Ten authors. Fifty students. Hundreds of virtual participants. One course.
The Living Writers series, one of 冈本视频鈥檚 signature classes, has garnered national acclaim for creating community. Since its inception in 1980 by Professor Emeritus Frederick Busch, Living Writers has welcomed an array of writers, from up-and-coming novelists to Pulitzer Prize winners.
Associate Professor of English leads the series, organizing a public talk, reception, and book signing for each guest writer. She also partners with her colleagues from across the university 鈥 including President Brian W. Casey 鈥 to record 20-minute podcasts in which they discuss each title.
鈥淟iving Writers is an intense immersion into literature,鈥 Brice said. 鈥淚t takes a village to put it on: students, faculty, alumni, IT technicians, caterers.鈥
CJ Hauser, associate professor of English, on November 14. Hauser noted that joining the Living Writers circle offers an exciting opportunity for her as both a professor and a writer.
鈥淚鈥檓 so thrilled,鈥 Hauser said. 鈥淟iving Writers allows us to look critically at contemporary literature 鈥 to have serious conversations about its craft and art, to heed the larger political moment it ties into.鈥
When arranging the lineup of authors, Brice strives to maintain diversity. 鈥淚 look for gender balance, as well as ethnic and national diversity,鈥 she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 wonderful to have writers from around the world.鈥
Student researchers Katie Roell 鈥21 and Carina Haden 鈥21 assist Brice with Living Writers preparation during the summer, meeting regularly to confer about the texts. They also construct an online companion course for alumni and parents by curating reviews, interviews, and articles about each author and title, and assembling the podcast book conversations by 冈本视频 faculty.
Roell enjoys applying research methods to cultivate a nuanced understanding of literature. 鈥淭he deeper I analyze these books, the more questions I have for their authors,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait to meet them in the fall.鈥
To access the full list of authors and learn more, visit
