The Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop - Aliaih Peterson

For two weeks this summer, I participated in The Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop. On June 26, I awoke with the sun and looked forward to my trip. However, after going though several doors and metal detectors and finally boarding the plane to Columbus, I realized that the difference between getting to Gambier, OH (via Columbus) and staying in DC meant conquering what had become one of my greatest fears: flying.

After sitting through major turbulence in a plane that never quite seemed to level out, it all became worth it once I was in the clouds. Once I was in the clouds, there was no more fear or nervousness. I didn’t know it then, but I would later come to realize that this plane was taking me away from a nightmare and
towards a greater reality.

After an hour and a half plane ride, I arrived at Kenyon, a quaint little campus intertwined in the city of Gambier. As my feet grazed the pavement, I began to look around and soon realized that my time at Kenyon mirrored my life at SEED. Once again, I was a stranger among strangers which would have been a bad thing except for three reasons: I was in a place where the people were pleasant, where drama never seemed to reach extreme heights, and I was in a place where
I was valued and respected.

Participating in The Young Writers Workshop gave me confidence in my writing and in myself. The Workshop submerged me in the world that I knew existed, but could never visit. The Workshop gave me a first hand view of college life and gave me something to look forward to in college: the chance to exist in a space among strangers and flourish.

By participating in The Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop , I was able to explore my writing and that of others. I am truly humbled, and enjoyed meeting the incredible Jerks of Ascension Room 114, a group of incredibly talented, wonderful people. Participating in The Kenyon Review Young Writers Workshop is an experience that I am grateful for and
will always remember.