All Student Success Letters

Donald Proffit

Dear Gotham,

This all began with a collection of vignettes written while on airplanes over the last fifteen years, each one written in the time it would take to fly from point A to point B. The writing was a way to remember people and places I had come to know while a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War. But each vignette ended abruptly when the plane touched down, rarely reaching a satisfactory conclusion. Then onto the next flight with the same result. A couple of colleagues, seatmates on flights, wanted to read a few and said the pieces held promise. That’s when I realized I needed some help.

I turned to Gotham Writers Workshop. Gotham had the proper training at the right time when I became serious about this project. I enrolled in the Memoir Writing sequence of classes and then reached out to Dana Miller, Director of One-on-One Services, for what to do next. She set me up with a One-on-One Mentorship with Cullen Thomas. Cullen became my editor, mentor, and confidant. His knowledge and wisdom helped me develop sound writing habits, and his thoughtful critiques provided the specific feedback I needed to revise and polish this work.

As a former teacher and school administrator, I know how students can thrive with a great teacher by their side. Gotham provided me with great teachers every step of the way.

My memoir, Hardship Alaska, was picked up by Epicenter Press last summer and will be released on April 11, 2023. Thank you, Gotham, for helping me, at age 74, discover the writer in me that I didn’t know existed.

Donald Proffit

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You can learn more about Donald and his writing here.