From the author of Notes on a Silencing, Lacy Crawford draws on 15 years of experience traveling the United States as a highly sought-after private college counselor to illuminate the madness of parents pursuing college … That’s what Lacy Crawford ’96 does in her debut novel about college admissions. Former private college counselor Lacy Crawford, author of 'Early Decision,' breaks down the craziness…, By focusing on the essay-writing process, Crawford explores how we find our own stories - and suggests that a successful campaign depends on revision., Lacy Crawford … I was working year after year to help people find their own voice before, in a sense, I could find mine. Any new books in the works? Her cover art will be featured on Up the Staircase Quarterly in May 2020, other photography in Another Chicago Magazine (ACM) and Brushfire Literature & Arts Journal; poetry in the Coffin Bell Journal, and CNF in Semicolon Literary Magazine; the 2nd edition of SPEAKING OF APRAXIA will be available late this summer. Then Crawford became a parent. She took pimply-faced peach fuzz boys under her wing, girls lacking ambition and passion and turned their personal mission statements into works of art, landing them into the school of their dreams. I think there’s so much fear, here. Leslie Lindsay: When will we hear from you again? A must read for any parent about to send their kiddos off to the wild blue yonder,high school english teachers, and so many more! I was equally sympathetic and appalled by the tension in the book. Yes! If I can look back at both books, they’re quite different, and come from very different places, of course. This feels like a critical and exciting moment. Similarly, we might say that the writer who is constantly imagining what an audience wants, rather than working to develop his or her own voice and prose, will deliver work that is flat. LACY CRAWFORD: Anne doesn’t encourage Hunter to write as though he’s sending an email to his girlfriend because she wants a flirtatious tone in his college essay. Leslie is a former child/adolescent psychiatric R.N. I’m hopeful for my children’s generation, for the nation they might create. I look forward to trying to model what progress might look like. But, no she didn’t write the essays for them, she merely sharpened their skills so they could write their own. "I stepped through the looking glass. Many students believe that their future is on the line. Who would choose to go through with that? As a mother myself, I can honestly say it begins with daycare. I had spent fifteen years working with high school seniors on their applications, and prior to that I’d had my own experience at a “trophy” school, and I had some ideas about how such an accomplishment does and does not set one up for a successful life. Lacy Crawford. I wrote Early Decision as a deliberate piece of social commentary, with an eye to the satirical form. My own shame was already so deep. And she graciously offers a complimentary copy? She guesses that what he would write about in an email to his girlfriend is far more likely to be something that matters to him, something that, for whatever reason, caused him to think or feel strongly. He’s written a first draft that is boring and aimless, and it’s going to cost him in the admissions process. Follow her bookstagram posts @leslielindsay1. at the Mayo Clinic and has attended writing classes at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Northwestern University. "There are years of preparation that go into applying to college, and it seems so complicated and hard on kids. Third, I am energized by the work of social and racial justice advocates and educators who are providing the understanding and history to support the BLM movement and push for larger awareness of structural racism and social inequality. Yes, I am talking about the frenzy to get your child into the best learning institution ever. Leslie Lindsay: Thanks again for being with us today—it was quite illuminating! "A lightning (bolt) hit me," she said. #alwayswithabook #metoo #memoir #boardingschool #rape #assault #elite #power #silence #BLM #community #survivor, [Cover and author image courtesy of Dewey Decimal Media and used with permission. Anne works with students who are laboring under the enormous ambitions and expectations of their parents. LACY CRAWFORD is an author of fiction and nonfiction, including the satire EARLY DECISION (Morrow, 2013) and the forthcoming memoir NOTES ON A SILENCING (Little, Brown, 2020). She was the loving mother of Alicia (James) Crawford of Lake Forest, Jeffrey Lydon of New York City, and Dougl She sees, for the first time in decades, evidence that corroborates her memories. Once you get that taken care of, you realize your prized preschool has a waiting list. In this devastating memoir, Crawford (Early Decision) writes about being raped at age 15 by two 18-year-old male students at her elite New Hampshire boarding school and the attempt by school officials to cover it up.In 1990, Crawford … Can you describe this a little more? It happened, it was cruel, and every attempt to cover-up or ‘sweep it under the rug’ was made. [cover images retireved Amazon.com on 3.30.14]. In 2010, she and her husband had their first son and moved to San Francisco. For fifteen years, Crawford served as a highly discreet independent college admissions counselor to the children of powerful clients in cities such as New York, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, … Let this be a call, a rise to end this abuse. Lacy has 7 jobs listed on their profile. If one were to try to relate the publishing industry and college admissions, I’d say the query letter finds its closest analogue in the quick review that most applications receive in the earliest stages of the process. 