hobby on my own. Really, the only person I can thank is my photography instructor at Inver Hills who introduced new ideas on what I can take pictures of and then edit them on Photoshop.

14. What is the best moment you have ever had from participating in this hobby?

I mentioned this in the beginning of the e-mail but all the memories associated with every picture. Obviously I'm not going to take and keep pictures that bring in bad memories.

15. Is there anything else you would like to tell us about your hobby that might surprise/interest us?

I don't know if it will serve as an interesting fact or surprising but I take Metro Transit to my destinations. I see more scenery on the bus than I would if I was driving a private vehicle. But this may. I hate being in pictures. I'm, believe it or not, quite camera shy but I have an outgoing personality. I much rather be behind the camera instead of being in front of the camera.

Murder At North Point Inn

Yesterday morning at a little before 9AM Nina Cortez was caught in a scary situation. Earlier that morning when she got into work she talked with the cook, Kevin Blohm about the night before, and then he proceeded to make her a cup of coffee.
After she had her morning coffee Nina set in counting the revenue. A minute or two later a man came around the corner carrying a knife. Nina started screaming and fell off her roller chair. The man took $130 and walked out with out even a word. She believed the man was not alone, when she heard someone scream, "Get that money out of there." Nina locked her office by then and was waiting when someone tried to get in but wasn't able to. Three to five minutes later the police were there.
When Nina walked out of her office she was able to see blood on the door in the reception area, and on the walls and floor. Kevin was on the floor with a knife wound in his hand and chest. He was dead. The man who robbed Nina was described to be 5' 10" to 6 feet tall. He is in his early 20s with a medium build. At the time he was wearing blue jeans, with a blue plaid button- up shirt, and blue tennis shoes. He also had on a floral scarf tied around his lower face, cowboy style.

H1N1 Death

A first grader who was healthy died from the H1N1 flu. It is the second time this year that a child died from this virus who was healthy before. Another boy died september 24th of this year from this virus.

- StarTribune online