Interview with Dr. Maura Jortner
On March 27th, Baylor English Professor Maura Jortner interviewed this octogenarian English major and his octogenarian wife/raconteur, Nancy Labastida, about their experience writing a memoir at Baylor's historic Carroll Science Building, erected in 1901.
Following the interview, conducted before a classroom of English students, no doubt attracted by the snacks provided, the students posed piercing questions regarding memoir writing, which Nancy and I attempted to answer.
The focus of Prof Jortner's interview, primarily THINKING THINGS OVER, was Nancy's and my late-life courtship experience and stories, marriage, and "adjustment period", LOL, and some of our stories growing up separately decades earlier in Dallas. We did not actually know each other until shortly before our 2021 marriage.
I also worked in and showed off my Howdy Doody marionette and attempted to explain its relevance to two of our memoirs involving a Peanut Gallery composed of grandchildren. Nancy and I also gave away copies of our audio CDs with readings from our memoirs THINKING THINGS OVER and SCRIBBLINGS FROM STORAGE, my memoir of an English major's confessions.
Dusty Bedwell made an excellent video of the interview for which we are very grateful. Stay tuned for the posting.
At the conclusion of the session, we joined English Chair Michael DePalma, Professors Ginger Hanchey and Laura Biagi for dinner at 1424 Bistro in downtown Waco, where we interviewed our hosts on their lives, along with places to eat breakfast in Waco, which came down to a tie between Harvest on 25th and Cracker Barrel on I-35.
Baylor is launching a magazine to help students learn editing and publishing, and Nancy and I will be involved behind the scenes in that effort.