Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost: Week 1 of the CPC at Oxford

August 28 to September 9, 2022

My chest tightens every time I think about the fact that I am actually living in Oxford and residing in their fourth oldest college, Exeter. It boasts former students and fantasy writers Philip Pullman of His Dark Materials and J. R. R. Tolkien of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit (“All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost”). With every word I type of my own fantasy novel while here, it feels like I have their presence watching over me. Encouraging this story of my heart that I get to write in one of the most picturesque places. Learning and talking about books with every breath I take.

There have been so many moments when I have truly felt breathless. Most notably when I heard a woman singing Ave Maria in the Exeter Chapel. Tears sprung to my eyes and my skin shivered with goosebumps as her high notes lifted into the lofty ceiling. 

It’s been a week and a half since I arrived at Oxford and a week of classes. I’ve done so much in the short time I’ve been here. There’s something to be said about being in a place so you can truly get to know it. 

The Long Road to Exeter

As you may have seen in my last post, I was accepted into the Columbia Publishing Course (CPC) last year so attending this program has been a year and a half in the making. When the time finally arrived for me to start packing, it felt surreal. But honestly, I was looking forward to being off of work for the next six weeks. After years of teaching and then working in service, I was ready to be a student again.

Maybe because of the long road it took to get here, traveling to Oxford was uneventful. The most stressful part of my journey was the drive to JFK. The highways were congested and my anxiety was climbing with every delay. My partner kept asking me how I was feeling. FINE. I WAS FINE. 

After a short wistful goodbye to my partner, I dropped off my luggage and made it through security smoothly. I even had enough time to grab a quick bite to eat and write some. A gorgeous sunset sent me across the pond even if the sleep was restless. 

I landed at Gatwick airport early and there was absolutely no lines for any customs. My passport didn’t even get stamped. Just a lousy computer scanned it and a dodgy little camera looked at my face. I breezed through, got my bag, got the shuttle to the train station, booked my ticket to Oxford and had time to spare to catch what I thought would be the long-shot 9:02 connection to Reading. Again, the trains and connections were smooth and I was unceremoniously dumped at the Oxford train station right after 11. 

It was too early to check-in to my hostel so I left my things and walked around. It wasn’t what I expected with its bustling city life and modern shops. But the further I traveled, the more picturesque it became. Unlike American universities with a campus, Oxford is composed of a myriad of colleges. Each college has three stories of honey colored walls with a secret hive inside. The outside of which is nondescript but if you get a change to glance through an open door, you’ll see the flourishing courtyard and quaint passages within.

The first night, I met up with some of the other women in my course at the mall before I convinced some of them to join me at a pub for a burger and a cider. And so it began. Because I am attending a course about book publishing, there is something that instantly connects all of us on a passionate level. We are all deeply connected to books, reading, and recommending stories that move us. In truth, I’ve talked of little but books in the past ten days.

I met more of them the next evening at the park where we had takeaway meals while a couple of bottles of wine got passed around. Afterwards, we went to one of the oldest pubs, the King’s Arms, and continued to gush about books.

During the days, I wandered, trying to force myself to stay awake and adjust to the time zone. I didn’t follow a map but followed the cobbled streets and alleys tucked between beautifully carved architecture. I saw the iconic buildings like the Radcliffe Camera and went inside the stunning St. Mary’s Church. It really is the city of a dreaming spires and every time I glance up, they are just waiting for untold ideas to unfold. I got to know the city I would be living in and took pictures at every turn.

During the first two and a half days, there was actually a movie being filmed at Oxford (the upcoming thriller Saltburn). Of course, Harry Potter was filmed at many locations throughout Oxford and returning to being a student myself it makes it feels all the more nostalgic and special. In Exeter College, they filmed a show I watched called A Discovery of Witches. (I also read the series of urban fantasy books too.) It just illustrates that Oxford provides a beautiful backdrop to learning and reaffirms its long history as the place of academia. 

Curiouser and Curiouser

The day I moved into Exeter felt like a whirl wind. Me and some other girls that stayed at the hostel dragged our massive luggage through High Street. The porter gave me the key to my room in staircase nine and I climbed the flights upon flights of winding stairs. It left me breathless for an entirely different reason. 

My dorm is a quaint convent room with a small single bed, a desk, a porcelain sink, and a closet. Despite its small footprint, I love my desk in front of the window that looks out onto the Sheldonian Theatre and the corner of Broad Street.

We had orientation followed by sherry hour in the fellow’s garden. It sounds as quintessentially British as it was as we mingled with our fellow students. Dinner followed in the dining hall that is straight out of Tutor England. 

After an early night in, I woke up early the next morning for breakfast in the dining hall. It’s a continental affair with croissants, yogurt, and fruit. On the tables is little silver holders with slices of toast. I feel transported to another time where simple elegance is the order of the day. After three cups of tea, I head back to my dorm room to gather my things and prepare for the day.

