I enjoyed your diary entries. I was there in 1977–one of only two African American guys walking around Bread Loaf that summer. I remember spending time with Morrison, Strand, Elkin–and I played volleyball a few evenings with John Irving. I didn’t think he was going to make it with GARP, but I found out otherwise soon enough. At any rate, I was bumping around sort of the way you did–not really worrying much about being read in workshops. I remember folks leaving daily, but I was committed to staying until the end. My roommate was guy named Kevin (if I remember correctly), though I’m not sure that’s who you are referring to.

Anyway, thanks.

Keith Gilyard
PENN STATE

I know your work from after that time but I don’t remember you. As you can tell from the diary, I was a pretty weird kid.

I have to say that when I read Tim’s work, I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I adored _Going After Cacciato_ and I have taught it and am glad I could share enthusiasm with students, almost all of whom also loved it. I hope I didn’t come off as being snotty toward Tim O’Brien, but I didn’t censor anything, just cut out parts that were boring or irrelevant (my grandfather was in a coma while I was there).

It is not fair to judge people by their appearance, even if they wear baseball caps. At least we wore them forwards in those days.

I found this interesting since I think I was either a scholar or a fellow that year but of course have very different memories of BL. I worked with Elkin and knew O’Brien and Irving well and found it a life-changing experience, at least as far as writing is concerned. Was that the year Gardner’s wife hired a plane and bombed the meadow with leaflets detailing his sins as a father, adulterer, and general rogue? Great to see that era revived, esp now that it’s really gone. I was amused to see your estimation of O’Brien considering what came later, but who knew then? He was just a guy in a baseball cap–like the rest of us.