A year originally devoted to studying death became a celebration of life explained Joe Plicka, assistant professor in the Faculty of Arts & Letters, at a faculty forum on Sept. 9.
“The closer I got to death, the closer I felt to life,” he said.
Plicka shared how as he sat down to tackle the topic during his professional development leave, he found himself writing about nature, faith and his children, which led to the publication of three personal essays and a few more forthcoming works.
Writing from a perspective of faith
Literature and language, Plicka explained, are “sacred [like] scripture” to him and “a road map for the person [he wants] to be.” He said language helps readers understand themselves and others, have more empathy and learn from other’s mistakes.
He expressed he finds joy in teaching students and believes they can foster a deep connection through literature. “Without literature in our culture, and by extension, in our individual lives, we become less compassionate and less humane and less flexible in our thinking.”
Upon reading and teaching various genres, Plicka said he felt inspired to write his own creative nonfiction pieces. He explained he began by writing fictional short stories for his dissertation and drew inspiration from other essayists and nonfiction writers.
He shared one of his biggest influences is Brian Doyle, a Catholic writer who integrated religious themes into his works. “The first time I read his work I felt like I had been reborn. … He taught me what it means to write from the vantage point of faith.”
Compiling meaningful experiences
During the faculty forum, hosted in the Little Theater with about 40 attendees of students and faculty, Plicka began by reading two pieces written by Doyle, then five of his own essays published as a result of his professional development leave.
Elizabeth Allen, a senior from Oregon majoring in supply chain management, said she felt spiritual listening to Plicka’s stories. Allen said she particularly enjoyed Plicka’s essay entitled, “The Jesus,” which described the many perceptions of Jesus Christ. “There’s quite a few of them I want to send to my friends that I feel could resonate with them really well.”
After reading “The Jesus,” Plicka explained much of his writing comes from deep experiences compiled over a very long time. In this case, a file in his drawer titled “Jesus, the Man” that held scraps of paper for many years, inspired the essay.
“I think I was always looking for more evidence of Jesus’ humanity,” said Plicka. “When I would read the scriptures, I would think to myself, ‘That’s so something a human would do,’ and I would make a note of it.”
Harnessing the art of the overlooked
Dean and Associate Professor Patricia Patrick attended Plicka’s forum and expressed she adored his piece, “But Whyyy?,” because it conveys the importance of appreciating what people easily overlook.
She said, “A creative writer works really hard to say the things we all think but we find difficult to put into words. They wake us up to noticing things we otherwise take for granted.”
“But Whyyy?” is published in “Brevity: A Journal of Concise Literary Nonfiction” and recounts an experience Plicka had with his 4-year-old son asking him why we need birds.
Plicka writes, “Could birds be the difference for us, the razor-thin margin, between homed and homeless? Between flush and strapped? Between, possibly, life and death? Who knows? Do you want to take that chance? I don’t.”
Plicka expressed he enjoys writing about families, character development and what people easily take for granted. He said creative nonfiction harbors a spiritual element, allowing writers to express their own thoughts and feelings. “It can be a transformative experience where we connect with somebody else on what feels like a meaningful level, and we’re changed because of it.”
How to be original: Read
Plicka said he has been teaching at BYUH for nearly a decade and, as the only creative writing professor on campus, he is also the director of the creative writing minor and faculty advisor for the BYUH journal of literature and art, “Kula Manu.”
As one of Plicka’s colleagues, Patrick said she remembered being on the hiring committee when Plicka was hired. She expressed how much of a good-hearted and cooperative colleague he has been. “He is always a positive person to be around and a real deep thinker.”
Because the program is small, Plicka explained he teaches various subjects such as poetry, fiction and nonfiction.
Allen, who has taken three of Plicka’s creative writing classes, said he is very knowledgeable, experienced and devoted to his work. “It is sometimes rare to see someone very dedicated to something for their entire life,” she said.
Plicka said he believes anything people experience can offer a perspective on life. “Anything in the world, anything you see, anything you experience can become a window into some deeper kind of thought or experience.”
He added aspiring writers should invest in reading authors or writers of their preferred genre. He said some students avoid reading books to not to be influenced by other authors’ pieces, but Plicka emphasized, “You can’t be original if you haven’t seen what others have done. Otherwise, you’re just going to repeat what they’ve done.”
The forum, entitled “Stories, Prayers and Songs: A Reading,” was conducted by Mason Allred, assistant professor in the Faculty of Arts & Letters, who explained Plicka’s work was published for various online literary magazines, including “Brevity” and “Braided Way.” Allred added Plicka was featured in an anthology called “Fire in the Pasture: 21st Century Mormon Poets.” •
To read Plicka's "Brain Trauma Or, Nothing is Lost," visit the Braided Way website.
To read Plicka's "The Jesus," visit the Ekstasis Magazine website.
To read Plicka's "But Whyyy?" visit the Brevity Mag website.