Contributors and guest speakers from left to right are Aracelis Girmay, moderator and co-editor Kelly McMasters and Domenica Ruta. // Lily Spinda / The Hofstra Chronicle.

In order to desire, one must dream. The anthology “Wanting: Women Writing About Desire” is a series of essays from women who share their deepest desires and how they changed throughout their lives. On Thursday, March 16, Hofstra’s department of English and Hofstra’s Cultural Center welcomed contributors Aracelis Girmay and Domenica Ruta to discuss their desires in the anthology co-edited by Hofstra’s director of publishing studies, Kelly McMasters.

Ruta shared her desires and how they evolved as she got older. She explained that as a child, her only desire was to grow older, and in her 20s, she chased relief through addiction. After 13 years of sobriety and a breast cancer diagnosis, she desired control of her body and mind.

“If abortion taught me for the first time that I had control over my own body, childbirth taught me how to let go of that control, and cancer was a lesson that neither of those things, control or surrender, are mutually exclusive,” Ruta read aloud. Now, she desires a haven where women are in charge of their bodies, similar to how she had control over hers when she first had an abortion.

“I learned how to make non-fiction come alive and a lot more honest because I learned how to be brave,” Ruta said as she read her essay to Hofstra students.

Sophomore Lara Rydesky, majoring in journalism and minoring in creative writing, felt inspired by these female authors sharing their truth. “It inspired me as a writer. They talked about how telling your personal truth is courageous, which I’ve always been told was selfish,” Rydesky said.

As we live through an overturn of Roe v. Wade, the speakers expressed their desire for diverse authors to share their experiences. Ruta desired books on dealing with abortion and parenting that were written from the perspective of a non-white or straight person.

“Abortion and sex were hushed,” Ruta said regarding her upbringing as an adolescent and young adult in the ‘80s and ‘90s. “There was shame and quietness that I could feel the edges of, but I couldn’t get specifics. There was so much fear, [so] I love that we have books for our quests if we don’t want to talk to people.”

“There’s this idea among my generation and especially among women that talking about yourself is narcissistic and that wanting attention is evil, so it was really nice to hear that telling your story is necessary and good,” Rydesky said.

Girmay wrote about desiring a world and system of equality for her children and our future generations. “Language matters, [learning] how to talk to your kids about race is to be vulnerable [with them],” Girmay said.

This anthology is a diverse collection that explores a woman’s desires. In a country challenged by white supremacy and police brutality, Girmay desires a place for her children to dream and have the space to grow. She discussed the fear of saying things out loud and applauded writers who are able to be fearless in their writing.

Christine Garas, a sophomore in the physician assistant program, attended the event to accompany a friend and wasn’t expecting this panel to be any different than any previous ones. “I was really surprised when I found myself very interested and rarely getting distracted this time,” Garas said. “It definitely inspired me to get back into reading and maybe even try a genre other than fiction, which is what I typically go for.”

“Writing is my way to think,” Girmay said. “Writing this piece [helped me] to get clear with myself, talk about it with my kids, engage them on what was happening.”

Girmay shared her experiences dealing with race and identity with her children during the height of the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

At the end of the panel, Garas asked Girmay and Ruta for any writing advice for non-English majors that struggle with writing non-fiction. “I was very grateful for their responses, and it was definitely nice to get some advice from writers, but I don’t think it made a huge difference in my writing process,” Garas said. “I understand what they meant by letting go of control more when writing, but it’s definitely harder to apply.”

“Good writing should be so many things that speaks to you personally,” Ruta advised to non-English majors struggling to write non-fiction.

This spring is Hofstra’s 19th annual year of hosting “Great Writers, Great Readings” to celebrate authors’ success and inspire students through open discussions and readings. The last panel for this spring’s “Great Writers, Great Readings” will be on April 26 and features Phillis Levin and Christie Ann Reynolds.