Student Responses to The Bridegroom by Ha Jin |
Here you will find a sample of the many encouraging responses to last year's FRP |
| ''It was interesting that he actually knew someone from a company who was actually spreading a disease, like in his
story saboteur. It is awesome how he combines a few life experiences of people he knew to create his own fiction stories.
The lecture as a whole was a great experience for anyone and I feel that we are very lucky to have had such a respected
writer come to our school.'' –Jenna Banyas |
| ''I took a seat up front and spotted Ha Jin sitting in the upper right corner. My heart almost skipped a beat! Here
it was, the man I have been idolizing all summer for his outlook on: life, writing, and style. A celebrity aura
surrounded him and I was simply amazed at the opportunity I had meeting him in a personal context. ... The most important
thing I gathered from Jin was the confidence to accept failure, and to embrace my lifestyle; a lifestyle of writing as if
it were a secret society only I would know about.'' –Brett Haymaker |
| ''As an English major, I found these presentations to be extremely valuable and even inspiring. I appreciated many of
the writing tips that Dr. Jin gave during the reading of his story, "Saboteur." In particular, his advice to "cut a
story in half' and start with the dramatic action struck me as meaningful and noteworthy. Dr. Jin's lectures motivated
me to go home and write more in order to refine my skills. ... Overall, I was very pleased with Dr. Jin's lectures and
felt that it was an enriching experience. I hope to see many more guests of Dr. Jin's caliber at Drexel in the near
future.'' –William Valerio |