Arizona Arts Commission Residency Roster :Judith Clayton Van

ARTIST STATEMENT

In Mystery and Manners, Flannery O'Connor quotes St. Cyril of Jerusalem, who in instructing catechumens, wrote: "The dragon sits by the side of the road, watching those who pass. Beware lest he devour you. We go to the Father of Souls, but it is necessary to pass by the dragon. No matter what form the dragon may take, it is of this mysterious passage past him, or into his jaws, that stories of any depth will always be concerned to tell." William Faulkner in his speech accepting the Nobel Prize says it another way. He says stories should be about "the old verities and truths of the heart, the old universal truths lacking which any story is ephemeral and doomed--love and honor and pity and pride and compassion and sacrifice."

My writing is about those passages past the dragon. It is in those narrow passages that love conflicts with honor, and pity wars with pride. I am interested in literature that sets the reader amid one of those narrow passages, and provides a lamp for him to carry on his journey past the dragon.

You may think, 'that's pretty heavy stuff to be dishing out to students'.  And that's what I thought too before I became immersed in teaching. What I've found from the workshops and courses I've completed is that children are very familiar with the passages past the dragon. They live with conflict and some even with terror, and learning to write about their challenges, using their creativity to solve problems within the stories helps them to solve problems in their lives. If they can solve the problems for their characters, they can find hope for solving their own dilemmas. And they learn to write well when they are writing about things that vitally concern them. They attend to the detail.

My work with the children nourishes me because it takes me back to the time in my life when my creative imagination and powers were forming. Through their eyes I see a new worlds again and again, and it keeps me fresh, humbled, and hopeful.

Biographical Information:

I write to find balance and describe my place in the world, to explore the boundary between truth and fact, and reveal the way these sometimes opposite perceptions shape character and creativity. I play with imagination, promoting the power and clarity derived from the process of creation, whether the form be writing, drawing, acting or dancing.

Raised on a ranch in Oregon, I spent summers traveling with rodeos, winters at Mrs. Poole's Dance Studio. Since, I've collaborated with many artists including local and national poets, writers and visual artists, as well as nationally known recording artists.

At A.S.U. while completing an M.F.A. in Creative Writing, I taught the Community Writers Workshop, and was Fiction Editor of Hayden's Ferry Review. I've written novels and screenplays and have taught classes in both forms. I've recently created a class for "Writer's Voice" entitled "From Root to Flower: Image and Story in Family History." I have taught creative writing and composition since 1990.

Drawing and my commitment to releasing the "whole image" led me to writing. I've shown drawings in Arizona and Oregon and have a B. F. A. in Studio Art.

My articles, stories and photos have appeared in Hayden's Ferry Review, and Zone magazine. I am currently working on a novel.

References:

Prof. Alberto Rios: Former Chair, Dept. of Creative Writing, ASU (480)  965-3800 (office)

Prof. Ron Carlson: Former Chair, Dept. of Creative Writing, ASU  (480) 965-7476 (office)

Salima Keegan:  Managing Editor, Hayden's Ferry Review, ASU (480)  964-1234  (office)

A further note here about administrative issues of residencies: My background as a teacher and in business has been helpful in planning, organizing and working with the teachers, school administrators and parents to complete successful residencies. When a school inquires about my availability I return their calls promptly and we talk a little about a project they are interested in. Sometimes its obvious from the telephone conversation that we can't work together, perhaps because of time conflicts or other variables. If I can, I try to assist them in finding another artist. Often this "getting to know each other" stage is short and much of the discussion takes place over the phone, by email, or fax. After I discover their needs and interests, I send materials from projects I've completed and submit a written synopsis of a possible project.

After the school and I agree to commit and I sign on, we work together to write the grant application. This collaboration is important to a successful residency. When the grant is accepted, the principle, teachers of core classes and any involved parents meet with me and I receive class plans of the semester and additional support materials : sometimes a list of books students will read, a syllabus, class schedules, maps of the school, etc. We go over the grant carefully, and discuss exactly how the residency will proceed, we discuss times and expectations. This too is a vital step. It's important to be flexible , keep in touch with the school and keep communication open. During the residency I do an appropriate in-service meeting with teachers and any interested parents where I bring art/educational materials to share. After the residency I meet with the principle and core teachers and we discuss strengths/ weakness of the residency and I follow up with a note to them and a report to the commission.

Sample Residency Plan: Fourth grade and older.

One: Overview: "What is a story?" Read and write "sudden fiction."

Assignment: create a character. Begin a journal. Write about what you love.

Two: Character. Assignment: Show character in action. Reading: Characters in action, e.g. Madame Bovary at the piano, Huck Finn escaping from the cabin, etc.

Three: Dialogue. Introduce a second character. Have characters interact. What do they say? How do they sound? Listen to taped conversations. Students read each others dialogue.

Four: Point of View. Who is telling your story and why?"

What does your point of view character see? What happens?

Five: How do you end a story? How do you want your audience to feel?
Assignment: Complete the story, give it an ending.

Six: Student reading. Each student chooses a passage or scene of her/his story to read in class. Or class can choose scenes from stories and preform them, either by giving a reading, showing video, or "acting it out".

Seven: Rewriting: "How to edit a story." Assignment: Start a new story.

Eight: Work with the all elements we've discussed ( Review). Discussion of the power of words, of sounds. Tape students as they listen to and/or play music, beat drums, sing a song together. Play the tape back to them. Next play tapes of famous poets reading. Discuss how sounds and rhythm work together with the word to convey meaning. Apply to stories.

Nine: "How details can help your story." When and why one uses detail, when and why to leave it out. Students read examples of their work focusing on character. Students write anonymous love notes to fictional characters.

Ten: Courage and the process of journal writing. Why do you write? What does writing do for you? Using your journal in your creative writing. Class discussion based on the stories in progress.

Eleven: Students bring clean draft of new story. Discuss sentences and how to make them work harder for your story. Revision and Editing workshop.

Twelve: "The habit of writing." The process of art and what it can mean to you. Students may choose to share their material in one of two ways. They may bring materials and make a book or broadside as a final project, or they may read from their journals and/or stories.

This plan can be used to integrate the students own art (drawing, painting, collage) into the process of creating a piece of fiction. They can either create the drawings and tell a story around them, or tell the story and illustrate the story with their drawings. Either way, for children or adults, this is an absorbing project.