The Bucknellian

Jen Lassen
News Editor

A Teach for America educator-turned-author offered his story about how writing slowly crept into–and later took over–his life.

Jordan Sonnenblick, author of the best-selling book “Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie,” discussed his motivation for becoming an author on Sept. 19 in the Gallery Theatre.

“I tried to find the kid who needed a book in his or her hand that didn’t exist. Every book I’ve written has been that: some way I could hand a kid that book,” Sonnenblick said.

Sonnenblick’s first book was inspired by Emily, one of his eighth-grade English students, who disguised her sorrow over her brother’s cancer diagnosis by giggling her way through every class. He credits teaching as an experience that helped him understand kids and how to write.

“Teaching both as an English teacher and through the Teach for America program led me to have a tremendous compassion for kids. It also made me understand the dynamic of family more. Through teaching I experienced humility from seeing how wrong about a certain kid I was,” Sonnenblick said.

These humbling experiences led Sonnenblick to write not one, but eight novels about kids and teenagers. His writing process for these novels is unlike other authors.

“There’s an element of randomness in my thought process … I write at weird, inopportune times; I’m the least disciplined writer in America,” Sonnenblick said. “If I don’t write 1,000 words in a day, I’m dissatisfied.”

He also discussed how having a plan will not always lead you the right way.

“Even though you think you have a road map, you find out stuff through character interaction while writing,” Sonnenblick said.

Sonnenblick credits his high school creative writing teacher and Pulitzer Prize winner Frank McCourt for kindling his interest in authorship.

However, Sonnenblick’s interest didn’t exactly start there. He spoke of a childhood friend named BJ that asked Sonnenblick at age three what he wanted to be when he grew up, to which Sonnenblick responded that he wanted to write a book.

“At first, I felt elated and horrified about becoming a professional writer. I feared that the next idea wouldn’t come,” Sonnenblick said.

When “Drums, Girls, & Dangerous Pie” was published, Emily’s mother called Sonnenblick to give him her thoughts on his book.

“She called me and told me ‘you got it right.’ That’s when I found my purpose in life,” Sonnenblick said.

A big part of Sonnenblick’s authorship is utilizing humor in his books, and his sense of humor was evident throughout the speech.

“My wife has to talk to me like I’m a brain-damaged toddler the week after I write a book; she even stoops down a little bit to get my attention,” Sonnenblick said.

“Sonnenblick’s speech was interesting. He’s very personal, which I liked. I’m interested in reading his other books,” Morgan Houchins ’16 said.

Whether you plan on teaching or curing cancer, Sonnenblick’s advice is gold: be ready, because you never know where the path may lead you.

 

Caroline Schaeffer
Writer

On Sept. 15, Campus Activities & Programs (CAP) hosted a school-wide “countrified” Fall Fest on the Sojka Lawn, featuring performances by Tyler Hilton, Gloriana and Jack Ingram. Fall Fest was held from 1 to 6 p.m. and included a variety of different events, such as old time photos, a ferris wheel, a mechanical bull and an obstacle course. A southern dinner with mac ‘n cheese and sloppy joes was also included.

“Fall Fest is a really nice opportunity for the whole school to bond as a community with cool and fun activities offered that students can actually enjoy, and some good food,” Amelia Romero ’16 said.

It was cloudy and breezy when the crowds started to gather at the festival around 1:30 p.m., and many were wearing their most “countrified” cowboy boots, jeans and plaid shirts. Musical entertainment was provided by student band “Colin and the Hassels,” who performed popular country songs like “Wagon Wheel” and “Shake It For Me” for the early crowd.

Booths were set up all around the lawn, and students had a variety of different options when it came to entertainment. The mechanical bull and “Rattlesnake Run” obstacle course provided more physical forms of entertainment for students, while the old time photos, bracelet-making station and tie-dyeing station offered students a creative and fun way to bring home a souvenir from the festival.

The sun came out around the same time as the day’s first performer, Tyler Hilton. Hilton, 28, who is known for his role as Chris Keller on “One Tree Hill,” engaged the crowd in some playful banter and performed many of his most popular songs, including “Jenny Turn Around” and “Prince of Nothing Charming.” Hilton concluded his performance around 3:15 p.m., but stuck around afterwards to take photos with fans.

A large crowd began to gather around the stage at about 3:30 p.m., when Gloriana, a country music group from Tennessee, was set to perform. They opened with one of their main hits, “Wild at Heart.” The lead singer Rachel Reinert, encouraged cheering from the crowd throughout the band’s performance. They ended with their highest charting single “Kissed You Goodnight,” which has now sold over 800,000 copies.

A lot of students seemed to enjoy this year’s change in music for Fall Fest.

“I like the choice of country music for the festival’s theme. It was a fun idea,” Xander Vining ’14 said.

The festival began to wind down around 5 p.m. when country rock singer Jack Ingram performed to finish the day off. Ingram performed a number of upbeat country rock songs for the crowd. During his performance, students lounged on the grass and enjoyed the day’s weather with friends. The festival ended at 6 p.m., and with the kickoff of fall already under their belts, students were ready to return to their daily lives, perhaps a little more countrified than they had been before.