Setton travels through a pen

Imagine living in a world where you can travel anywhere you want by simply picking up a pen and writing about it.

Ruth Knafo Setton, a new Georgia College & State University creative writing professor, lives this life, loves it and wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Setton, originally from Morocco, came to the United States at age three when her family settled in East Allentown, Pa.

“The first memory that I vividly remember of my childhood is one of my grandfather. He had a roof terrace. This terrace was his escape from the world around him,” said Setton. “He also had 50 homing pigeons. I was the first grandchild that was allowed up onto the terrace. I remember climbing the spiral staircase up onto the roof, looking through the stained glass windows and him spiraling flowers on my ears.”

Setton didn’t return to her homeland for 14 years.

“When I returned I learned that my grandfather was dying,” said Setton.
“While next to his death bed, my mother told me to look at a picture that was hanging over the bed. It was a picture of me. His last words were spoken to me. ‘Mon tresor,’ he said. “It meant my treasure. It was a very touching moment.”

This vivid memory of her grandfather turned out to be one of her inspirations for writing “The Road to Fez,” Setton’s first book. She uses many of her personal experiences in the pieces she writes.

“Every time I sit down to write, it’s different. What usually happens is that suddenly something will strike me,” said Setton. “Something that I see will work its way into me. Suddenly, there is this image there that I need to know more about, and why it is important to me.”

Setton is working on a novel she was inspired to write after visiting a Moroccan/Russian restaurant while in Philadelphia with her husband.

“At the restaurant, there was a belly-dancer performing,” said Setton. “She must have been well into her 70s. Then something happened inside me; when we were leaving the restaurant, I saw the belly-dancer outside having a cigarette. This was the original inspiration for the novel.”

From that experience, Setton was able to create an entire world, while focusing on a fictitious immigrant family.

“Because of that incident came a story about and immigrant family that has a restaurant. The father is a Jazz trumpeter, the mother is a cook and their two children, Sophie and Memphis, are twins. The story ends around the time of the Vietnam War,” she said. “It is basically a story about creating a home for these people, about what America gives them and what the country takes away.”

Even as a child, Setton knew she wanted to pursue a life discovering why these images inspired her to write.

“When I was a kid, I wanted to be a detective,” said Setton. “I wanted to be able to solve the world. One of the reasons I write is to expose bits and pieces of mysteries to myself. I have been writing since I was nine years old. I have always loved reading and writing. I have always known that this is what I wanted to do.”

In addition to her writing, Setton has hosted her own radio shows. Jazz, blues and a show in French were the formats.

“I really love jazz and blues music, so having my own shows was something that was fun for me,” she said. “I also hosted my own underground French show. Since French is my native language, it’s nice to be able to use it.”

One of the things Setton enjoys most about writing is witnessing “the world though your eyes” and “expressing those feeling to others as you see it.”

“Any day that I don’t write makes me feel like I have let a day go,” she said. “Those days I feel hollow inside. The feeling of translating the world into words is the greatest high. Nothing even comes close.”

With one novel and other works published for the world to read and experience, Setton said she feels her writing has progressed over the years.

“I followed my own rhythm; I did it my way,” she said. “I feel that I could have gone different paths to get all I have accomplished more quickly, but I am happy where I am. I still feel that there is a lot more that I have to do.”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 25 2002. Filed under Other. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry