Meet the Writers: Annie Wilson

Finish this sentence "Good writing..."
Is precise and expansive. Good writing submits first to the principles of the English language, and then makes room for whatever is being written about.

How/when did you learn to type?
I started out in private school, and I guess it was cutting edge, because I learned to type on the first edition of Mario Teaches Typing.  We had computer class, and any time we were done with the assignment for the day, I would go to town on MTT. I vouch for it, because my WPM is now good enough to get me a job as a secretary.  It's always great to remember that the skills you learned as a seven-year-old are more relevant than a lot of skills you learned in the years following.  Here's a link to a video of the game

Finish this sentence "Good dance....."
is a matter of taste.  A relative who has been drinking wine for decades explained to me something refreshing about wine:  There's the Carlo Rossi and Franzia, which everyone agrees is crap.  Then there's the $1000-per-bottle wine that everyone agrees is exquisite.  Everything in between is a matter of personal preference, and if someone tells you otherwise, they're just trying to make themselves feel better for all the money they spent on Sommelier courses.

If I were to write a dance love-letter, it would be to__________.
Wendy Fennell, my highland dance teacher and second mother for ten years.

What is your "desert-island" publication?
Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.  I have read that book many times, and it is always revealing itself in new ways.  It straddles a boundary between prose and poetry.  It's funny because I think several artists in the city are currently working with this book as source material, which is so exciting.  It lends itself to dance, which also straddles a line between physical poetry and prose.

If I never see another ________ again, it will be too soon.
Bookend.  Ending with the same movement that you began with does not automatically make everything that went in between suddenly more meaningful.

What are you most excited to cover through TD?
I'm most excited to write about dances that I might not otherwise see if I weren't a part of this project. Ballet X was a great example- the postcard was on my fridge, but TD pushed me to the show.

What would your parents say about your work in the arts?
They're proud that I actually graduated from college, can pay my own bills, and am not addicted to drugs.  How I'm managing that is secondary to them.

By Annie Wilson
May 4, 2012