Last weekend, I got an email from someone I don't know. It directed me to a blog: "140.6 Miles: An Ironman Training Journal," which is written by a 27-year-old female in New York who refers to herself as Dying Water Buffalo and appears to be named Courtney Greene. Specifically, the email pointed me to a post entitled: "She is a girl."
The email read: "I came across your 'She is a Girl' essay and realized that another blogger that I read had borrowed heavily from you, to the point of plagiarism. This is unfortunately the second time that I have seen her lift whole phrases and passages from another writer on the internet so wanted to alert you to this." It continued: "Just wanted to let you know - aside from the plagiarism I find it a bit disturbing that she's 'stolen' such a personal story and that so many people have left comments praising her for her 'honesty' and writing skills when it's really yours!"
"She Is a Girl" is the title of a short story--a highly autobiographical work of fiction--that I wrote, as I recall, in late 2004. It was published in Maisonneuve in the spring of 2005. While Maisonneuve made only the first paragraph of the story available online, I published the story in full on this blog in June of last year, so people could read it and, I hoped, enjoy it.
The post I was directed to in the email was published on September 26 of last year. Apparently, Courtney took my story and changed some of the words in it. As if fiction writing is simply a game of Mad Libs.
Here's my opening paragraph:
"She is a girl. Prior to her birth, her grandmother, in hopes of a boy, knits clothes for her, only in blue. On the day of her delivery, her parents are relieved; a boy, they feel, without saying, could prove more than they can handle. The girl is so pretty, riding along the sidewalk in an old fashioned pram the mother has found at a garage sale. People stop them, complimenting the mother on the girl’s fine features and graceful comportment, despite the blue outfits she wears, day in and day out. She has pink cheeks, soft skin, and a winningly toothless smile. She lets her mother cut her soft curls in the backyard without event. She is the apple of her father’s eye, her round face unfurling in a wide smile, as he gestures with his finger under the curve of her neat chin. She is adored. She is beloved. She is a girl. In her way, she understands how it is."
Here's her opening paragraph:
"She is a girl. Prior to her birth, her parents, in hopes of a boy, pick out only a boy's name, Christopher John. On the day of her delivery, her parents are disappointed and scramble to think of a girl's name. They settle for one they don't hate, keeping CJ for initials, which will be her nickname. The girl becomes so pretty, full of energy, bouncing along on the sidewalk holding her mother's hand. People stop them, complimenting the mother on the girl's fine features and big green eyes, despite the blue outfits she wears, day in and day out. She has fat pink cheeks and a winningly toothless smile. She is the apple of her father's eye, her round face unfurling in a wide smile, as they pass a football in the backyard. She is adored. She is beloved. She is a girl. In her own way, she understands how it is."
Obviously, the issue of plagiarism is a moot point; it's clear. Increasingly, this sort of thing has been happening to me over the last few years. The whole thing makes me feel a combination of depressed, angry, and nihilistic. Especially in this case.
Among her post's 47 comments: "You are a beautiful woman and this post is amazing." "i appreciate your putting your thoughts out there, for the public, like this, it is a portrait into your innermost thoughts and is at the same time both celebratory and sad." "You have an amazing way with words. I felt like I was reading a beautiful novel."
I'm a writer. That's the story of my life. Because I can't really do anything else right, my writing is like the little gravestone I figure I'll leave behind. And this? I don't know what else to say. Except it sucks. And so does Courtney.
(Updated: Another victim of her plagiarism is a blogger known as J. who wrote a post about his experiences running an Ironman race that was apparently plagiarized by Courtney. His original post is here, a comment in which someone points out to J. that he has been apparently plagiarized by Courtney is here, and J.'s response to having been apparently plagiarized by Courtney is here. To be clear: J. was the apparent victim of Courtney's apparent plagiarism and not the plagiarizer. And if she removes the post (edited to add: which she did), as she did in the other case when she was confronted about it, the post is cached here.)
