During the summer of 2014, Courtney Foll and Dr. Stephanie Selvick followed literary charac-ter and private investigator Eliot Conte through a series of surpris-ing and harrowing circumstances, ranging from the humorous—such as the hanging of a univer-sity provost out a window—to the heart-wrenching—including the murder of his two daughters. Frank Lentricchia’s 2012 The Ac-cidental Pallbearer: An Eliot Conte Mystery Series kick-starts the Eliot Conte series. Conte digs deep into Utica’s political underbelly to uncover ghastly societal issues, including domestic abuse, rape, child abuse, and murder.

Courtney Foll: To begin, why did you choose crime fiction as the genre to represent Utica?

Frank Lentricchia: I had not written crime fiction prior to the Conte series. So, it is not that I “choose” crime fiction to represent Utica in a particular way. I started reading crime fiction seriously about four or five years ago. My wife suggested some Scandinavian

texts. I was very impressed by Scan-dinavian writers and largely unim-pressed by American crime writers.

Scandinavian writers had two things going for them: first, the representation of a crime as an index to something broader and pervasively corrupt. The other thing I enjoyed when reading Scandinavian authors is their sense of the way the past informs the present. The past was not really past—it was alive in the present. I found that American crime writers were too interested in plot. Selling page-turners appeared to be the primary objective—without too much beyond. I admire the read-ability of American crime fiction. But Scandinavians provided me with a model of cultural and social thickness that I liked very much. They showed me that the past has long tentacles that reach into the present. That, in fact, is the theme of the third Conte novel, The Morelli Thing, which focuses on the most famous unsolved murder in Utica’s history and its political underpinnings. Reading Scandi-

navian crime fiction, I wondered if I could write one.

CF: That is very interesting. Do you think there is a reason why American authors do not better utilize the past?

FL: Well, the American myth of history is that we invent our-selves out of nothing. A prime literary example would of course be Jay Gatsby, who invents a new identity for himself. In such a mythology, the weight of the past

Distinguished English alumnus and accomplished novelist and American literary critic Frank Lentricchia, Ph.D. talks to fellow alumna Courtney Foll and Assistant Professor Stephanie

Selvick about the cultural thickness needed to wrestle with unflattering histories in crime fiction.

Interview with Frank LentricchiaInterview by Courtney Foll, Transcript by Stephanie Selvick

EditorDr. Lisa Orr Professor of English

Contributors Courtney Foll

Dr. Gary Leising

Suzanne Richardson

Dr. Stephanie Selvick

Rose Zaloom

The Spectator is published annually by the English Department at Utica College Send correspondence regarding The Spectator to: Dr. Lisa Orr lorr@utica.edu

THE SPECTATOR

Utica College English Department Alumni Newsletter

Fall 2015

Continued on page 2

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presumably doesn’t exist, because there is no past. I obviously don’t believe that, and the great American novelists I was inspired by don’t go for that either: think of William Faulkner for example; or Henry James; or Toni Morrison. These writ-ers provide counter-examples. They write fiction in which history plays a heavy determinative role.

CF: Although you write about a nonfiction place, Utica, is there a point at which Utica begins to transform through your fiction? And, as a follow-up, do you think Utica has something unique to offer crime writing?

FL: Place was very important to me when I was writing these books. Utica is not just a setting; it is a char-acter as well. Not only the city, but even specific addresses were points of inspiration—like where Conte lives. That is a real address: 1318 Mary Street. I grew up at 1303 Mary Street, just down the block from where I position Conte. The configuration of streets around that area in East Utica plays a significant role. The restau-rants and cafes named in the novels, for instance, are actual, and they pro-vide a basis for East Utica’s cultural ambiance. The East side of Utica in its particularity is a huge reality for me. My imagination and memory are rooted in that area. In wanting to give readers a sense of a real place, this was what I knew best.

CF: Were there places you also invented?

FL: Yes, not every location is non-fiction in the Conte series. The Gay Martini Bar on Varick Street, for instance; I made that up. I wanted to invent the Gay Martini Bar be-cause—well, there was this joke told. Conte says to the young woman who is bartending: “Is this strictly a gay bar?” And she says back: “There is no more strictly.”

I needed a place for Conte, the recovering alcoholic, to go. When

he is under duress, he goes to a bar on Varick Street. In that scene this young woman talks Eliot out of drinking; well, she doesn’t talk him out of drinking per se. Her presence, and the way that she deals with him, causes Eliot to pull back and get a hold of himself. He is grateful for that and for her. In the second novel of the trilogy, The Dog Killer of Utica, she plays a role in his life when she reports that she is being abused by her boyfriend, who is also the owner

of the bar. CF: So, you’re saying that East

Utica as a region has played a largely nonfiction role in your work, but that certain places were invented for the sake of plot?

