Student Spotlight: Rebecca Oet
Meet Rebecca Oet from Solon, Ohio. Rebecca's poem, "Indian River Lake" was selected as the Category III Poetry Winner of the 2016-17 contest and will soon be published in the much anticipated 2016-2018 River of Words anthology of children's art and poetry.
In January of 2018, Rebecca participated in a student spotlight interview, in which she told us about her artistic process, the story of "Indian River Lake," and much more.
Meet Rebecca:
Q: What is your current age?
A: I鈥檓 15 but I鈥檓 turning 16 tomorrow
Q: Oh wow! Happy early birthday! 鈥揌ow did you begin creating and what do you enjoy about creating?
A: I started when I was younger, in school I had to do art classes and English, things like that, but it never really interested me because it wasn鈥檛 something I wanted to do, it was something other people were telling me to do, but my older brother is a writer and he was writing a ton when I Was little, and watching him get really excited about it and talking about it all the time, and taking photos and drawing and things like that it just made me really inspired, so I started writing and it just like spiraled out of control.
Q: What does it mean for you, for your writing to have spiraled out of control? What does this look like in your writing practice?
A: It鈥檚 like, before writing, creating wasn鈥檛 really my choice , but after making a choice it became a part of me, so now it鈥檚 like part of my identity.
Q: Tell me about "Indian River Lake". What inspired you?
A: I actually wrote that over the summer when I was at my grandparents house and they have a lake in their backyard and my grandfather was like, 鈥渄o you wanna go canoeing with me? 鈥渁nd I just remember being really, really awed by how beautiful it was, and just how it felt like a quiet, special moment that I hadn鈥檛 experienced before and I just felt so inspired as soon as I came back I sat down and wrote about it.
Q: Would you say that that鈥檚 how your writing process normally is? Would you say you are typically overcome with inspiration?
A: It depends for me, when I am really emotional about something I usually end up writing about it as like therapy to help me deal with it and get it out on the page. Sometimes though I鈥檓 just doing normal things, like I鈥檓 in class or on a bus or something and I see something and am like 鈥渉uh, that鈥檚 a cool image鈥 and I just write it down, and then later when I have time I go back and look at it again.
Q: A Watershed Explorer is someone who explores their watershed or the environment where they live. What does being a Watershed Explorer mean to you?
A: Watershed Explorer isn鈥檛 really a term I had heard before, but it makes perfect sense when I hear it鈥攅specially for creators, like people who do art and writing鈥 curiosity is such an important part of that process, and I feel like being a Watershed Explorer is just a natural extension of that. Of not only exploring the world around you through writing, but also changing your perspective and how you see things, and physically going out and seeing it and taking it all in.
Q: How did you find out about river of words?
A: My older brother was a finalist for writing when I was younger, and I just remember thinking 鈥渙h my gosh, that鈥檚 so cool, I love nature. This seems like such an interesting thing.鈥 So when I had started doing some of my own work, I submitted.
Q: It seems like you and your family have been very involved in River of Words. What role would you say River of Words has played in your life?
A: Seeing what other people have written and created has made me feel enthusiastic about being a Watershed Explorer鈥攂eing curious, seeing other people鈥檚 works and relating to it makes me want to go out and become better, too.
Q: What is some advice you'd give another young person who wants to write/create art?
A: I would tell them to just go for it. There鈥檚 no bad art or writing of anything of that kind, there鈥檚 just art and writing that鈥檚 in progress, so no matter where you start or what you鈥檙e doing it will inevitably get better and grow to become a part of you鈥攕o I would tell them to just go for it!
Q: What has helped you let go of your inhibitions and just go for it with art?
A: I鈥檓 not sure 鈥 I think letting it become a daily part of my process, and letting it become habit has helped, and also the knowledge that writing doesn鈥檛 have to be for other people, that it鈥檚 like for myself, helps. Like, if no one else is going to see it I have nothing to be embarrassed about.
Q: When you say writing is a habit for you, do you have a disciplined daily practice, or what does that mean for you?
A: I鈥檓 a very disorganized writer, sometimes I鈥檒l go for several days or weeks at a time without thinking about writing completely, and then I鈥檒l just sit down and be like 鈥渙h gosh I have the greatest idea鈥 and just power through it, whereas other times I鈥檒l write every day.
Q: What is your advice to other young people who want to get involved or learn more about their watershed or environment?
A: I鈥檇 advise them to do research online, watch videos, see local volunteer opportunities. If there鈥檚 a park nearby, go out into nearby woods and explore and be curious.
"Indian River Lake" by Rebecca Oet
鈥淟et鈥檚 go canoeing, you and I鈥, you say,
handing me an oar.
You give yourself the big blue one and I get the one ended oar.
Where is its twin? I wonder
Is it floating out there, in the cool green beyond,
with a heavy end dipping in the water?
Or is it underneath a pile of junk, silently awaiting its discovery?
Or maybe even, my paddle was just created this way, lopsided,
knowing it鈥檚 missing something but not knowing what.
We paddle, unsteadily at first but gaining speed,
Barreling through the water,
leaving 鈥淰鈥漵 in our wake. The sky is navy dark,
tinged with orange at the bottoms.
A gaggle of geese stare at us reproachfully, geeselings tucked into their feathers.
As soon as we pass by, they flap their wings,
splashing, and their young take off behind them,
already following in their footsteps.
The older ones bark at the youngers, honking in a language I can鈥檛 understand.
We slip through a patch of lilies,
our boat hissing and purring as I grab one and pull it out of the water.
Its roots dangle at the bottom,
scrabbling furiously at the muck, almost desperately.
The white beauty opens its petals,
The orange inside shaking like jelly with
every movement, trembling.
I bring it to my nose, and the sweet,
innocent smell greets me.
Smiling, I throw it back into the water
among lily pads,
and we row off
stars dripping from our oars.
Rebecca Oet, age 13
Solon, OH
2016-2017 Category III Winner