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From Bartender to MFA Student to Teacher: Krystal Marie Orwig on Rewriting Her Story Arc
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What drives someone to uproot their life and move across the country with no safety net? For Krystal Marie Orwig, it was a childhood dream that refused to die.
"I was 12 years old when I said I was gonna live in New York," Krystal shares, reflecting on how she made that declaration long before understanding what it would mean. After moving from Southern California at 26, Krystal built a life in NYC starting as a bartender—a career that introduced her to friends, her fiancé, and a sense of community, but never felt like her final destination.
Krystal takes us through her transformation from practical communications major to creative writing MFA graduate, and now teacher at City College of New York. With remarkable candor, she reveals the challenges of pursuing creative dreams when you've been self-supporting since your teens. "I worked full-time throughout college... I was never able to fully dedicate myself to school because I put myself through my undergraduate degree," she explains, making her later decision to commit to writing all the more significant.
As founder of Must Love Memoir, a NYC reading series dedicated to non-fiction writers, Krystal has created the literary community she needed while elevating a genre often dismissed as mere "navel-gazing." Her insights into teaching today's college students—navigating attention spans, technology shifts, and the AI revolution—offer a fascinating glimpse into higher education's changing landscape.
Through conversations about true crime obsessions, complicated parental relationships, and finding your voice as a writer, this episode explores how we build lives of meaning on our own terms. Whether you're contemplating a career change, struggling with imposter syndrome, or simply curious about the realities of pursuing creative work in your 30s, Krystal's journey reminds us it's never too late to follow your passion.
MUST LOVE MEMOIR Reading Series
Mentions:
Goodbye to All That by Joan Didion
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Chapters
1. Meeting Crystal Marie Orwig (00:00:00)
2. Moving to New York with No Safety Net (00:06:34)
3. Pursuing Writing and the MFA Path (00:19:46)
4. The Challenges of Teaching College Students (00:30:31)
5. Creating the Must Love Memoir Series (00:41:45)
6. True Crime, Parents, and Simple Pleasures (00:46:48)
26 episodes
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