FL: The basis of my fictional world is Utica: ethnic Utica of a political kind. Silvio Conte, Eliot’s father, is inspired by a famous Utica political boss, who shall not be named here.

But, returning to your question on plot, I’m not interested in plot when I begin writing. I am forced to think about plot. You can’t write a crime novel without a plot. But I never have a plot in advance. I have a sense

of character, and I discover plot as I move along. At a certain point, I begin to see an unfolding plot. But I do not, and I never want to, im-pose it from the outside. I want the plot to feel organic. If language and character cause me to see things in plotted terms, then I begin imagin-ing where the plot will go.

CF: Thank you so much for talk-ing with us today. Wrapping up, I was wondering if you have any advice for current students in the English program at Utica College. Did you have any favorite classes when you attended?

FL: I hope that students believe that studying literature and writing about it clearly will equip them to do many things aside from teaching English in high school.

I loved my American literature courses, of course. English romanti-cism was also very important to me. I had wonderful classes in philoso-phy that helped me think through literature in new ways. But it was the teachers in particular who were in-spiring. They conveyed a passion and devotion that made a big impact and inspired me to want to teach English at the college level.

Courtney and Stephanie eagerly await the publication of the third novel, The Morelli Thing, due out Summer 2015 from Melville House, and (rumors say) a fourth Conte novel is in the works. We hope you join us by reading The Accidental Pallbearer (2012) and The Dog Killer of Utica (2014).

Courtney Foll earned her B.A. in Adolescent Education and English from Utica College in 2014. She is currently earning her M.A. in Literacy at the State University of New York at Cortland. She is a member of Sigma Tau Delta Interna-tional English Honor Society, as well as the Kappa Delta Pi International Honor Society in Education. She is thrilled to announce that she was recently certified to teach English in New York State.

Frank Lentricchia Continued from page 1

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How I Rewrote the Gender Rulebook by Playing Tennis and Wearing Pants

Rose Zaloom ’16

Most of society imposes a system that leaves many people unable to safely express themselves. Early in life, I discovered that social institutions, like athletic establishments and schools, can use gender codes in ways that severely limit expression.

Alice Dreger, PhD., is a professor at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University who researches clinical medical humanities and bioethics. In her 2009 New York Times article, “What’s the Rulebook for Sexual Verification,” Dreger reveals that biological deviations from the standard gender binary have caused problems for many athletes, and no resolution for these issues has been instated. Similarly, Katrina Karkazis, a senior researcher at the Center for Biomedical Ethics at Stanford University, and Rebecca Jordan-Young, an associate professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Barnard College, analyze champion middle-distance South African runner Caster Semenya and the gender testing she was forced to undergo after her 2009 win at the Berlin World Championships. Their article, “The Trouble with Too Much T,” illuminates gender as a social category that cannot be accurately tested. They explain that Caster Semenya was accused of being a man masquerading as a woman to gain an unfair competitive advantage, and was forced to undergo an investigation to determine her gender. This series of events notably took place only after she won. Unfortunately, the I.A.A.F. (International Association of Athletics) has no comprehensive policy through which gender can

be consistently determined and, as Dreger argues, “is relying on unstated, shifting standards.” While the I.A.A.F claims that gender-testing protects female athletes from males masquerading as females to win, the results appear wholly punitive against exceptional female athletes.

An endocrinologist, gynecologist, and psychologist were called in to declare Semenya’s gender officially, and yet even they could not agree (Karkazis and Jordan-Young). Conventional thought dictates that if a fetus has XX chromosomes, she is female, and if a fetus has XY chromosomes, he is male, because the Y chromosome contains the SYR gene, which causes the fetus to grow as male. Dreger, however, contests the simplicity of this assumption. For instance, she explains that:

[e]ven an XY fetus with a functioning SRY gene can essentially develop female. In the case of Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, the ability of cells to ‘hear’ the masculinizing hormones known as androgens are lacking. That means the genitals and the rest of the external body look female-typical.In this case, chromosomes

complicate gender’s binary expression. The question remains: How does medical ambiguity translate into gender? More specifically, is it fair or even possible to attempt testing a person’s gender scientifically?

