Imagining Florida Series: Lauren Groff

Around three weeks ago I attended a lecture session at the Alachua County Library (Headquarters branch) featuring the renowned author Lauren Groff, on her most recent literary success Fates and Furies (fall 2015). This session was a part of the Imagining Florida Series, the first of a five-part lecture and discussion series in which Florida residents from all backgrounds are invited to share their stories about making Florida home.

Stepping into the crowded room at exactly 2:30pm (the time the session was scheduled to begin), I had to sit on the floor near the front, as all seats and other walls were either occupied or standing room only. This was actually a great advantage, as I basically had a front row seat and could hear and see Mrs. Groff very well, unlike the poor unfortunates in the back.

I expected the session to be a class type setting, with Groff telling us what certain things in her book meant explaining deeper meanings, etc. However, when she took the podium after being introduced, she announced that she wanted this to be a question and answer session, not a lecture where she would be the only one talking. This was a nice surprise for all in attendance, and an enthusiastic interrogation of Mrs. Lauren Groff began.

Over the next sixty minutes, after Groff read an excerpt from Fates and Furies, questions were asked that reflected on her personal journey as a writer; the content and meaning of plots and characters in her books; balancing her personal life with her career; and lessons and advice she has learned throughout her life. Groff began writing poetry in high school, and moved onto prose in college and continued writing into graduate school. She is currently 37 and married with two young children, who were in attendance, and is also the primary breadwinner, while her husband holds down the fort at home. After hearing her, I can say that Mrs. Groff is one of the funniest, prettiest, most intellectual introverts I have ever had the privilege to encounter.

My view of Groff, sitting crisscrossed on the floor,
in the front of a very crowded lecture hall. 

For Groff, self doubt is a big component in her writing process, but believes it is a necessary feeling. One should always feel anxious about their work; you must be honest and keep writing despite any doubts you may have about how ‘good’ it is. If not, how can you ever hope to publish a piece when you never think it is ready?

In addition, Groff advises women who are also the main income providers to maintain their space and to do what you love, even when if it goes against social norms. It is definitely harder for the husband to be the parent who stays at home, but for Groff this does not diminish or lessen her role as a mother.

This session was full of ideas, questions, and answers applicable to my own life. In the future, I see myself married and working as a surgeon, and a potential consequence of that would be having my husband be the stay at home parent. In my immediate and extended family, I do not know of a couple where the woman has brought in the primary source of income. Honestly, I am a little afraid of how such a relationship would turn out, especially for my future children. But Groff is a compelling example of how a woman can be the moneymaker in the marriage, and still have a successful and happy relationship with her spouse and children. Seeing her encourages me to pursue my dream against what I am accustomed to seeing in families. Societal pressures expect the woman to be the homemaker, but it can definitely go both ways.

I love to write. In the future I definitely see myself publishing a book or two. One of my strongest interests is in compiling the experiences of some friends and I that went on a mission trip together, and writing a book on them. My fear is, will anyone ever think what I wrote is worth reading? This is the self doubt issue that Groff addressed. Regardless of my fears of being potentially rejected by the literate community, I need to write despite any doubts I may have, and to be honest in my perspective of the story at hand. To feel anxious is a good thing, because how else can you better yourself? But to be worried to the point of never publishing is a different scenario.

As the discussion came to an end, I was the last person allowed to ask a question to Mrs. Groff. From my seat on the floor, I asked her if there was any advice she had for young writers nowadays, and if there was anything she wished she had done when she was younger that she could recommend to current aspiring authors. The following quote is not verbatim, but close to what she answered me:

“Young writers need to be aware of the world around them, to be involved in current society. You need to LIVE and not just focus on yourself, on inner things, like relationships or your circle of friends, but rather focus on acquiring a big picture view of  the world and current events, in order to experience them and live them, and to be able to relate and describe such experiences in your writing.”

I would like to thank Mrs. Groff for taking the time to speak at the Imagining Florida Lecture Series, as I am sure her testimony has not only inspired myself, but countless other youth who were in attendance or who read her works to continue to pursue their dreams, regardless of any self doubt  or personal struggles they may encounter. Thank you, Mrs. Groff, and keep being a ‘shining one’ to the world!