First Year Hon. Mention: Six Miles

WRIT 1700A: WRIT 1700A, Writing: Process and Practice. CD: kerry doyle.

Abstract

One of the core attributes of the personal essay is to take the reader on a journey—to help them imagine, through vivid, well-crafted prose, both the author’s experience and their incorporation of new wisdom. “Six Miles” is a first-rate example of the genre. Well-written and evocative, we travel with the author from tree-covered mountain top to desert, learning of the departed as we go. The writer gives us the perfect vantage point to calmly observe three sisters pay tribute to their absent fourth, seamlessly including her presence into both the story and their lives. The prose never loses its power, and to move the reader so easily between smiles and tears in a few pages is no mean feat. In that same short space, the reader is left with admiration for the bond of love between family, and a thoughtful perspective to consider in their own times of grief.