Although Semenya had much more at stake when her gender was questioned, I, too, was punished for my gender during a youth tennis tournament. When I was eleven years old, I entered a local USTA-

sanctioned (United States Tennis Association) tournament. Normally, these tournaments are organized by gender and age, placing me in the twelve-and-under girls’ bracket. Since there were no females in my age bracket, I was guided to play in the twelve-and-under boys’ bracket. I did not care either way. I only knew that I wanted to play tennis and win. I competed in the first two rounds and won both of my matches. At the start of my final match, however, a single point resulted in my gender being used against me. While my opponent was up at net, I executed a groundstroke that hit him in the shoulder. Outraged by this legal shot, his father came barreling onto the court and demanded we stop playing. Confused, we both did as he asked, while the tournament coordinator met this man. This father, no doubt surprised by my aggressiveness, argued that his son could not play as aggressively as he normally would against a girl. He claimed I had an unfair advantage over his son and should be disqualified.

Like Semenya, whose gender was investigated only after she won, my gender was considered advantageous only after I won the point. These two instances suggest that using a binary gender system automatically implies that one gender (usually male) is exclusively superior to the other (usually female.) Despite my parents, my opponent’s father, and the tournament coordinator discussing the issue for what seemed like forever, my gender could not be ignored and my opponent and I were forced to stop the match. In the end, we were both recognized as winners. It certainly did not feel fair to me.

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I wish I could say this was my only experience with institutions policing my personal expression, but it was not. I discovered schools, as well, create rules that encourage and enforce stereotypes that emerge from the gender binary. When I was in the eighth grade, for example, I faced a problem of forced femininity when I received a letter that said, as a “young lady,” I had to wear a black skirt at the All-County concert. The letter threated any female musician who did not obey the dress code with dismissal. I was understandably upset and did not want to wear a skirt. Given the proper body position a trombonist uses, wearing a skirt while playing is difficult and uncomfortable. Although anyone can play any musical instrument, the trombone is often imagined as an instrument that only boys play, and thus the possibility of a female trombonist was likely not considered.

I had decided that I could not excel in my performance if I wore a skirt, and therefore would not wear one. At the same time, I was nervous about being removed from the performance when the conductor saw I did not follow his instructions. To voice my anxiety, my mother called the band chairperson to clarify the situation and tell him I would perform in the concert in dress pants. She was met with hostility. At first, the chairperson rationalized that exceptions to the rule would set a troubling precedent.

In return, my mother quickly pointed out that the rule put female trombone players at a disadvantage. The chairperson—charming as he was—suggested that I should simply get “used to” so-called “proper female attire.” He further claimed that all “respectable” women perform at concerts in skirts, and even went so far as to say that these respectable women are able to wear skirts because they choose to study instruments traditionally played by women.

Jack Halberstam, Ph.D., is a professor of English and Gender Studies at the University of Southern California. His 1998 book, Female Masculinity, is considered “ground breaking” for the new way in which Halberstam questions whether masculinity need be solely associated with those who were assigned male at birth (Halberstam, 2015). Halberstam argues that “female masculinity” is portrayed in popular culture as unacceptable because of the way in which it threatens the belief that only males should have masculinity and therefore power. He proposes that masculinity is more than just sex, it also “represents the power of […] social privilege” (2). I found that when patriarchal privilege is challenged by women, the response is harsh, even if the person is doing so unknowingly. By enforcing all females to become exclusively feminine and to abandon all perceivably “masculine” traits, the

value of femininity is diminished and the privilege often associated with masculinity is celebrated. For instance, despite pants having been a staple in women’s closets for decades, in the arena of this middle school concert, pants were suddenly considered wholly inappropriate. This is a prime example of a gender binary application (i.e. females should do one thing, males should do another) that creates problems for everyone. Despite the gender policing I faced as a young person, I did wear pants to that concert and I did play well.

Dreger, Karkazis and Jordan-Young, and Halberstam allowed me to rethink these childhood experiences and identify an alarming pattern. When an eleven-year-old is forbidden from playing in a tennis tournament, something is wrong. When a dress code punishes a girl for choosing a musical instrument that, according to school officials, does not match her gender, it is clear the imposed system, and not the girl, needs improvement. I am left wondering why the gender binary is automatically accepted. Despite the adversities a strict gender binary caused me, I can happily report that, years later, I still actively pursue both interests. I am co-captain of my college’s tennis team, and trombonist in several bands. I have and will continue to wear pants every time I play.

Works Cited

Dreger, Alice. Alice Domurat Dreger. n.p. n.d. Web. 17 April 2015. ---. “What’s the Rulebook for Sex Verification?” The New York Times. The New York Times Company. 21 Aug. 2009. Web. 26 Aug. 2014.Halberstam, Jack. Female Masculinity. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1998. Print.---. “Comparative Literature Department.” University of Southern California, n.d. Web. 21 April 2015. Karkazis, Katrina, and Rebecca Jordan-Young. “The Trouble With Too Much T.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company. 10 April 2015. Web. 17 April 2015.

