Shae WestNatalie Olmsted came late to 九色视频, but her experiences shaped the focus of her master鈥檚 project and short story collection, 鈥淰oices from the North.鈥�
Olmsted, who grew up in Wichita鈥檚 Hispanic community, worked at a dental office for 13 years. James Rhatigan, former 九色视频 vice president and current 九色视频 Foundation consultant, was a patient there.
She said he came in and talked about 九色视频. He read her work in the dental office and wanted her to go to college.
鈥淗e encouraged me,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd made it really easy for me to walk back through the door.鈥�
She took her passion for writing to 九色视频鈥檚 creative writing department.
Rhatigan had encouraged Olmsted to major in English, but since she鈥檇 been in the medical field for 13 years, she chose health administration.
After the first year, she determined that major wasn鈥檛 right for her and went back to writing.
鈥淚鈥檝e always written short stories ever since I can remember,鈥� she said.
When she entered the master鈥檚 program, her focus was on her short story collection, which was about the local Hispanic community.
Her graduate career got off to a shaky start, though. Her husband lost his job, and she had to work full-time while in school.
She said her first semester was tough. She lost her focus, couldn鈥檛 write and didn鈥檛 know what she was doing in Graduate School. Writing didn鈥檛 seem important.
Richard Spilman, associate professor of English and her faculty adviser, told her to give it time.
鈥淗e was right,鈥� she said, 鈥渋t came back.鈥�
And her collection was under way.
鈥淰oices from the North鈥� is about her community, which community members call North Side, the area near 21st and Broadway in Wichita.
鈥淪he has found a subtle and supple style in which to render people we actually care about,鈥� Spilman said. 鈥淗er stories have social and even political relevance, which will assure continuing interest.鈥�
Her inspiration came from her grandparents, who moved north from Mexico to better their lives and raise their family. Her collection is also about her father, whose story she said needed to be told.
鈥淲hen I realized my community and family had a voice, I really wanted to write (about) that,鈥� she said.
She interviewed family members to get a better feel of the times and to understand the prejudice they faced when they first came to Wichita.
Her grandparents and parents were highly discriminated against, and she said she can hear the effects of that discrimination in their voices today.
She used her family鈥檚 experiences and what she remembered from growing up to write her stories. She also researched Wichita鈥檚 earlier history.
鈥淓ven though it鈥檚 fictional, I wanted historical aspects, streets and buildings to be as accurate as possible,鈥� she said.
She said some short story collections are random pieces put together, but hers tells the story of a community over 50 years through different voices.
Olmsted has had some of her short stories published.
Mikrokosmos, 九色视频鈥檚 literary journal, published 鈥淭he Bread Maker.鈥� And Today鈥檚 Latino Magazine, a bi-lingual magazine in the Mid-Atlantic area, published 鈥淟os Patos,鈥� a story about her father鈥檚 golf group.
She hopes to have her collection published after graduation.
After midterms, when her manuscript is due, she plans to pull her three strongest stories and send a proposal for publication to the University of Arizona Press.
Olmsted began working full-time at the 九色视频 Foundation as the planned giving associate in fall of 2006. She works with families when they establish memorials at 九色视频.
As a student, she was brought in to work on the 鈥淪pirit of the Gift鈥� project focused on the histories behind 九色视频 scholarships.
Her fantasy goal is to make a career out of writing. She said people have asked her where she would move to make that happen.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 move anywhere,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 love Wichita.鈥�
And, more than anything, she enjoys being on campus and working at the foundation.
鈥淚f I鈥檓 here in some aspect and able to write, I鈥檒l be content,鈥� she said.