11, 2017 8:44PM ET / Published Aug. 24, 2013 4:45AM ET 03/30/2020. Join Facebook to connect with Sharon Lacy and others you may know. What if we gave up on the fantasy that bad things don’t happen, and instead worked to understand what does happen, and why? When the boys assaulted me, they stole from me. I believe that there is a new energy now, and a new receptivity among those of us who could, for so long, remain blind. Crawford used her experiences as a tutor as the emotional heart for her new novel, "Early Decision." Well, then you’ll be thrilled to learn that we will soon be meeting two wonderful authors who will be doing just that! Can you talk a little more about your inspiration for your writing? Under the glare … That is tough. They stole my health, my privacy, my sense of safety, my self-esteem. Compelling and haunting memoir of epic proportions of one young woman’s sexual assault, the lies, the cover-ups and fall-outs. ‘Early Decision’ author Lacy Crawford breaks down the college admissions craziness for Lizzie Crocker. She panicked and set to work filling out applications. We first talked in 2013 about your debut, EARLY DECISION, a novel about the college admission process. She wants him to consider those feelings and subjects with an eye to writing with more focus and authenticity. Lacy’s criminal case is reopened. This piece first ran in Printers Row Journal, delivered to Printers Row members with the Sunday Chicago Tribune and by digital edition via email. Henrietta's personal network of family, friends, associates & neighbors include Lacy Underwood, Luwann Underwood, Bethany Sumrall, Lance Underwood and Janie Williams. What is helpful, I think, for all of us, is if we can advance this conversation about power and silencing in institutions of all kinds, because often some of the greatest pain comes from those well-meaning members of a community who are upset but say nothing. Drawing on her 15 years of experience counseling high school students with their college applications, she satirizes one six-month push for five high school … Since 2013, Leslie has interviewed over 700 bestselling and debut authors on her author interview series. And how are we as young women socialized to agree with those in power and authority? I don’t know that there is a #1 reason. This doesn’t mean that a college application essay won’t be read if the student’s grades or scores aren’t high enough, but, all things being equal, a Pulitzer-worthy personal statement isn’t going to matter much to the admissions office at Harvard if a student is applying from the bottom quartile of his class. Missouri, that is–who will be sharing her book, THE WEIGHT OF BLOOD (March, 2014). In talking to Hunter, Anne realizes that he was deeply moved by his summer trip to Montana, and that there is passion and unexplored interest there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPRoFpnO2-c. Leslie Lindsay is the award-winning author of SPEAKING OF APRAXIA (Woodbine House, 2012) and former Mayo Clinic child/adolescent psychiatric R.N. He went … You—and others who were affected—feared, too. 1. Follow on Instagram for more like this @leslielindsay1 #alwayswithabook]. If you weren’t born to the place, you damned well better demonstrate your fitness. Leslie Lindsay: EARLY DECISION is smart, witty—a good blend of a fast-moving story with literary fiction. Plus, the school had a highly prized reputation to uphold with scores of influential, powerful, and elite alumni. Lacy lives in California with her husband and three children. Leslie Lindsay: There are other books about getting into college—Admission (Jean Hanoff Korelitz), Acceptance (Susan Coll), Dangerous Admissions (Jane O’Connor), Getting In (Karen Stabiner), and there are books about the college experience—J. Years later, in 2015-2016, the local police in Concord, New Hampshire, began investigating a new rape case at St. Paul’s that led them back to the rape of Lacy Crawford in 1991. Getting raped is not a way to do this. 1,046 likes. Here’s what Ms. Crawford has to say about the process–and more! To a survivor, silence is the same as assent to attack. And when you finally did say something—how did your parents and close friends respond? But I am excited for him to start proper school, because he will love it; and I’m looking forward to learning what life is like when I have from 9 to 3 to work. Notes on a Silencing helps to dispel the myth of the elite having all the power; #metoo & #BLM, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPRoFpnO2-c. Write On, Wednesday: Lacy Crawford, author of EARLY DECISION! But my children are very small and I’m their primary caregiver, so I will see what bears out. In fact, an investigation ensued for similar allegations between 1948-1988 and then again in the more recent years. I think every survivor has her own needs and will determine her own path to “healing,” whatever that might look like for her, whatever might be possible. First off, my littlest boy is due to start kindergarten in the fall. I want to leave on a positive note, so can you talk about three things you’re looking forward to? I am interested in place and how that shapes us, as well as the interstitial connection of family, dysfunction, home, and the symmetry and parallels of nature. