Who is R.J. Hembree?

Nobody calls me R.J., but that’s how I like to sign my work. My business cards say R.J. too, and when people call me on the phone, asking for R.J., I say, “who?”

My name is Bob. It’s such a common name that I often wonder what my parents were thinking when they gave it to me. Did they want me to be ordinary, blend into the scenery, fit snugly into the status quo? Who knows? I’ll ask my mom next time I call her.

My friends calls me Bob too, although my 4 children call me Dad.

I’m working on my MFA in Creative Writing at Old Dominion University. The professors, call me Robert when they first meet me ... I tell them to call me Bob.

When I was an undergraduate, majoring in English and Studio Arts, the professors would call roll on the first day of school, and they would call me Robert. I had to explain to the whole class that I was really Bob. “But your paperwork clearly says "Robert Hembree ... see?” said one professor. I tell him there must be something wrong with their computer and offer to look at it for them. I like to tinker.

I’ve never had any training in computers, or designing web pages; it’s a hobby. Photography is another of my hobbies. I shoot professional boxers mostly, because they make some great faces when they fight. Boxers are interesting people too; they don’t mind too much when others hit them. I think it’s a crazy sport, but they love it, and it makes them feel good about themselves, so who am I to judge. I prefer the academic arena.

I want to teach Creative Writing and Modern Literature at a university when I finish school. My students will probably call me Professor Hembree.  I’ll tell them to call me Bob. Now you can see why I teach Fiction 401. It gives me a chance to try ideas and fine tune them. Most of all, I like fiction writers. I like the way they think and see the world around them. We are a different kind of people ... not ordinary. We don’t usually blend into the scenery or fit snugly into the status quo. We like to stretch the boundaries of human understanding in an entertaining way. We like to share our discoveries of life, giving readers a glimpse of our innermost humanity so they can compare and learn about themselves. As Virginia Woolf said, “Fiction is likely to contain more truth than fact.”

So, in fact, I am Robert James Hembree. In reality, I am Bob. In truth, I am R.J. Hembree.

R.J. Hembree, 1997

Other Places to go:

"The ABCs of Reality Construction" an essay about metafiction by R.J. Hembree