Author Holly Wilson said there was a period in her life where she “didn’t think of myself as a writer at all.”

“But I went back (to writing), and I always go back … and here I am,” Wilson said.

Wilson, a Master of Fine Arts graduate of Wichita State, visited the Ulrich Museum of Art for a reading and signing of her debut book, “Kittentits.”

The event was introduced by her former teacher, Margaret Dawe, creative writing associate professor, who had also brought her current students to celebrate the alumna’s work. 

Dawe recalled a time when Wilson, then a student, had crafted a compelling tale to persuade Dawe to excuse one of Wilson’s absences during the semester.

“I fell for it, which means Holly Wilson has always been good at storytelling,” Dawe said.

“Kittentits” is a surrealist, stream-of-consciousness style novel starring Molly, a potty-mouthed 10-year-old, who is living unfavorably in a group home haunted by friendly nuns. 

Summarized by Goodreads as a “bold take on the American coming-of-age novel,” Wilson embraces the difficult road to growing up as Molly escapes her home with her pen pal, Demarcus, to find Jeanie, a dirt bike-riding ex-con who faked her own death in a hot-air balloon accident. 

Wilson explained that when creating the main character, Molly, she was inspired by a rambunctious girl from her school days, also named Molly.

“She told wild tales, and she was really bold. She just didn’t care what people thought, and I always kind of envied that.”

While “Kittentits” is fast-paced and action-packed, Wilson’s writing process was more gradual; it took her 14 years to bring the book to fruition. “Kittentits” began in Florida, while she was getting her Ph.D. in creative writing from Florida State University. During vacations to Wichita, Wilson spent most of her time writing, either at the Advanced Learning Library or the Panera Bread at Hillside and Central. 

“I never really thought I’d get published, so I was never in a hurry,” Wilson said. “Now I’m like, ‘Why did you take so long?’”

Wilson ended the night with a piece of advice for writers and creative writing students.

“Read as much as you can; read everything; read all the fiction and all the poetry,” Wilson said. “And you just don’t stop, you have to believe in it. But you also have to be OK with it not happening.”