Last week, I had the opportunity to live vicariously as an English major through my boyfriend, Brad, when we went to a reading by Karen Russell, a writer and recent recipient of a MacArthur grant. She read an excerpt from her novella, Sleep Donation, as well as part of “Reeling for the Empire,” a short story about women who produce silk from their stomachs like silkworms.

The reading was held in a room on campus that was larger than your average classroom, but it wasn’t as large as it needed to be. The size of the room and the popularity of the author eventually made the event standing room only. We had arrived early in order to secure seats, and it was really exciting to watch the room fill up with people of all ages. There were a lot of people in attendance who had books tucked under their arms awaiting signatures. I’d come to this event without any previous knowledge of the author, but the book that looked the most interesting to me was St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves. I still don’t know anything about it other than the title, but I’m a sucker for animals and boarding schools of any kind. It’s next on my list after I finish Hollow City, which is the sequel to Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Do you see what I mean?

I didn’t know what to expect from the reading, but it was lovely. Hearing words read aloud by the person who slaved over the characters and adjective choices and rhythm is really cool. And Karen Russell was adorable. I’d desperately wanted to be a writer when I was younger, and while that likely won’t be my future, it’s nice to know that other people have been able to pursue writing as a career and found success and joy in it. Karen Russell even mentioned how much she enjoyed working with editors and the editing process in general, so I know there’s still room for me in that world. The collaboration of writer and editor is something I’m really looking forward to in my future.