Rose Zaloom ’16 has published fiction and poetry in Utica College’s literary journal, Ampersand. She has won Joseph Vogel Awards for both genres. At UC, Rose acts in the theatrical productions, plays trombone in the band, is co-captain of the Women’s Tennis Team, president of the Harold Fredric English Society, president of the English honor society Sigma Tau Delta, vice-president of the UC Honors Association, editor-in-chief of Ampersand, and a member of the Math Club. She is currently pursuing a B.A. in English with a double minor in Theatre and Creative Writing at Utica College.

How I Rewrote the Gender Rulebook Continued from page 3

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Nassar Poetry PrizeGary Leising

On April 16, 2015, Utica College celebrated the third winner of the Eugene Paul Nassar Poetry Prize, presenting the $2,000 award to Suzanne Cleary for her book Beauty Mark. Before the largest crowd as-sembled for any of the prize winners’ readings (so large that we scrambled to bring out extra chairs as the Carbone Family Auditorium filled), Cleary read her accomplished and crafted poems with a pitch perfect delivery, drawing the audience in with a lovely sense of humor. As the prize’s benefactor Steven Critelli ’72 noted, “each poem was enthusiasti-cally received. However, as we were in the midst of great poetry, and not stand-up-comedy, the audience also sensed the elegance of expres-sion, and not just humor, but the poignant comedy of being human, modulated so the spirit takes flight on the wings of words.”

Further praise for Cleary’s work came from the contest judge, poet and memoirist Jane Satterfield, associate professor of writing at

Loyola University Maryland: “Beauty Mark crackles with urbane wisdom and a music all her own. These poems are whip-smart, driven by a perfectly pitched conversational tone that belies an impassioned aesthetic inquiry.” Satterfield, in fact, cited the range of “contemporary life’s amusements” that give Cleary her subject matter: “Shakespeare-in-the-Park, temporary tattoos, [and] a ‘Cheese-of-the-Month Club.’” Cleary, a native of Binghamton, New York, brought in some humor and subject matter that spoke directly to upstate residents in poems such as “Cahoots” or “Anyways” (the latter available, incidentally, on her website www.suzanneclearypoet.com).

After the reading, in addition to presenting the check, Mr. Critelli gave Suzanne Cleary a signed copy of Professor Emeritus Eugene Paul Nassar’s book A Walk Around the Block. During the reception—a rich dessert hospitality hour—she signed many copies of the award-winning book for students, faculty, and other

guests in attendance. Each year, it seems, the celebration of the Nas-sar Prize surpasses the high mark set twelve months earlier.

The following day, Cleary visited my students in the poetry workshop, offering them feedback on their own poems. The students were grateful for the opportunity to receive criti-cism from a different, accomplished voice. One in particular, Elaine Paravati (’15), wrote in a blog on the UC website that she “learned so much from her,” in particular quot-ing Cleary’s comment on her poem, that “In order to embrace the pure silliness of poetry, you’ve got to have nerve.”

The ongoing success—and, I might add, growth—of the Eugene Paul Nassar Poetry Prize is a more-than-fitting way to pay tribute to one of our emeritus faculty, and the English department and Utica College are grateful that Steven Critelli continues to makes this possible, both for UC and for upstate New York poetry.

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2015 Wasserman and DiSpirito Fine Arts Scholarships Awarded to UC Creative Writers

Suzanne Richardson

On Sunday, April 19th , The Office of Student Affairs held its annual Student Recognition Brunch in the Frank E. Gannett Memorial Library Concourse. During the ceremony the Dean of Arts and Sciences, John Johnsen, awarded Wasserman and Dispirito scholarships to Junior English Major Rose Zaloom, Child Psych Life/Liberal Studies Junior Daphne Wiggins, and Communication Arts Senior Kortney Valentine for their exceptional work in creative writing.

