Still Walking: PVCC student and professor publish a story

Almost every PVCC student has taken ENG 111. Many of them have written a narrative assignment. Not many of them have had their narrative assignment published in a renowned children’s magazine, but Linda White has. Adjunct Assistant Professor of English Kathy May read her narrative, a story about White’s childhood in 1980s South Korea, and was so moved by it that she knew it had to be published.

“Our house didn’t have a washing machine,” White began as she described her story. “So we always had to do laundry by hand… we also only had one stove burner in our house. So when my mom cooks, she cooks one food at a time. Everything was that way. Everything was normal. We were not poor, but that was normal for everyone. I always walked to school with my sisters. And also, I always helped my mom with laundry, dishes, grocery shopping and anything… One day I saw the flame car said there was a walking contest to the mountain, and the prize was a washing machine. I really wanted to do that for my mom, even though my mom said that was not going to happen.” 

In the story, White’s mom encourages her to be realistic about winning the race. In real life, she did not tell her mom at all. 

The race started from downtown and then progressed through the city, the park, and finally, the mountain. Maeja, or White, left after eating breakfast and didn’t make it home until after three in the afternoon. She remembers the race as utterly exhausting, but worth it when she thought about the joy it would bring her family. She never thought she was going to win, but she was proud to place fourth. Although disappointed she didn’t secure the washing machine, the prize for fourth place turned out to be a portable stove burner. She was so ecstatic, to have the opportunity to give her mother this amazing present, she sprinted all the way home. Her mother was irate that she had left without telling her where she was, but her anger faded when she saw what her daughter had brought her. Gratitude overcame her and she began to cry. That night, they put the new burner to work and had a barbeque feast to celebrate Maeja’s victory.  

When May read White’s story, she knew it had to be published.  “I submitted it to two or three different publishers, and they all rejected it,” said May. “It was rejected by book publishers, but then I thought, I’ll try magazines.Spider Magine  is the most prestigious children’s magazine in the country for the literary arts… They accepted it! It took them a couple months, but then we didn’t hear anything for years!”  

Spider Magazine experienced issues due to the coronavirus and the resignation of their Editor-In-Chief. “The editors, a year ago, said, we want it, we love it, we don’t know when it’s going to be published, but we need to work on it some more,” said May. 

After nearly 10 years of revisions, by both White and May, and a couple changes for the magazine, “Maeja Keeps On Walking” was published. White, who works as a literary resource teacher in Fairfax County, shares her story with her students. She even has had students say to her that they have the magazine she was featured in at home. 

“Don’t give up and always start with a good heart. I wasn’t a good writer in real life. I wasn’t a good reader. I told [my students] that you always have to keep trying. You never know what’s coming,” she said. Linda White’s story “Maeja Keeps On Walking” can be found in the March 2023 issue of Spider Magazine.