Summary

In Chapter 30, Quiara writes about her eventual decision to follow her mother’s advice and pursue writing. She decided that she wanted to be a playwright, so she applied to MFA programs for playwriting. She was accepted to the prestigious MFA playwriting program at Brown University, the director of which was Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel. Paula contacted her directly and invited her to come visit her in Providence, Rhode Island (where Brown is located.) Quiara found Paula to be a highly intelligent and enthusiastic person, and Quiara felt confident that Paula would help to nurture Quiara’s specific goals and interests.

In Chapter 31, Quiara began attending the MFA program at Brown, and she was encouraged by Paula’s adamant belief that playwrights should never be worried about adhering to prescribed linguistic rules. Among other examples, Paula cited Shakespeare, who frequently invented words and...