University of Minnesota – Duluth students in David Beard’s Minnesota Writers class interviewed local writers and wrote spotlight articles that we will showcase in the coming months.
There’s a few moments in life where you can see what could be. I had one such valuable moment when I got to sit down with Rebecca Boyle, professor at the University of Minnesota of Duluth in the English, Linguistics, and Writing Studies department. Fittingly enough, we started our talk about much the same, for there’s another writer named Rebecca Boyle, whose name gets confused with UMD’s Boyle in a Google search. She tells me they feel like alter egos. I learned a great deal from her journey so far, and about where she plans to go next.
Growing up in Maine and the New England area, she came to the Midwest 15 years ago, arriving at the writers workshop at the University of Iowa, one of the most prestigious programs of its kind in the country. Her career has led her path, after spending some years in Iowa city, her and her partner came to Duluth, at first teaching at Fond Du Lac Tribal and Community College, before eventually settling down at UMD, going on 12 years at the school.
“There are always barriers to trying to find time to write. But I think that I didn’t figure out how to write consistently until probably, like two years ago, I started a practice that was really consistent.” It was a harrowing realization. Does it really take that long to be that consistent? As a writer myself, I felt there was much to be learned from her, as I was hearing what I hear in myself and every other writer I know. “I would just…in a burst of, like a writing burst and then I wouldn’t write for a really long time… it was kind of up and down for so long. And so for about two years-ish, I’ve finally figured out how to write a poem every week or two.”
It was hard for her to finish, it wasn’t hard to write, but setting those personal deadlines really helped. “I struggled so much with just being like, okay, I’m going to write in this silent room, at this time everyday.”
Material would build up, especially during her days at Iowa, where the landscape and its myths would flow into her work. Without even thinking about it, Iowa would appear in her writings and poetry, a pattern that would continue as she made her home in Duluth. Name dropping, mentions of Super One, things she sees mostly as only recognizable to her, that subtle Minnesotan humility. In talking about her works, her thought process in poetry came up.
“How can I have a poem be dynamic and alive, and a little unwieldy, and maybe even a little bit strange and absurd. How do I have it leap without it leaping too far outside of itself?”
I see the patterns of her journey as I begin my own journey in writing, and although teaching isn’t the goal for me, Rebecca certainly sold it to me as a potential path, one filled with joy and fulfillment.
“Even though sometimes I’m like, wouldn’t it be awesome if my whole life was just writing all the time…But I think for me, it’s actually really good and helpful to be teaching and writing at the same time…I can go to class and I get to see the amazing things that people write.”
She described it to me as a dialogue, which couldn’t feel more accurate. As writers, we know how difficult and crazy this path can be, a sentiment she expressed, so having a space she can attend everyday with fellow writers, younger and older, seemed invaluable to her. Even this interview felt like a microcosm of that idea. Here were two writers, gathered to speak about writing and the writing experience and journey, and it was incredibly empowering.
Any of us dedicated to our specific craft has some part of us that wishes they could do that craft all day, every day, exclusively, but speaking with professor Boyle reminded me yet again of the power of community. No writer is free of the influence of others, and the best writers are often those who listen to any story, any writer, any creative, and find some valuable lesson to be learned or taught.
Born and raised in Duluth, Minnesota, Lucas Powell is a writer, author, artist, and multimedia producer. With a deep love of storytelling, he enjoys exploring the technical, artistic, and philosophical intricacies of stories and their impacts on individuals and society. When not writing fantasy, fanfiction, or media analysis, he loves playing video games, cosplaying and exploring the world. He lives at home with his family, dog, and two cats.
