Extra Credit: Penscape 2009

When I first went to Penscape, I had no idea what to expect. I did not even know what Penscape was or who it involved. To be honest, I was just there to get the extra credit points. But after listening to all of the showcase readers, I realized how there are so many different styles of writing. That night, I got to listen to many pieces of poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction. There were many pieces that I enjoyed listening to, but the pieces that stuck to me the most were Rachel Hartley-Smith’s creative nonfiction pieces, The Terminal, Figuring Diameter and Boy and Son. All three of Rachel’s works were put together in three segments based on her personal experience when she was pregnant as a teenager. What stuck out to me was how descriptive she was and how real it was. Just from her pieces that she read, I felt like I knew her because of what she went through. I couldn’t imagine being pregnant at the age of fourteen and having to hide it. Not only that, but she had to lie to her mom and grandma that she wasn’t pregnant. After she was done reading, I wanted to hear more about what happened after she had her son. I wanted to know more about how she provided for her son and the struggles she faced.