Over the past year, I’ve occasionally mentioned to friends that this spring I would become a deb. “What,” people invariably said, a confused look on their face. “You’re doing what?” I would smile. “You heard me,” I said. “I’m going to be a debutante at a ball.”
Every year, the literary journal One Story celebrates their writers who have published a first book. They throw a ball—a literary ball—and those writers walk down an invented aisle with a mentor of their choosing. There are usually a handful of debs—this year there were nine—and the ball is a genuine celebration of the literary world. It started, a number of years ago, a bit tongue-in-cheek, perhaps. But it is now one of the best (if not the best) literary parties of the year. It is One Story’s annual fundraiser. There are no winners, there are no losers—there is simply laughter and good people and great music. And a room full of joy.
I have been attending the ball since 2014. In the early years, I was a guest, then I became more involved: I’ve baked cookies, I’ve checked people in, I’ve helped create the aisle with lengths of rope. My favorite job has been to help with setup: rolling the tables in from the truck; hanging the large posters of the books being celebrated; standing in awe of the fabulous decorations that Hannah Tinti, one of the co-founders of One Story, creates. The best part, though, is cheering for the debs as they walk down the aisle. Writing a book is a huge accomplishment, and we should always celebrate that, in as big a way as possible.
I never really thought I would be a deb. Once I had been published by One Story, it was a fun pipe dream. But I had been working on my book for years—since at least 2009—and as the years ticked by, it wasn’t getting any closer to completion. But then, somehow, it did get finished. I found an agent. And then my book was sold in July of 2021. The fact that I would now be able to be a deb was one of the first things I thought about, and Hannah was one of the first people I told.
This summer marks ten years since I attended the One Story Summer Conference. It was there that I workshopped a story that Will Allison, one of the contributing editors at One Story, liked enough to send on to Hannah for consideration. They published that story in 2014, and it was my first published story. That gave me the courage to apply to MFA programs, something I had always wanted to do. In my MFA program at Rutgers-Newark, I was part of a terrific cohort and I learned from wonderful writers. Alice Elliott Dark was my thesis advisor, and she escorted me down the aisle last night. How proud I was to have her at my side.
Friends and family were there, too. I met the other debs—Isaac Blum, Rita Chang-Eppig, Rachel King, Talia Lakshmi Kolluri, Richard Mirabella, Gothataone Moeng, David Lawrence Morse, and Josh Riedel—and I am looking forward to reading all their books. A special cocktail was designed just for the evening, to honor the work of Tania James. There were literary chandeliers hanging from the rafters. Corsages made out of words. Fairy lights and star lights and piles of books. It was, as it always is, a night made of magic.
After walking down the aisle, I stood on the stage and looked out at the crowd. I don’t usually like a lot of attention paid but I felt a bit like Cinderella; I didn’t want my carriage to turn back into a pumpkin. I wanted to stay inside that moment for just a little while longer.
I will turn 64 in October and there I was: a debutante at the ball. The last years have shown me that life will take you places you never imagined. Thank you, One Story, for ten wonderful years and an amazing journey.
Learn more about the Debutante Ball
See you in two weeks!
The highlight of the Deb Ball! 👏👏👏👏👏
Love this so much for you!