by Ben Popkin
The theater erupted in laughter as this year’s writer in residence, Hollis Gillespie, smiled from behind her podium. She was talking about her old, rundown neighborhood that she describes in her first book.
“Our crack whores were on crutches,” she said, trying to give a sense of the people walking her streets. The line brought down the house.
Gillespie writes memoirs, has put out three books that are collections of her personal writing, and was this year’s writer in residence. The person who was in charge of bringing Gillespie (and all the other writers) to Lovett was Mr. May-Beaver.
“I first read about her in Creative Loafing, and then I, of course, read her books,” said Mr. May-Beaver, “I wanted her to be memorable and make the audience uncomfortable.”
Mr. May-Beaver got his wish in the title of Gillespie’s first book, which created an uproar of laughter from the students and a quiet stare from some of the administrators. While Mr. May-Beaver stands by all of the writers that he brings into Lovett, he thinks that Gillespie will be among the more memorable writers.
In the assembly, we had the pleasure of listening to Gillespie share her quick wit, funny remarks, and sage advice. She told stories about her life starting from when she was a child. After the assembly, I had the chance to sit down with Ms. Gillespie and get to know a little more about how she writes and who she is.
When I began talking with Gillespie, it felt more like a conversation than an interview. I caught myself talking more than I thought was necessary. I quickly composed myself in the proper journalistic manner. She just laughed. This showed me her easy going attitude, her good nature, and her wonderful sense of humor.
That was the thing that got my attention: her sense of humor. Most of the writers that come to Lovett can have some trouble connecting with the student body, much less making them laugh. Gillespie, however, had the entire theater (with the exception of some administrators) clapping along with her.
“She was hilarious!!” said an excited Jessica Martin.
Mai Bui thought that “she was really witty. I loved her descriptions of everything.”
Another word that was used to describe Gillespie was “phenomenal,” given to us by Ross Pope. That response reflected the general opinion of most of the high school students.
Ms. Gillespie had the art of humor down to a science.
“I used to go alone to comedy clubs and deconstruct the comedians’ jokes,” Gillespie said. “When you say something normal in an absurd voice it’s funny, and when you say something absurd in a normal voice, it’s funny.” This is true of her writing, too.
Gillespie says her skewed sense of humor is much like her mother’s, who is a common source of humor in her writing. She describes her mom as a klepto bomb-maker with aspirations to be be a cosmetologist. And then there’s her father. She refers to him as a drunken, often unemployed, trailer salesman. But there are few people in her life that don’t play a role in her personal reflections. Like the aforementioned street walkers on crutches.
It turns out that people really enjoyed reading about the people in her life and her experiences.
Hollis Gillespie is the back page columnist for Atlanta Magazine. While her articles are humor pieces, they almost always have a more serious theme as well. Sure, we get a laugh from her mom’s shenanigans, but we also get a sense of her mother’s struggle to be a single mom, to make a home, and to own her own life.
She also uses humor to convey her opinion. She uses The Daily Show as an example of how this works. This “news” program uses humor to show its democratic viewpoint. Once someone is disarmed by laughter, they are more likely to listen to what is said.
“I tell you something because it’s funny then I tell you what I want you to know.”
So she can produce funny and meaningful stories, but how does she write? What environment does she put herself in order to get her creative juices flowing? She told me five steps that help her write.
1) “Get away from the internet.” If she is on the internet while she is writing, nothing gets done. Many Lovett students have found the internet a problem while trying to focus.
2) Television also gets in the way when Ms. Gillespie tries to get her writing done.
3) Be a little uncomfortable. Hollis cannot write while she is comfortable. If she tries to write in her bed, she will fall asleep. She will actually go out of her way to make herself uncomfortable. The house she writes in is filled with things that are too small.
4) “Counting Crows makes me write,” says Hollis, “I like it really loud to drown out all other voices.” Music is important to her when she writes. It helps keep distractions at bay. If you have a song playing, you won’t focus on the extraneous noises. Having music also helps you think about experiences and think creatively.
5) “Coffee,” the last item on the list. Hollis is hardly seen without a cup of coffee in her hand. In fact, she had multiple refills during our interview.
While she takes these steps to keep herself awake and focused, being distracted is not the only thing that gets in the way. Gillespie has to be sure that she doesn’t keep herself from writing for fear of what other people might think.
“You don’t want to pasteurize your expression,” she said, “Your voice is valuable.”
Having Hollis Gillespie for Lovett’s writer in resident turned out to be more entertaining than anyone had anticipated. She was funny and informative. She took the students at Lovett into her work, and did not just blandly read an article, short story, or chapter from a book. It will be hard for other speakers to follow what Gillespie brought to the table this year.
And now I will end with the wise words Hollis Gillespie used to end her presentation. “Don’t smoke.”
(Photo by P. McIntyre)
