Ron Block taught for years at Mid-Plains Community College in North Platte; he moved recently to New Jersey. A few years ago, he read here at Peru State College and was featured a couple years ago at the Nebraska Book Festival held at UNK.
He is, like many of the other writers in our collection, a very gifted teacher and storyteller: the two have a lot in common. And as the introduction to his section notes, he writes both fiction and poetry--and he also works well with Creative Non-Fiction.
Indeed, the pieces in his collection look like stanzas but read very much like paragraphs, though enjambment unites one with another from time to time. So you can view them as prose poems, about which you read last week.
In the main, note how he draws on his personal experience in these very autobiographical creations--Literary NonFiction at its best features its artistic excellence. So read for the details that bring the pieces alive; their reference is the interview, in many respects, in which he talks about his parents.
Consider when you write your own essay ways in which you can also create for your reader a gratifying description of change. Think of how Block's talk about the father's business going bankrupt, for example, suggests a life-changing experience. Nothing earth shattering dominates that small piece; but the story rings with truth, punctuated by the musical potholes.
As for tone, note what Block has to say about the tone and language he uses, a reflection of his "bilingual" upbringing.
His story about his rebellious youth is also of interest: I for one want to read an essay about his biting that kid because Ron had read Dracula: "I had been inspired."
Of equal importance is his refusal in the stories about his parents to become overly sentimental. He is careful. As he notes, "When you have two parents who are going through dementia, there are a lot of things that are just plain funny, and you are not laughing because of a coping mechanism, you are laughing because it's just funny" (154).
As I suggest in this week's notes, you can write about a change that you did not enjoy, but you will want to suggest as well the positive nature of the experience, just as Block finds humor in what might otherwise be tragic.
Like so many of the authors in our book, Block has a close connection with Kloefkorn. But what he has to say about Hayden Carruth is also of considerable interest for appreciating Block's work and for making your own writing more emphatic.
Carruth, Block notes, taught him the truth about metaphors: they tell a lie. However, they can also, if used well, reveal further the truth. Now, I have asked you to experiment with figural language; and Carruth's warnings and what Block learned from him connect well with what you all try to accomplish this term:
to appreciate how to use poetic language to achieve a desired effect and not just because figural language is part of creative writing.
While "metaphor always involves a distortion of the truth," they also if used well provide an insight into the truth.
And finally, Block's comments about teaching poetry appeal to me, perhaps especially to me, this entire matter about grades. I appreciate his frustrations.
This class challenges me in similar ways, for a bad grade can extinguish interest quickly. I try to use the grades to further your enthusiasm for experimenting instead of to dampen your spirits.
To that end, as long as you continue to fulfill the assignments, you will do fine in this class, for effort counts for a lot. Continue to write well and to discuss frequently. And remember that like Ron Block, "I find it very hard to grade creative writing" (157).
Enjoy his creative nonfiction/ prose poems.
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