On Tuesday night, the Binghamton Center for Writers hosted two Binghamton University alumni, Heather McNaugher and Jacob White. The authors read from their work and told stories about their time at the University and the inspiration they found here.
McNaugher read a few poems, including ones from her collection “System of Hideouts.” She filled Science I Room 149 with candid stories about her experiences as a young lesbian with an eating disorder, stories of losing loved ones and her fear of having a daughter who would turn out just like her.
McNaugher writes unabashedly about her sexual orientation, and many of her poems described a palpable sexual tension to which anyone could relate. Her poetry was also funny, captivating the audience with amusing imagery of cherry Pop-Tarts and thesauruses.
McNaugher and White received master’s degrees in English at BU, and McNaugher received a doctorate as well, both completing their education in 2003.
McNaugher told the audience that her Binghamton years were not her best, as described in her poem “2000.” She explained that she felt isolated at BU, but her feelings of isolation forced her to get a lot of work done.
In “2000,” she wrote about spending the majority of her time on the 15th floor of the the Library Tower working on the “mad uselessness also known as my master’s thesis,” which made the whole audience laugh, especially the professors and graduate students.
Unlike McNaugher, White decided to read one 15-minute story from his collection of short stories, titled “Being Dead in South Carolina.” White told the audience that the story, “Your Father Needs More Time,” is “about being a boob.” With his southern twang, White told the story of a father trying to connect to those around him, especially his son, while he and his wife are in the midst of a divorce. White’s writing is poignant and entertaining, describing the environment around him and the difficulty in understanding his son, who wears pants that show three inches of his boxers.
White said his most influential professor during his time at BU was Jack Vernon, and he consistently recalls his teacher’s voice when writing. White also fondly remembered a course on visionary experiences from the late professor Arthur Clements, as well as Martin Bidney’s course on William Blake, which White likened to being on an LSD trip while in the classroom.
Vernon described his former student’s writing as maximalist as well as “violently graceful and gracefully violent.”
One of McNaugher’s most influential professors was professor Maria Mazziotti Gillan, who serves as director of both the creative writing program and the Binghamton Center for Writers. Gillan recounted how during their workshops, McNaugher would contribute with biting, witty comments and then read a poem she wrote, blowing everyone away. She described McNaugher’s writing as a “feisty balance of passionate intensity.”
McNaugher’s time in the classroom very much affected her writing, but working in the Glenn G. Bartle Library gave her a “transformative, spiritual experience,” as she spent long hours in Bartle’s stacks among novels and poetry by some of English literature’s greats. She also spent time with then-graduate student and current BU cinema professor Chantal Rodais, who she described as her only friend during her five years here. The two took a course on Walter Benjamin together and often ended up at Binghamton’s Spot Diner, chain-smoking and discussing that day’s lecture.
Today, both McNaugher and White teach in higher education and edit literary journals. McNaugher teaches at Chatham University and edits poetry for Fourth River, while White teaches at Ithaca College and edits fiction for Green Mountains Review. Though their personal writing time is limited, both authors agreed that they try to take advantage of every opportunity to write, especially in the classroom when their students respond to assigned writing prompts. Sometimes, they even find themselves writing about their own students.