Radio Chthulucene 87.9 FM

After taking time to absorb and process the feedback I received from my peers, I feel somewhat confident in my plans for revision moving forward. Here, I will articulate my initial thoughts regarding my project’s future. I have many ideas, and I hope that the setting of my piece allows for a little bit of chaos as I jump from one topic to the next. I do, however, want to strengthen the piece’s central themes and motifs, such as the tomato, in order to maintain a level of cohesion. 

Firstly, I am shocked by my classmates’ kind words. I have never participated in a workshop of this size, and I was extremely anxious about sharing my writing. I’m half-convinced that everyone is lying to me, but I am doing my peers a disservice in accusing them of dishonesty. In any case, I greatly appreciate their insights and encouragement. Thank you, all!

suggestions + ideas (in no particular order):

• create new sections that reflect positive experiences within the restaurant industry (community and camaraderie, especially between female coworkers dealing with rampant misogyny)
  • Sara, Ryan
• expansion on the tomato motif and the historical significance of foodstuffs as vehicles of cross-cultural exchange
  • Cydney with a “c”
• expand on “The Itching Palm” and substance use statistics
  • Sara
• audio possibilities to magnify chaos: restaurant noises (glass shattering, utensils clinking, oil hissing) and interior noises (static, ringing in ears)
  • Perla
• create new sections to highlight back-of-house conversations, including language (Spanish, Spanglish) and music—on Mother’s Day, the chefs played the Pirates of the Caribbean theme to motivate themselves. It was a difficult shift, to say the least. 
• more kitchen lingo: 86, on the fly, behind/atrás, MUY CALIENTE. 
• additional poetic forms, such as the erasure poem (perhaps using real Yelp reviews?)
  • Ivy
• my own observations and speculations about guests’ lives based on small snippets of conversation (for example, the four-year-old’s future)
  • Dafne
• expand on my own experiences
  • Melissa

Some of these suggestions are very specific, and I credited my peers as accurately as possible. Other bullet points reflect recurring themes across the comments, as well as my own thoughts.

On a more personal note, I am planning to leave my current job within the next month. I will likely take a significant pay cut, and I don’t feel qualified to apply for any non-restaurant positions. I am slowly accepting the fact that it is time for me to transition to new things. I am grieving the impending loss of a workplace that has shaped my identity. This project has given me ample space to begin processing the range of emotions, positive and negative, I felt during my years in the industry. I am very touched by my peers’ engagement with my work. Thank you again to all of my lovely classmates for their feedback 🙂