McNeese State University - Log Yearbook (Lake Charles, LA)

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Fil — Gar Filo, Kathleen C. — Moss Bluff, Sr. Fisher, Mark B. — Lyons, KS, Sr. Fittz, Karen S. — Westlake, Sr. Fitzgeral d, Julie A. — DeQuincy, Sr. Flow, Thomas C. — Lake Charles, Sr. Fondel, Troy L. — Lake Charles, Sr. Fontenot, Anita M. — DeQuincy, Sr. Fontenot, Brian S. — Reeves, Sr. Fontenot, Elizabeth A. — Ville Platte, Sr. Fontenot, Joan G. — Lake Charles, Sr. Fontenot, Karen D. — Lake Charles, Sr. Fontenot, Kaye D. — Lake Charles, Sr. Fontenot, Mandy F. — Mamou, Sr. Fontenot, Matthew — Cameron, Sr. Fontenot, Paul S. — Lake Charles, Sr. Fontenot, Reed A. — Lake Charles, Sr. Fontenot, Sandra E. — Ville Platte, Sr. Fontenot, Sharon G. — Westlake, Sr. Fontenot, Stella A. — Lake Charles, Sr. Ford, Paul A. — Ragley, Sr. Ford, Stephen L. — Lake Charles, Sr. Foreman, Ginger — Lake Charles, Sr. Forest, Jerry J. — Lake Charles, Gr. Forester, James L. — Eunice, Sr. Forsyth, Molly S. — Lake Charles, Sr. Foster, Sherrill F — Lake Charles, Sr. Fournet, Anne M. — Indonesia, Sr. Fournet, Mark K. — Kinder, Gr. Foux, Rebecca S. — Crowley, Sr. Fowler, Dianne L. — Lake Charles, Sr. Fowler, Robert J. — Westlake, Gr. Fowlkes, Terrone H. — Lake Charles, Sr. Fralick, Doris A. — Lake Charles, Sr. Francis, Leslie N. — Hamphill, TX, Sr. Francois, Michelle M. — St. Martinville, Sr. Franklin, William A. — Westlake, Sr. Franks, Cynthia W. — DeQuincy, Sr. Frederick, Cynthia F. — Jennings, Gr. Fredericks, Deanna — Lake Charles, Sr. Fruge, Jacqueline E. — Jennings, Sr. Fullington, Gerald S. — Lake Charles, Sr. Fullington, Lisa D. — Lake Charles, Sr. Gafford, Patricia M. — Sulphur, Sr. Gafford, Peggy H. — Boyce, Gr. Gain, Phyllis A. — Lake Charles, Sr. Gallien, Christine — Lake Charles, Sr. Galloway, Steven C. — Lake Charles, Sr. Garber, Glenda S. — lota, Sr. Garcia, Lisa D. — lowa, Sr. Seniors Graduates 215

