Getting published in the New York Times is a dream for many writers. For freshman creative writing major Kayde Knorr, it’s an amazing feat achieved in just the first semester at SUNY Oswego.

Knorr’s piece, “Dating Straight Boys,” ran in the New York Times Tiny Love Stories series on Nov. 19, even providing the title to the roundup of micro essays published that day. 

“I thought, ‘wow, I did it,’” Knorr said of receiving the surprising news from the paper via email. “I was really grateful for the opportunity.”

“Can you imagine being published in the NYT during your first semester of college?” Laura Donnelly, chair of the English and Creative Writing Department, noted in first sharing the news. “Kayde rocks. As does Sari.”

Knorr takes Sari Fordham’s “Introduction to Nonfiction” class, which includes Tiny Love Stories (TLS) and Five Minute Lit assignments “to consider the difference between Show and Tell in creative nonfiction,” Fordham explained.

“Successful TLS include more vivid Tell, whereas successful Five Minute Lit pieces include more vivid Show,” Fordham said. “Both publications want short pieces, though Five Minute Lit pieces must be exactly 100 words. The students write both, get feedback on both, and then submit one for a grade.”

“Her class is my favorite,” Knorr said. “I really admire her teaching style. She provides encouragement and motivation, and had confidence in me when I didn’t have confidence in myself. Without her I would not have done it.”

Published under the name Kayde Kirkner –- Kayde’s stepfather’s last name, currently in the process of becoming an official name –- “Dating Straight Boys” came from a kind of joke but became a serious exploration of gender identity, exploration and the quest for attraction.

“I had talked to my boyfriend featured in the article,” Knorr said. “He joked, ‘you should talk about me.’”

But trying to tell a story in less than 100 words is not easy and requires revision and writing in a concise manner, especially in relaying the journey of finding oneself and somebody else who provides comfort in one's own identity and affection.

“I took a lot of revising, looking inward at my relationship,” Knorr recalled. Fordham advises students to avoid cliches and instead find an interesting way to tell a story, which led to Knorr's successful submission.

The two categories of New York Times both allow free submissions, so Fordham offers it as an extra credit opportunity.

“I don't require submission in an Intro class because the students are just starting out, but after two rounds of feedback, I feel good about the pieces students might send out to editors,” Fordham said. “If a piece is really strong –- like Kayde's –- I nudge them in their feedback to send it out.”

And while around five to six students per class follow through with submitting in Fordham’s class, Knorr’s success was unprecedented –- and impressive for a writer on any level.

(Knorr's piece is published at this link, but a subscription is required to read it.)

Oswego’s opportunities

Knorr came to the only university in New York on the shores of Lake Ontario from Clermont, Florida, but had family members who attended SUNY Oswego. 

“I heard great things about the creative writing program,” Knorr said. “I heard about all the opportunities, the network and the connections.”

Getting work in a prestigious publication so soon was not expected, but it confirms the opportunities SUNY Oswego makes available.

“I think it’s a good experience and it wouldn’t have happened without Professor Fordham,” Knorr said.

“Dating Straight Boys” came together over multiple days, using the time-honored tradition of rewriting, revisiting and revising.

“My writing process is I write a whole first draft, do some checks and then put it away for a day or two, then look at it again with fresh eyes and do some editing,” Knorr said. “I write in a lot of short bursts.”

While describing it as a “positive experience,” Knorr acknowledges it changes expectations going forward.

“It definitely helps my confidence and raised the bar,” Knorr said. “It puts a bit of pressure on me that wasn’t there before but it’s a good kind of pressure that makes me do what I like to do, which is write.”