Letter to Ms. Gellhorn

Dear Ms. Gellhorn,

I am a college student, and my class and I just finished reading your memoir, Travels with Myself and Another.  It was really interesting to learn about your life and the people you met.  I find it funny that such a prominent and established journalist such as yourself would have a poor memory.  I guess that I have always assumed that journalists remember in great detail all of the places they have been to and the things they have written about, but it is normal to forget details as time continues.

In your book you describe several trips that you take, describing them as “horror journeys”.  Do you have a favorite horror journey?  In our class we have discussed that sometimes the trips that go awfully, entirely awry can create fun memories, but you still seem to describe your horror journeys in a negative light.  Do you think you will remember these trips more fondly later in your life?  Or will your negative recollections of these continue forever?

Though you state that you “never thought of writing about travel,” you wrote this book.  Were you happy with the way that it turned out?  I always feel as if I am forgetting something when I tell a story.  I’m sure that read over your memoir and edited it many times, but do you ever wish you had included something that you did not?  Or is there something you wish you had not included?  As someone who is often very critical of myself, I wonder how authors perceive their own memoirs, especially those that they originally never thought they would write.

Thank you for sharing your experiences in this memoir and thank you for all of the great journalism works that you did.

Best,

Selby Sturzenegger

Blue Highways

We've talked a lot not just about travel, but about why people travel. What sparks it? What do they hope to get out of it? At the beginning of his memoir, William Least Heat-Moon explains why he is drawn to the road: "I took to the open road in search of places where change did not mean ruin and where time and men and deeds connected." In part, he seems to be running away from something--namely, the "desperate sense of isolation" he experienced at home, which felt like "an alien land." However, his explanation is interesting because he is also running to something--where time and men and deeds connected. He's looking for more meaning. A search for purpose and meaning is one we've seen in many of our books and movies; travel seems to be a way to find greater meeting for many people. Sometimes this search is portrayed more as a restlessness, and the only solution is going somewhere else. Heat-Moon's explanation seems less like this, in part because he sees the beauty in returning home and in creating a full circle with his trip. He just hopes that, somewhere along the way, he finds a place where things are different. I find this to be an important part of travel--it's not always about escaping; sometimes it's about different experiences and the things you learn from them, which I think Heat-Moon would agree with. At the end of the memoir, he writes, "If the circle had come full turn, I hadn't. I can't say, over the miles, that I learned what I had wanted to know because I hadn't known what I wanted to know. But I did learn what I didn't know I wanted to know."

Anywhere But Here

It was uncanny how much Adele and Ann in Anywhere But Here reminded me of my mom and me during my earlier teenage years. Whether I like it or not, the statement, "The thing about my mother and me is that when we get along, we’re just the same. Exactly." is exactly the truth for me. This was also the case for "Strangers almost always love my mother. And even if you hate her, can’t stand her, even if she’s ruining your life, there’s something about her, some romance, some power." However, unlike Adele, my mother has always been my staunchest advocator, provider of moral support, and has sacrificed a great amount for my success.

Back to Ann, the novel recognizes that life events are seemingly overly dramatized in your adolescence upon looking back on them once you are older. This is particularly true in a relationship between a pre-teen/teenage daughter and her mother  In the moment, the perfume-buying attempt was certainly worth the anguish and backlash Ann directed toward Adele only for her to feel differently years later. Overall, I really admired the detail Simpson placed in the characters' development.

However, I felt that the book was lacking some organization. I would have appreciated more structure regarding the flashbacks and shifting perspectives throughout the book.

Letter to Ms. Simpson

Dear Ms. Simpson,

I just finished reading your book, Anywhere But Here, and I really enjoyed it!  At times, it was difficult to read, but I found it to be super interesting.  The amount of detail in your book was incredible, and at times I felt as if I was in the same room as the characters.

The relationship between Adele and Ann is a central focus in the book.  How did you come up with the idea for this rocky mother-daughter relationship?  When they are traveling from Wisconsin to California, they have an interesting ritual.  The two will fight, Ann will get out of the car, Adele will drive away, wait just long enough for Ann to get scared, come back, and take Ann to get ice cream.  I feel like this shows a lot about their relationship.  What do you think?  Do you think that the road helps demonstrate the nuances of their relationship?  Adele is running away from Wisconsin and her problems, but she continues this ritual as they get further away; what does this say about her character?  Were you trying to emphasize that even though she was getting geographically further from her issues, she was not maturing in a way that would help her in the future?

I am also interested in Ann and the reasons that you wrote her to be such a strong character.  I feel like she proves that we do not have to be like our parents and that we can become whoever we want to be.  Was that your intention?  I feel as if it would be very difficult to forgive my mother if she had emotionally manipulated me the way that Adele treated Ann.

Lastly, I thought the way in which the narrator switches to be very unique.  The book is mostly narrated by Ann, but there are other chapters with different narrators to give background on Adele.  Adele narrates the final chapter; why did you have her only narrate the last chapter?  And was there any particular reason that only women narrate the book?

Thank you so much for writing a thought-provoking and engrossing novel.  I hope to hear from you soon!

All my best,

Selby

Letter: From Steinbeck to the Bearded Actor

My Bearded Actor Friend,

You were right: a well-timed exit may be the best way to win over an audience. Your exit from Rocinante on that fall day left me full of burning questions about you and your trade.