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! I think (Crawford) really captured that, and that spoke to the parent in me.". LACY CRAWFORD: I’m grateful that you found it smart and witty. I have had the privilege of being inside this process for a long time, and I wanted to write a book that would make people laugh and make people say, 'Oh, I am not as bad as those people are,' but encourage them to think about a better way to approach all of this.". Also the question of genre and gender in literary publishing, because I think few people are willing to grasp the nettle and address the complicated issues of subject, style and tone that inform the way the publishing world markets and receives books. Attending St. Paul’s was a privilege for Lacy, who worked hard in academics, athletics, and music. For more information, to connect with Lacy Crawford via social media, or to purchase a copy of NOTES ON A SILENCING, please visit: When Lacy Crawford was sexually assaulted at an elite boarding school, she kept quiet for fear of being ‘robbed’ of even more. Crawford was an "application whisperer," a tutor-therapist to teenagers and their parents going through the daunting college admission process. The Craziness in the College-Admission Process “Write what you know,” the adage goes. One of the aspects of the writing process that may apply to both the college essay hurdle and publishing in general is the idea of an ideal reader. “(A) studied, vulnerable, and maddening account of her near-undoing and the school’s absolute obstruction of the truth”. college essay, and the wealthy kiddos that don’t (always) have a clue. Artistic image of book cover designed and photographed by Leslie Lindsay. NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with author Lacy Crawford about her new memoir, Notes on a Silencing, about her sexual assault at an elite boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire. Also, along those lines, the idea that women are socialized to ‘go along with things,’ or that they ‘exaggerate.’ Oh, how I loathe those phrases. Lacy Crawford is the author of the novel Early Decision. But I think it’s interesting that for so many years I had this side gig working with high school students who were trying to tell the truth about their lives. I had long known that really good parents got caught up in the college application process in a way that made them crazy and made their kids crazy, and I wanted to say something about that. This varies by school, of course, but often there is a simple reckoning of data points: school, state, class rank (percentile), standardized test scores (if applicable), and various leadership positions held (standout athletic, artistic achievements included). My parents did the very best they could. While there aren’t exactly any answers, we come away from the narrative with a sense of duty: to expose and protect. Being a Chicago-based writer, I related to much to witnin the pages of this book [the novel takes place on the Gold Coast and in the city]. The book follows Anne, a character modeled on Crawford, and her work with five Chicago-area students. Her writing has been published in Pithead Chapel, Common Ground Review, Cleaver Magazine (craft and CNF), The Awakenings Review, The Nervous Breakdown, Ruminate’s The Waking, Brave Voices Literary Magazine, Manifest-Station, and others. What if authenticity and transparency were our goals? In fact, as a mother, you may have sauntered into a coffee shop, a belly swollen with baby to interview a prospective nanny. Unfortunately, of course, this piece is critically important. She finished the book in the spring of last year, and within days she had a book contract with William Morrow. Yes, the very one you fell in love with at a preschool fair, stuffing your plastic sway bag with every glossy brochure, every magnet, every bookmark. How can a young woman *not* speak up when something so vile happens to her? Leslie Lindsay: What’s currently obsessing you and why? She is at work on a memoir. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. There are people in positions to block stories getting out, if they want to, and in the past, this has happened regularly. Author Bio: Lacy Crawford. Lizzie Crocker Updated Jul. The college essay is hardly a robust vehicle for that sort of thing, but it’s a rite of passage. I got on that conveyor belt and I thought, 'This is how it begins.' These are just a few of the questions Lacy grapples with in NOTES ON SILENCING. Her parents were wealthy, but they hadn’t attended boarding school. The essay was a critique of his academy's student leadership, which he believed to be too hierarchical. View Lacey Crawford, CPM LGBH’S profile on LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional community. Follow Leslie A. Lindsay on WordPress.com. In fact, a