Dream comes true for seniors

It started out as a joke.

"Why don't we ask Colum McCann to be our speaker at graduation?"

The Charleston School of the Arts seniors didn't know whether he'd accept, but they knew they loved his writing. One of McCann's books was on the list of required reading for Advanced Placement and honors students last summer, and students interviewed him earlier this year by phone about his work.

"We read a bunch of his books this year," senior Shannon McNellis said. "He was our favorite author."

McCann has written two collections of short stories and five novels, all of which were international best-sellers, and his fiction has been published in 30 languages. His new novel was Amazon.com's book of the month for June, and it was on The Wall Street Journal's list of recommended summer reading.

The seniors at this North Charleston magnet school might have had a slightly better shot at getting McCann to fly down from his New York City home because of the connection their teacher, John Cusatis, has with him. Cusatis met McCann more than a decade ago, has kept in touch through the years, and is writing the first critical study of McCann's work.

McCann accepted the students' invitation, and he came down a couple of days before their graduation to spend some time with them. He attended a senior awards ceremony, showed his film to one group of students Friday morning and met with another group in the afternoon at Bowen's Island Restaurant. Some students read excerpts of their writing, and they listened to McCann read some of his.

Students sat mesmerized while McCann spoke, and he fielded questions from them about what he liked to read before he wrote and how he finds the voice of the characters in his fiction. McCann talked to them as equals and seemed genuinely impressed with their talent.

"I read a lot of short stories from people who have been through college, and I can guarantee that your stuff is as good as, if not better than, the vast majority of the applications we get," he told the group.

He called their school extraordinary and said he's never been to one that is as forward-looking as School of the Arts. Students already have CDs and books of their work, and they have such a jump on their peers, he said.

Students couldn't have been more excited to spend some time with the literary celebrity and have him as their graduation speaker. They said they wanted someone special who had ties to the arts community, and McCann was that person.

McCann hadn't finished writing the speech he planned to give tonight at their graduation, but he hoped students would remember to "live their lives out loud" and that the work they will do can be difficult, but it is worthwhile.