City Symphony
By Dominique de Castro
Sounds—we hear them all the time in the city, but we don’t necessarily register how much of an important role they play in our understanding of our surroundings. This piece is about sounds you hear in New York City, how those sounds translate into snapshots of other people’s lives, and how they affect your own.
Process
I moved to New York a few weeks into my freshman year, and I was often scared of walking in the city because I thought all the cars and trains were too loud and disorienting. I’m more comfortable now, but I still notice a lot of the sounds as I walk home, so I decided to write about it. I used my phone’s audio recording app and iMovie to create the piece. Then, I walked around New York with my phone in my hand (my fingers were freezing).
Meet the Pair
MENTEE DOMINIQUE DE CASTRO & MENTOR COURTNEY STEVENSON
Dominique’s Anecdote: Sweets, books, and giggles—those are the three words that come to mind when I think of my relationship with Courtney. In the little time we have been together, she has bought me cake, given me a library of books, and laughed at many of my bad jokes. I feel like I’ve found a person as quirky and silly as me in her. I feel free to experiment with new types and styles of writing around her, and I’m insanely lucky to have her as both a friend and a mentor.
Courtney’s Anecdote: From the very first time we met, I’ve been constantly amazed and impressed by how Dominique thinks about the world—she’s one of the smartest, most curious people I know. We’ve gotten to share lots of laughs, lots of books, and one large cake (she’s got a big sweet tooth!). I’m so excited to see what other pieces (and stories, and worlds, and jokes) her magnificent brain will come up with!
Dominique de Castro
Dominique de Castro is an emerging writer raised in the British Virgin Islands. She loves writing short stories and poetry and has recently become involved in writing plays.