Our schedule for the course is three lectures a day. The day is time blocked with our first lecture at 10, lunch at 12:30, second lecture at 2, last lecture at 4, and dinner at 6. The days feel full with the sheer amount of information we are absorbing at each lecture. Professionals from the industry have spoken to us about everything from rights, contracts, editorial, celebrity and non-fiction publishing, digital publishing, publicity, agenting, and pitching. I’ve meet one of the agents of Margret Atwood, a famous cover designer, and the editor of Call the Midwife (a star struck moment I can assure you). The director of our program has published such titles like Forrest Gump and Gone Girl. Our lecturers are professionals in the industry with years of insight and invaluable knowledge.

There is a certain routine that has evolved over the last week. I often send thank you notes to lecturers between meals and lessons. Hang in the quad and chat. Take walks after dinner, usually by myself but sometimes with a friend or two. I like the routine and I have walked so much every day since being here. Not to mention the endless set of stairs I have to climb to get to my dorm.

There has been some intensive assignments too which I work on throughout the day and focus on after my walk. Our first assignment was to read a manuscript (mine was a 260 page self-help book about stress) in a day and write what is known as a reader’s report on it. Our next assignment the following Monday was to produce three non-fiction book ideas on our assigned topic (mine was parenting).  

I had my first rainy evening in Oxford on Tuesday and it felt like a different place. The sky was gray. The stone cobbled roads wet and dark with rain. The buildings more saturated. The antique bubbled glass reflected the orange light of the street lamps. To me it felt like the magical dark academia I had envisioned. Nothing makes me more happy than a light drizzle where everyone else retreats inside and a calmness dampens the din.

Something that surprised me about Oxford is that it’s a bustling modern city. Most days, I feel very overstimulated by the crowds and noise. I’ve found myself retreating to quiet corners of parks at least once every day. When it rained, Oxford became less overwhelming and more like the scholarly city I had pictured. 

Exploring Beyond Exeter

During the week days when we have lectures, I often forget about the outside world. We are so secluded in our charming walls climbing with ivy and roses. During my evening walks or on a break between lectures to grab a latte, I am reminded of things existing beyond publishing. Of course, books are everywhere to be found. There are three bookshops within two-hundred feet of the college. 

During the first weekend, I saw the sights of Oxford. On Saturday, I visited Christ Church and did some shopping at a pop-up arts festival. The dean of Christ Church was the father of Alice who was the inspiration for Alice in Wonderland and little images from the novel can be seen in the dining hall windows at the college. On Sunday morning, we had a rude awakening when the fire alarms went off at seven in the morning. We all had to gather in the chapel of Exeter until they gave us the all clear. It seemed to be an accident but I couldn’t help falling asleep after it and I woke up much later than I wanted. I had a crepe for brunch before hitting the botanical gardens and visiting All Souls college. That night I had take out and wine in the common area and played banana grams with some other students. 

Because we are on an American schedule, we had Monday off for Labor Day. Brittney and I went to the Blenheim Palace, a stunning country house in Woodstock. We walked the gorgeously appointed rooms full of portraits of past residents and important figures. Each room was a treasure trove of perfectly preserved antiques. Former Prime Minister Winston Churchill was born in one of the interior rooms. 

I had the arguably best mac and cheese of my life at their cafe outside the stables. They had an exhibition going on in the stables where I finally got to try sitting side saddle! I had my own Princess Mia a la Princess Diaries moment. And it wasn’t as uncomfortable as I imagined. 

But the real gem of Blenheim was its expansive and highly curated gardens. It started to rain while we walked around the rose garden but I think it only added to the atmosphere. The roses were dotted with little droplets of rain that reflected the overcast gray sky. I drunk in the smell of their delicate perfume at every turn. 

Blenheim Palace even had an authentic hedge maze where I truly felt lost. It felt endless, I swear! They had a butterfly sanctuary too. The palace itself sat on a hill overlooking vast lakes with swans and ducks dotting their stormy blue waters. I was waiting for Mr. Darcy to pop up out after a dive and saunter over in a white blouse hugging his skin. Overall, it was such a pleasant little getaway to somewhere a little more green and a little less gold. Despite the resplendent gold gates that greeted us at the entrance to Blenheim. 

Last night with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, I get to be a part of another moment in history. The news broke when we were all at dinner in the dining hall and the sounds of shock and surprise rippled out. It had only been that morning the palace had officially announced her declining health. When I took my evening walk, all of the churches were ringing their bells. They echoed a solemn call to mourn over the dewy meadows.

This all go to show that you never can predict what will happen and to live every day to its fullest. Embracing the mundane moments as magic. To do what is right, to do your best, and follow your heart.

I feel so grateful that I get to be learning so much in one of the most prestigious places on earth. A common lesson that has emerged over the course of our lessons is that the path to publishing in not linear. It meanders. Wanders. My path to get here was anything but linear as I floated between jobs and explored careers options. Every experience I have had offers transferrable skills that publishers will value. I’m excited to see where this course will lead me next. Until next week.

Happy Day-