Like many people here I was first introduced to the Kelly Writers House by Al Filreis, who was at the time (in 1996) my professor in English 88, "Modern and Contemporary American Poetry." The Writers House, then in its first and mostly imagined incarnation seemed to be an embellished study lounge for literary minded people. It has since become not only the center, but the heart of my Penn education.

Through readings, public conversations and diners; students and other members of the Penn community have had the opportunity to meet and talk with eminent writers, but with the advent of this fellowship the opportunity for new intimacy has been created. In previous years spending five minutes with your favorite author after a reading was a treat, but undergraduates will now have the chance to spend an entire semester in a seminar with some of the most distinguished writers of contemporary literature.

In the Writers House Fellows seminar this semester the newness of this kind of class was readily apparent through our questions. We wanted to know how Mr. Talese could have infiltrated the mob and how he was able to explore the personal lives of adulterous married couples and write their stories using their real names. We wanted to know if he wore a three piece suit to the construction site while writing "The Bridge." We were and still are hungry for the first hand, for the primary source. As a senior English major I have been wonderfully spoiled by having many of my professors be the foremost scholars on their subject, and being able to read their criticism while in their classes, but this fellowship takes that familiarity a step further by putting us into direct contact with the author.

As a senior with intentions to write after graduation, this fellowship has further implications. In general, writers are not privileged with on-campus recruiting and our job paths are rarely clear, so the interaction with a writer of Mr. Talese's stature and his encouragement that we try to publish is something rare and quite valuable. This seminar gives us a glimpse of what is potential in our future in a truly warm community environment, one that I will greatly miss in the years to come.