I just received the sad, horrible news about Amanda Davis, an instructor in Mills graduate creative writing program. Amanda, 32, was killed in a plane crash on Friday along with her mother and father.


I had the privilege of being in Amanda's fiction workshop last semester and she really helped to ease my transition into grad school with her warmth and humor. She was always willing to lend an ear, never failed to lighten the mood with a goofy joke and always offered good, straightforward advice.


In addition to various Mills' related tributes, on March 25, at 7:00 p.m., Lisa Brown, Michael Chabon, Dave Eggers, Daniel Handler, Cornelia Nixon and Ayelet Waldman will read from Amanda’s new novel, Wonder When You’ll Miss Me, at A Clean Well-Lighted Place for books in San Francisco.

I'm still in shock over this news - I really can't even begin to fathom it...