Journey Out of the Girls' Room

Some may question the practicality of a liberal arts education, and especially in creative writing, but Thisbe Nissen, OC '94, defeated that stigma with her successful post-Oberlin writing career.

Nissen returned to her alma mater Tuesday for a reading of her most recent work, Out of the Girls' Room and into the Night. This book earned the John Simmons Short Fiction Award, a national competition coordinated by the Iowa Writers' Workshop. The Creative Writing Program, along with the Alumni Association, sponsored Nissen's reading.

After finishing up her creative writing major at Oberlin in 1994, Nissen moved on to the Iowa Writer's Workshop. There she earned her MFA and also received a James Michener-Paul Engle Fellowship in 1998. Nissen's work often focuses on youthful characters and their struggles with love.

Introducing Nissen to the assembled audience in King 106, Creative Writing Program Director Martha Collins proudly noted Nissen's success in the publishing world, despite her young age. "It's pretty close and it's pretty impressive," said Collins.

Welcomed warmly by the assembled audience, Nissen was overcome upon seeing the eager crowd. "I am going to start weeping before this starts," said Nissen.

She delighted the spectators with her reading of a short story that hit fairly close to home. Nissen said, "I thought I would read a very Oberlin story for the occasion." Nissen explained that she often writes about Oberlin, but changes the names and places. She selected "819 Walnut" from her latest collection, a story that relates to her experiences at Oberlin.

"819 Walnut" takes place in a small liberal arts college in Minnesota, where eight women find themselves living together in an off-campus house. Nissen based the story on her senior year at Oberlin, when she lived in Banana House with seven other women. This semi-autobiographical piece describes the interactions of these eight women as they deal with their academic obligtions, their future and one another.

Nissen began, "We lived in that house on Walnut Street as if four walls were going out of style." She frames the story with all eight women departing their small liberal arts college, headed off in separate directions. "We had places to go. Something that didn't comfort us in the least," reads "819 Walnut."

After establishing the finality of their departure, Nissen took a look back on the semester's experiences that delivered the eight women to preempted by one women's unexpected period. The experience, which comes to be known as the "Scottish Incident," stands out as one of many clever moments.

Nissen successfully touched upon the wide range of concerns facing each woman with their impending graduation and uncertain futures. However, navigating through these torrents of conflicting feelings, Nissen allows the narrative to lose its direction. As it approaches its unlikely climax, "819 Walnut" spins out of control with one ridiculous occurrence after another. She loses her tight grip on the emotional stewing pot, and breaks down into a cavalcade of slapstick comedy.

Despite its disappointing climax, "819 Walnut" provided a whole range of related themes. Nissen is an astute observer, and cleverly captures her surroundings within the text.Nissen succeeded in addressing many of the apprehensions haunting Oberlin seniors. Her greatest success, though, was providing a living example of an artist's life after Oberlin.