All Student Success Letters
Lenna Jawdat
Dear Gotham,
As a teenager, I wrote compulsively. Never mind that it was stream-of-consciousness poetry, riddled with cliché, that I published unedited on livejournal. It was something I did because I had to. In college, I was accepted into an advanced poetry seminar, which boosted, and then promptly shattered, my little 20-year-old ego. According to this professor, my writing was too flowery, there were too many adjectives, and I really should strive to be more like Ginsberg or Kunitz. I finished that class and moved on with my life and did not write a single thing for myself for 12 years.
Then the pandemic hit, and I was alone with myself and my thoughts. I found myself waking up in the middle of the night compelled to freewrite for hours. Eventually, I thought, hey, maybe I should take a class. With everything suddenly online, the world was my oyster, and that’s how I found Gotham.
I started with Kelly Caldwell’s Memoir I class. She was so gentle, walking us through the basics with the knowledge of a veteran author and the kindness of a kindergarten teacher. Then I took Britt Gambino’s Poetry I and II. She was enthusiastic and encouraging, reflecting back to me all the things I enjoyed about my own style. These two instructors taught me to take ownership of my own craft, incorporating what felt helpful, and letting go of the rest. They taught me to trust my own taste. Britt provided prompts that inspired me to write the first poems I’d written since college, and the first poems I ended up submitting to, and getting published in, literary magazines.
With a letter of recommendation from Britt in hand, and bolstered by my time at Gotham, I was accepted into a low residency MFA program in poetry. While there, I wrote my debut book, a blend of poetry and memoir, with a dash of visual art. Right before graduating in 2024, I connected with an agent, who found me a publisher. That book, 70,000, will be out July 7!
I am so grateful for the guidance and encouragement I received while at Gotham. Without it, I may still be a closeted writer, fearful and blocked.
Wishing you all—faculty and students alike—happy writing!
Lenna Jawdat
