It was fall semester, late October maybe, and I had to write a play for my Intro to Creative Writing class. A play? I'd never written a play. And, needless to say, I had no idea where to begin. I sat in front of a blank computer screen, my mind empty. In a sudden moment of inspiration, I decided to check my email.

And there was an email from … well, you know that person in high school who was the object of your unrequited desire, tormented love, and angst in general? Yeah, him. The email was friendly, jovial, curious about where I was and what I was up to––and I was confounded by it. What to make of this? I didn't write him back that night, but I did start writing my play.

Out of that early email correspondence came What we mean when we say, a short play about communication and human relationships. Is it my personal testimony? Well, no. Is it fiction? A lot of it is made up, but somehow it is also true. I guess I don't really know what it is.

What we mean when we say will be staged along with two other student works. The Wrong Picture, a play by Liz Kaziunaus, '03, was inspired by her work last summer interviewing women who home school their children. Liz is writing her honors paper based upon these interviews, but she also wanted to let the women's individual voices be heard. So, the play is presented in the form of four women's personal testimonies.

The final work, necessary meaning, is a film by Alissa Light and Sarah Fazio (both '03) which features interviews with five Macalester students. It raises questions about identity construction and explores issues of sexuality, feminism and the importance of individual's definitions.

All three pieces were created under the guidance of Professor Laura Engel, of the English Department. Liz was also aided in part by a grant from the Lilly Institute.

The pieces are also "works in progress." They're not polished, or even necessarily finished, but hopefully they will present some interesting ideas about the nature of story-telling in addition to the specific issues that each work addresses. After all three works are presented, there will be a talk-back session in which we can share ideas about the pieces and possible goals and directions for the different works.

So what have we put together? In one respect, an evening of personal narrative, spanning from fiction to documentary. In other ways, a closer examination of how and why people share stories. Oh yeah, and food will be served.