But I do not write to ask you about those questions: they will have to wait for the day when we meet again in person, perhaps by another frozen creek. No; I write because I discovered the craft of acting in the last place I expected: in front of an elementary school in New Orleans, Louisiana. I expect you are aware of the ruckus that our country is making in regards to integration. I decided to go and see the “Cheerleaders,” as they are being called, for myself. These women are not mothers, as the newspapers report. The leader, whose name is Nellie, wears no wedding band on her left ring finger. I was surprised to discover that they had more vitriole to spit at the white man walking his daughter in than they did to the little Negro mite who went in first.

The point is its rehearsed. All of it. It’s a performance, and a damn good one judging by the response. I doubt if Shakespeare himself ever caused such a controversy with one of his plays. I met some Southerners who worship the Cheerleaders. One blond fellow I met said Nellie and the rest were “doing their duty.”

I don’t know what to say. I can’t reconcile this hideous brand of theater with your esteemed profession. But they do have something in common: you and the Cheerleaders both make your buck on the interest of others. I suppose I do as well, as a writer. It forces one to ask: is that a good livelihood? How can one write or act ethically? What separates a good actor from a bad one?

I can only hope that the Cheerleaders decide to make their exit soon.

Your Friend,

John Steinbeck

Letter to Steinbeck

Dear John, 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Travels with Charley for two reasons. First, it is a captivating travel book that presents an interesting and insightful take on America. Second, I have had East of Eden sitting on my desk unread for like two months, sorry. I love to travel, especially abroad, so I was happy to read what you thought about the horridness of prejudice and the importance of being open to others cultures. I like when you write, “we do not take a trip; a trip takes us” because I have certainly felt this way while venturing abroad in the past. I am also a big Cervantes fan so your homage to Don Quijote is well appreciated. 

In every novel my class has read so far this year, the road has been presented in some way or form in conjunction with travel either as a symbol of freedom or limitation. Therefore, after you mention the fact that everybody hungers to move, what specifically does the road mean to you? Does the road lead us to somewhere better or worse or perhaps neither? I find your ‘search for America’ a noble one, and one with emphatic purpose. I agree with you that it is important to find uniqueness in every state because there are so many diverse regions just within America itself. While you try to define what makes up America you become increasingly more concerned and disheartened. Of these preoccupations, you have doubts about the future of the American social life with our citizens becoming more obsessed with instant gratification technology everyday, worries about the large amounts of waste our cities generate, the ubiquity of pop culture across the states, and certain prejudices the country still holds. I think that even in 2016, well after the publication of your novel, these are things our country definitely needs to work on.

I am pleased with how open you act with the Canadian workers and people of all cutlers during your road trip. I think it is crucial to keep an open mind. I enjoy your lessons about failures, manliness, happiness and choices in life. These are things also taught and ingrained through travel. Would you agree?

Didn't you just love the redwoods? I just went camping in coastal redwoods this past weekend and brought your book along with me. “The vainest, most slap-happy and irreverent of men, in the presence of redwoods, goes under a spell of wonder and respect” is a solid quote. 

You seem to find yourself lost consistently throughout the novel even stating that you handle reading directions horribly. You’re even lost in your home state of New York toward the very end of the book. It seems as if being lost all throughout the county reflects your feelings about the state of the county and the road trip as well. As you might’ve predicted, we as a nation have contributed massively to environmental degradation and myriad other issues around the world. We have done much wrong, but we have also done so much good and I still see hope for our future. Lastly, many critics have argued the accuracy of your travel accounts in this book. Just for us fellow Stanford students, can you divulge the truthful account of everything you did during your three month journey?

Dear Chuck

Dear Chuck,

I first encountered your work three years ago as an incoming freshman required to read Fargo Rock City for Stanford’s Three Books Program. I admittedly skimmed the book, as the first 20 pages were filled with heavy metal references that simply did not engage me. 

Yet, this book was different. Your vague assignment on rockstar deaths enabled you to present a narrative that reflected on your relationships as well as a critique of American culture. I honestly did not expect a commentary on love, or the concept of “winning” and “losing” while pursuing it, but I enjoyed it.  While reading, I found myself chuckling at how much you admired “Crazy in Love,” wishing I had an impromptu discussion on books and dreams with a waitress like Mary Beth, and agreeing with how superficial Los Angeles is via your screenplay. 

Also, the numerous bold claims and personal anecdotes you included could have easily gotten you in trouble with a) the law or b) your former love interests. I am referring to the cocaine snorting, DeeDee exposure anecdote, the 9/11 Kid A claims, etc. 

Considering it could risky it was to include these, how did you gain confidence in your style of writing? What do you think your audience gains from your flashbacks that you weave into your writing?

Best,

Joy

P.S.

Sorry about Quincy ;( 

Email from Quincy to Chuck

Oh, Chuck – I am so, so sorry I missed you. I got all your phone messages, and I feel terrible. But something crazy happened the day before you got here. Tim proposed. He did it down by the park where we used to walk. It was a surprise. The daisies are still out – can you believe it? We’ll have to plan a wedding now, I suppose. We went up to my parents’ place the next day and ate casserole and drank champagne.

You’ll be invited, of course. You can sit at the table with Your Nemesis and Ralph and that rock critic who looks like Uma Thurman if you’d like. I know they’d love to see you. We’d all love to see you. They tell me you had quite a good time together. And your sober friend tells me Uma and Nemesis climbed up on the roof! I wish I could have been there. I really do. But it’s just – sometimes life throws you a curveball you could never plan for.

Do let me know if you ever come to Minneapolis again. I promise not to run out next time! Tim sends his greetings. I hope you can make it for our wedding. It will be in spring. No sense trying to celebrate when it’s freezing and nothing’s growing.

Your Friend,

Quincy