The art of fiction rests in the writer\u2019s ability to create real from the imagined. For Jason Ockert, professor of creative writing in CCU\u2019s Department of English, the blank page was an open invitation for such exploration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen I was a kid and I first started writing, I discovered that I could create anything that I wanted,\u201d said Ockert. \u201cI had all of the control and authority. That helped me counterbalance the lack of control I had over the adult-centered \u2018real\u2019 world. I still find solace in the autonomy that\u2019s afforded me in fiction. It helps beat back the chaos.\u201d At times, fiction can lead us to the greatest truths, not only about ourselves, but those that rest in the world around us as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ockert scrapes the surface of those truths in his latest work. Ockert will hold a reading and discussion of his newest collection, Shadowselves, <\/em>on March 3 as part of the Words to Say It series, sponsored by the Department of English.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I still find solace in the autonomy that\u2019s afforded me in fiction. It helps beat back the chaos.”<\/p>Jason Ockert<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Shadowselves<\/em> is Ockert\u2019s third collection of short fiction stories. Mostly comprised of previously published work between 2017 and 2020, Shadowselves <\/em>roots its characters in places where Ockert has lived: the Midwest, the Northeast, the South, and the Twilight Zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe stories are inhabited by characters who are stepping dangerously close to an edge they cannot see,\u201d said Ockert. \u201cAlthough the stories are dark, they are not jaded. The characters are wounded, but they\u2019re not broken. I make room for hope in these stories.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ockert notes the relationship in his stories between the threat of darkness and the desire for something greater. \u201cThe thing about a shadow is that it\u2019s born from light,\u201d said Ockert. \u201cI think it\u2019s important to figure out where that light is coming from in our lives. What gives our days purpose? Who brightens our mornings? How are we treating our better selves? I want my readers to engage with these questions as they move through the book.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n While writing had played a large role in Ockert\u2019s entire life, it wasn\u2019t until his MFA program at Syracuse that he found a passion for teaching. \u201cAlthough it was very intimidating at first,\u201d he said, \u201cI soon found that I loved talking with students about writing. It was then, as it is now, a privilege to witness young writers discover a passion for stories.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ockert continues to teach fiction at the undergraduate and graduate levels, finding fulfillment and engagement in both. \u201cI treat all of my students\u2014from intro classes through master\u2019s classes\u2014as individuals,\u201d he says. \u201cEvery writer approaches narrative uniquely, and it\u2019s my job to identify strengths and weaknesses and to push the student to discover new ways to improve their writing. \u2018Talent\u2019 is not taught, but exposing students to a range of styles and craft techniques can help them refine their own literary aesthetics. I find that I learn a tremendous amount about writing from my students. I am very grateful to be around so many creative and inspired writers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Be sure to attend the reading on March 3 to hear Ockert read the first story in his collection, \u201cGolden Vulture.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The art of fiction rests in the writer\u2019s ability to create real from the imagined. For Jason Ockert, professor of creative writing in CCU\u2019s Department of English, the blank page was an open invitation for such exploration. \u201cWhen I was a kid and I first started writing, I discovered that I could create anything that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1127,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[114],"tags":[118,106],"class_list":["post-1117","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english-corner-faculty-voices","tag-author","tag-creative-writing"],"yoast_head":"\n