EVERYTHING IN THIS PROFESSOR’S STORY IS TRUE, EXCEPT THE FAKE PART. BY JAYNA MORRIS Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman, a professor of creative writing at Northern Kentucky University, stands quietly behind the podium at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati, Ohio. She’s there to read an excerpt from her new memoir, “Sounds Like Titanic,” but, for now, she’s enjoying the looks on the faces of those in attendance. Minutes before Hindman stepped forward, Tamaiya Wilson, a professional violinist and NKU alumna, performed for the crowd— not playing the violin but, rather, miming on her instrument to a CD of music suspiciously similar to the score from 1997’s “Titanic.” It was a bizarre scene, but this was no avant-garde art piece. Instead, it’s a ruse—one Hindman knows all too well. At one point in her life, Hindman was a fake violinist, too. And she’s spent years trying to make sense of the experience.
22 n k u m A G A Z I N E // f i g h t i n g f o r o u r l i v e s 22 n k u m A G A Z I N E // m i l l i v i o l i n i