perfect example in EARLY DECISION is when Anne (the protagonist/admissions whisperer) is working with Hunter on his essay, “Just pretend you’re telling Nicole all about Montana. Her day jobs included serving as senior editor at Narrative and as director of the Burberry Foundation. Leslie Lindsay: Likening that personal college essay to the publishing world, would you say that’s almost synonymous to the query letter? She resides in the Chicago area. You worried that all you had worked for would be stripped away, others would think differently of you, and perhaps you would not be allowed to excel. Often they’ve had a lot of tutoring, and they have been taught that their own voices are not enough—that they always must be coached and improved upon, in order to be thought worthy. College. There are other examples like this, unfortunately. Rather than adding to the “college admissions” sub-genre, it was my attempt to dramatize the larger discussion around the value of higher education in the formation of young adults and the pursuit of a “good life.” And as with the other authors you name, I hoped to entertain readers, to make the book funny and rewarding. ARTIST'S STATEMENT: I have always been drawn to the gnawing questions that focus on identity and belonging, with (dis)placement and (up)rootedness. *WIP*: MINIATURE ETERNITIES: Interconnected stories of family, myth, instability, roots of despair, the invisible beauty of resillience, knitting a cohesive look at legacy, genetics, place. Her literary journalism includes profiles of Frank Conroy, Reynolds Price, and Shirley Hazzard. Novelist Lacy Crawford Writes About Her Sexual Assault While She Was a Student at St. Paul’s School In her new memoir, Notes on a Silencing, Crawford reckons with how the school covered … Educated at Princeton and the University of Chicago, Lacy lives in California with her husband and two children. By Lacy Crawford, William Morrow, 304 pages, $25.99. When the elite boarding school, St. Paul’s, in New Hampshire was recently under investigation following extensive reports of sexual misconduct/abuse on campus, Lacy Crawford thought her past there was behind her. Matt got into Colorado College, one of his top choices. Leslie has been awarded as one of the top 1% reviewers on GoodReads and recognized by Jane Friedman as one of the most influential book reviewers. Laura McHugh is a debut psychological/family saga thriller writer from the heartland. Penguin to buy Simon & Schuster, create publishing giant, Chicagoland best-sellers: 'Where the Crawdads Sing' by Delia Owens holds on at No. I’m always writing, but I had no intention of writing about my experience at St. Paul’s until I joined the state investigation in 2017 and learned (or had confirmed, really) what had been done to me. I did not want to give up one thing more. That horrific experience caused such angst in me; I kept thinking of my redheaded girls being assaulted this way; it’s reprehensible. Of course, that wasn’t going to happen, but I wanted to try. Lacy, thank you so much for sharing such a traumatic experience. I don’t think that’s going to happen, or at least not in the way we all might have hoped. Second, I have a conversation planned with Kathy Giles, the current rector of St. Paul’s School, on July 21. I’m sorry about the age resonance. Then his parents called Lacy Crawford. Leslie has been awarded one of the top 1% reviewers on GoodReads and recognized by Jane Friedman as one of the most influential book reviewers. Why do we default to the male for answers? … But by the time seniors come to work on their applications, almost everything else is set in stone, or will be soon—their grades, their scores, their performance across so many variables. In addition to writing many memorable author profiles for Narrative, Crawford … Interviews! But it is clear to me that legacy institutions, which pride themselves on their history and, specifically, the relationships between current and former students, can be particularly dangerous in that they create an expectation that anyone who has trouble, who stumbles or is weak, does not belong. In Early Decision, debut novelist Lacy Crawford draws on 15 years of experience traveling the world as a highly sought-after private college counselor to illuminate the madness of college admissions. John Jacob Astor attended, so did Vanderbilts, Kennedys and Kerrys. Leslie Lindsay: Lacy, what do you think is the #1 reason college-bound seniors don’t know how to tackle that personal essay/mission statement? I didn’t do any research at all. Courtney Sullivan’s Commencement and The Red Book by Deborah Copaken Kogan, what sets EARLY DECISION apart? "I think Lacy reinforced my desire to always express myself honestly or authentically," he said. Writers who are familiar with the challenge of the blank page can relate to this—imagine if it’s not just your novel that might fail, but your dreams of an adult life! I did not want to let them hurt my parents, which meant not telling my parents. Seems so complicated and hard on kids, go back to being.! Kid, go back to being a high school kid, go back being... This very personal and heart-wrenching time whisperer, '' a tutor-therapist to teenagers and their parents going through fluff! 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