Dennis Fulgoni

“… During the last year, I’ve had many rewarding and enriching experiences in the MFA program at Antioch University Los Angeles. I have worked with such talented mentors as Leonard Chang, Susan Taylor-Chehak, and Steve Heller. Each mentor has taught me something meaningful and essential about my writing. Thanks to my wonderful teachers, and my talented fellow students, I feel I have grown as a writer, a reader, and a person. Truly, this last year has been spectacular. But if I had to name one moment from my experience at Antioch University so far that has had the most profound effect on me, it would have to be the reading I gave last spring for Literary Uprising.

To prepare for the reading, I had to whittle down a 22 page story to less than 12 pages to meet the time limit (15 minutes). A daunting process, to be sure, but one which taught me a great deal about what is essential in a piece of fiction and what can be tossed out. I practiced reading to my wife, son, and cats so often, I eventually could no longer read the story without feeling nauseous.

Unfortunately, the unsettling feeling in my stomach was not limited to this over-exposure to my fiction. As the reading was during the work week, only one of my friends could make it, and my wife could not attend because she had to stay home and watch our son. The thought of reading to an audience of complete strangers increased my mounting anxiety. As the date approached, several self-sabotaging thoughts plagued me: What if I’m so nervous my voice cracks throughout the entire reading? What if I lose my place and can’t find it again? Worst of all, what if nobody likes my story?

When I arrived at Antioch University, I saw that there were microphones and video recorders set up to tape the reading. My shame would be on permanent record. Fortunately, there was wine on hand, but even this did little to assuage my fear. When my name was called, I walked up to the podium thinking, well, if this goes over poorly, there’s always law school. But once I began to read, I felt at ease. The audience was receptive and people were actually laughing out loud at the sad plight of my narrator. The audience was really digging it! I focused on the words, and found myself enjoying the process tremendously. And by the time I finished reading, I felt like I was floating three inches off the ground. It was a feeling unlike any I’ve ever experienced. True, it can’t compare with the first kiss I shared with my wife, or the first time I laid eyes on my son, but it’s up there.… ”