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To become a serious writer, it not only takes practice, but according to Sydney Lea, it also takes A Natural Talent ‘Talent is very hard to diagnose, ' said poet Sydney Lea, ‘‘and you really can't tell if you're good until you've written a lot for a long time.” Lea, who also edits The New England Review, was at McNeese last fall to give a public reading of his poetry. Lea has taught literature and instructed creative writing workshops at Dartmouth, Yale, and Middlebury. He is the author of The Floating Candles, Searching for the Drowned Man, and a critical volume enti- tled Gothic to Fantastic: Readings in Su- pernatural Fiction. “You can't write very well, ’ according to Lea, ‘‘unless you've got a lot of talent. That is important.” But anything you do for a long time, you'll get better at, whatever your talent may be. | always felt that per- sistence is as important as talent. ‘The way to teach yourself to write, in addition to reading, Lea said, ‘‘is by writ- ing.” Lea used Wallace Stevens and John Keats to exemplify his point. ‘Wallace Stevens will make you weep with laughter at his early poems; they are just simply embarrassing. Looking at the early writ- ings of Keats is a joke.” Lea feels writing bad poems is a neces- Sary experience. ‘‘Writing bad poems is not a sin. You'll write bad poems; you have to learn to accept them. They're the dogs that you raise in order to have an occasional Burmese cat that comes out. “In the process of writing, however wretched it turns out to be, you're learn- ing something,” ‘‘But any teacher or critic who has the arrogance to say ‘stop’ to a writer would have stopped both Stevens and Keats.” After completing graduate school, Lea began to write seriously. ‘‘l began to write quite furiously; | made time to write every day.’ 214 Seniors Graduates Visiting poet Sydney Lea offered advice on ways to improve writing, but he stressed the point that writing was an inborn talent. (Photo by Smith) “Having been brought up without tele- vision and much in the way of movie houses, we tended to amuse one another by telling stories.” Lea was originally attracted to fiction, but now, spends most of his time writing poetry. ‘In order to get the quality of actual speech in prose, I'd have had to imitate it, and that’s a hard thing to do. It takes a Mark Twain to do something like that suc- cessfully. “In poetry, however,’’ he added, ‘!l might be able to capture the quality of speech without having to imitate it.’ Lea began to write serious poetry at 33, and his first poem was published when he was 34. Lea was on leave from teaching at Middlebury. ‘| have a couple of very pleasant residencies to look forward to.” These include a trip to Italy to complete his third book of poetry and a trip to Ire- land for revision of the work. Lea was at McNeese as a guest of the Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing. His poetry reading marked the conclusion of the semester's offerings.

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Gag Gul Garrison, Cheryl W. — DeQuincy, Sr. Gassiott, William E. — Glenmora, Sr. Gatson, Karl |. — DeRidder, Sr. Gaut, Sibyl R. — Westlake, Sr. Gauthier, Judy A. — Lake Jackson, TX, Sr. Gauthreaux, Thomas L. — Lake Charles, Sr. Gay, David A. — Eureka Springs, AR, Sr. Germany, Timothy L. — Oberlin, Sr. Geyne, Trudy P.'— Lake Charles, Sr. Gillespie, Rhonda L. — Glenmora, Sr. Gillett, Tammy C. — Welsh, Sr. Gilley, Melissa J. — Lake Charles, Sr. Gilzean, Vinette D. — Jamaica, Sr. Girlinghouse, Theresa — Sulphur, Sr. Godfrey, Consuella M. — Kaplan, Sr. Goff, Susan J. — Port Lawaca, TX, Sr. Gonzales, Carolyn A. — Houston, TX, Sr. Goodly, Margaret — Welsh, Sr. Goodly, Robert L. — Lake Charles, Sr. Goodwin, Joseph B. — Merryville, Sr. Graham, Dawn M. — Lake Charles, Sr. Granger, Joey D. — Kinder, Sr. Grandchampt, Roger D. — Sulphur, Sr. Graniel, Pamela A. — Belize, Sr. Graves, Jacqueline L. — DeRidder, Sr. Gray, Cheryl F. — Westlake, Sr. Gray, Thomas G. — Kettle River, MN, Sr. Green, David — Silsbee, TX, Sr. Green, Donna M. — Lake Charles, Sr. Green, Ray H. — Lake Charles, Sr. Green, Teresa D. — Lake Cinarles, Sr. Greene, Laurie L. — Lake Charles, Sr. Greene, Linda M. — Dry Creek, Sr. Greene, Robert C. — Dry Creek, Sr. Greenman, Gerald A. — Crowley, Sr. Greenman, Marie E. — Rayne, Sr. Gregory, James C. — Sulphur, Sr. Griffen, Anthony T. — Ragley, Sr. Griffin, Alice H. — DeRidder, Gr. Grigg, John A. — Lake Charles, Sr. Griggs, Joyce A. — Lake Charles, Gr. Guest, Vicki J. — Lake Charles, Gr. Guidry, Angela D. — Oberlin, Sr. Guidry, Cheryl A. — Sulphur, Sr. Guidry, Chester A. — Sulphur, Sr. Guidry, Harry W. — Lake Charles, Sr. Guidry, Nathaniel H. — Lake Charles, Sr. Guidry, Tammy M. — Rayne, Sr. Guillory, Dale J. — Lake Charles, Sr. 216 Seniors Graduates