Show Contest proves successful for college instructor Kathryn Jones Contributing Writer Lynn Kilpatrick is an avid writer By the time she was in the grade Kilpatrick wrote stories and poems Read a portion of Kilpatrick's The Cages with enthusiasm and says she could even write plays She and her sisters would act them out in the basement Kilpatrick who won first place in the Utah Utah Arts Council Original Writing Competition in September for her short story collection collection collection tion The Infinite le Cages was recently awarded 1000 for her efforts Currently Kilpatrick teaches English 1010 and 2700 Introduction to Critical Theory and nd plans planson on teaching Imaginative Writing and Fiction Writing in the future She began teaching at this fall and has previously taught at atthe atthe atthe the University of Utah and Western Washington University finishing her PhD Ph.D. in Creative Writing in May of 2004 along with her dissertation entitled In the House which later evolved into the collection she entered into the contest Both her original and current current current cur cur- rent titles focus on women and domestic situations The stories are a mix of fiction fiction fiction fic fic- fic- fic tion experimental and essay For the contest Kilpatrick changed the title and added a afew afew afew few additional stories to her original manuscript Although a typical collection collection collection tion averages about 10 stories stories stories sto sto- ries The Infinite Cages runs much shorter pieces about 30 stories in all My favorite thing in writing writing writing writ writ- ing short stories is that I can write in one sitting Kilpatrick said suggesting that a shorter manuscript is much easier to go back to and revise She also enjoys the element of surprise when she can return to her story and discover something in it she hadn't even remembered writing To me that's what's fun she said But more than her own writing has surprised her Im always fascinated by bythe bythe bythe the things the students write sh she said There are a lot of different perspectives perspectives perspectives per per- in stories That's interesting But individual perspective isn't the only thing Kilpatrick wants for her stu stu- stu- stu dents She believes that pushing her students to write something something something some some- thing they may not write on their own is a good way to get them out of their comfort zone For me it was always like Id I'd write the same kinds of things I liked it when people gave me different assignments I think it helped me And while beginning writers writers writers writ writ- ers may find that they are sensitive to criticism Kilpatrick feels any writer wishing to publish should not only be willing to revise they should be willing to throw things away the really difficult thing for people she said They write something and they think Oh its it's not good goodnow goodnow goodnow now but I can make it into something good when the truth is some writing is just homework practice Some things will never be good enough for publication and that's okay according to Kilpatrick because even those things you dont don't publish publish publish pub pub- lish help you to become a better writer For some writing is cult For others they come into class with their writing skills intact In either case Kilpatrick believes she has a responsibility to teach her students something I want to give them more tools not only to become a better writer but a better thinker and better able to function in a college setting setting setting set set- ting she said Kilpatrick is currently inthe in inthe inthe the process of editing her short story collection for publication i c tr t r t 4 s i. i f i r aJ I hi j rV T f r f rif r Y ya c. c r Y Kilpatrick takes responsibility for making sure her students learn something |