The Henry R. & Rose Dispirito Memorial Scholarship is given to a junior or senior with a GPA of 3.00 or higher who has shown promise in an arts area and a great contribution to the community/area of study. Rose Zaloom more than met the criteria for this scholarship with her immense talent in creative writing. The Dean spoke highly of Rose’s work: “She met each genre she encountered with the right attitude and found a particular aptitude in both fiction and poetry. Rose’s willingness to revise her work is above average. These small incremental changes draft by draft have not only proved her dedication to her craft, but they also show her willingness to work a piece and do the hard work of trying to understand a piece more fully, trying to get a piece to its best self. This is the type of work that many graduate students have patience for, but most undergraduates do not,” he added, “Rose is skilled at all the decision-making and creativity that goes into creating an entire fictional world, filling it with characters, and then plotting their moves. Rose was not only was able to do this, but she was also able to make her story give readers questions to ponder:

should we always do what we’re told? What kinds of demands will society put on me when I enter the work force? What am I willing to do for money? What is the value of human life—is it inherently valuable? These philosophical matters were tackled within a ten-page story she wrote, and it’s a feat. It’s often been said that artists do not have to solve problems, they simply have to articulate the problems well—I would say Rose’s work is already articulating problems, already asking a reader to self-reflect. Her fiction is already resonating with life—which is the project of literary fiction to illuminate the real through a beautiful construction.”

The Mary Wasserman Fine Arts scholarship is awarded to students who demonstrate talent in an artistic area and might benefit from furthering their art education. Daphne Wiggins was awarded this scholarship based on her talents in creative nonfiction. The Dean said, “Daphne Wiggins’ writing is special. She goes deep within herself to reimagine her experiences in full scene with dialogue, lovely descriptions, and creative structures that tell stories in unique and challenging ways. Daphne has a natural talent for telling stories and for important details that many would leave out.” The Dean then added, “Daphne took on two points of view in her piece ‘transitions’ a sophisticated and risky move for nonfiction that worked out well. By telling the piece from both her and her boyfriend’s point of view we more fully understand how people fall in love, and it’s clear that to the writer, love is a two person story, not one, which literature often insists, and demonstrates by employing

only one point of view. In her piece ‘Damages’, she recalls a favor gone wrong and the web of events that unfold after her car is part of a crime. The range of subjects and human experience in these pieces that this one writer handles suggests a wisdom and sophistication beyond her years. Recognizing Daphne’s exceptional work in writing at Utica College is recognizing a well-rounded humble talent. Daphne is on a writing journey, and it’s just begun.”

Kortney Valentine was also honored with a Wasserman scholarship. The Dean said, “She has a rare gift in her writing for symbolism—central images to be specific. She knows and understands metaphor at a high level—she uses this to her advantage as an author to strengthen the meaning and drive home emotional content in her work. Kortney’s personal essays are exceptional. All writing is in translation from author, to page, to reader, but Kortney’s translations are more precise than most. Through image she lets her work translate to our hearts and senses, which makes the work immediate, fantastic. Kortney’s essays range in topics from death to the pain and beauty of growing up. Her essays speak to the power of place, and use metaphor expertly. Kortney has worked hard to make her writing beautiful—even beyond that, she’s used art to process painful real-life experiences. This award stands for recognition that others see and appreciate that process of transformation in her work.”

The joyous occasion was topped with friends and family members crowding around the scholarship winners for congratulations, photographs, and a delicious brunch.

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Faculty NewsAssistant Professor Daniel

Cruz presented two papers at the Mennonite/s Writing VII Confer-ence at Fresno Pacific Univiersity in March 2015, “Stephen Beachy’s boneyard, the Martyrs Mirror, and Anabaptist Activism,” and “Reading My Life in the Text: Adventures of a Queer Mennonite Critic.”

Associate Professor Jason Den-man’s “A Shakespeare Allusion in Dryden’s Love Triumphant” is forth-coming in Notes and Queries.

Associate Professor Gary Leis-ing’s The Alp at the End of My Street won the Brick Road Poetry Prize and was published by Brick Road Poetry Press in August 2014. His chapbook of poems, The Girl with the JAKE Tattoo, was published by Two of Cups Press in March 2015. He gave poetry readings at Hamilton College (December 2014), Alfred University (March 2015), SubText Books in St. Paul, MN (April 2015), and the Southern Kentucky Book Festival

in Bowling Green, KY (April 2015). He also is this year’s winner of the Harold T. Clark Award.

Professor Lisa Orr will read from her historical novel Sweatshop Cin-derella at the international Historical Novel Society Conference in Denver, Colorado in June 2015.

Assistant Professor Stephanie Selvick presented a paper at the 57th Annual African Studies Asso-ciation Conference.

Alumni NewsMarlene Janda (English, ’05)

has published a compilation of five volumes of her webcomic, Grayling, available in either print or digital format at Indyplanet: http://www.indyplanet.com/?product=117892.

Marlene is living in Phoenix, Arizona and working at iMemories, a company that digitalizes photos, videos, and other materials.

The Spectator welcomes notices from alumni for future issues.

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