"Villanova" (or "How I Became a Former Professional Literary Agent") is a

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

by American humorist

John Hodgman John Kellogg Hodgman (born June 3, 1971) is an American author, actor, and humorist. In addition to his published written works, such as '' The Areas of My Expertise'', ''More Information Than You Require'', and '' That Is All'', he is known for ...

. It was first published in the first issue of ''

One Story ''One Story'' is a literary magazine which publishes 12 issues a year, each issue containing a single short story. The magazine was founded in 2002 by writers Hannah Tinti Hannah Tinti (born 1973) is an American writer and the co-founder of '' ...

'' on April 1, 2002.

Premise

While attending a 1998

romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

and

western fiction Western fiction is a genre of literature set in the American Old West frontier and typically set from the late eighteenth to the late nineteenth century. Well-known writers of Western fiction include Zane Grey from the early 20th century and ...

writers' conference in an

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

Embassy Suites Embassy Suites by Hilton is a chain of upper upscale all-suite hotels trademarked by Hilton Worldwide. As of December 31, 2019, there are 257 locations in five countries and territories with 59,712 rooms. Similar to other Hilton brands, 212 Em ...

, an unnamed literary agent stumbles across an elusive science fiction writer who has largely disappeared since the 1970s after publishing an incomplete trilogy. The story is interspersed with excerpts from a fictional June 1979 ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'' magazine article called "Where Is Darling Egan?"

Publication

The original publication of ''Villanova'' was limited to a print run of 600 with an overall cost of $1,000. ''Villanova'' was republished as "How I Became a Former Professional Literary Agent" in the final chapter "The Beginning" for Hodgman's

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

satirical almanac '' That Is All''.

Reception

''New York Journal of Books''s Vinton Rafe McCabe reviewed the story (along with the penultimate ''That Is All'' chapter "The End") as "honestly, in and of themselves, worth the cost of all three books."

References

2002 short stories Short stories by John Hodgman Short stories set in Oklahoma {{2000s-story-stub