The Writers of Hamilton Holt

May 2007

People write for any number of different reasons, and in fact there may be as many inspirations as there are writers, but asking “why” brings out some common themes.

Putting words together on paper allows Geovanna Torres to have a “strong voice, a voice that would otherwise be ignored.” She said, “Writing down my opinions, my thoughts, my desires and aspirations also allows me to have something concrete, something I can look back on and see [my] personal growth.” Since coming to the Holt School, Torres has added the writing minor to her major in psychology. She said, “Writing assignments have forced me to look within myself as well as to think outside-the-box … [and] taught me valuable lessons that I don’t think I would have learned otherwise.”

Shaun Cricks wants to communicate the power of education and ideas to teenagers. He said, “Some of the biggest changes in our world stemmed from precise and poignant writing… and I see some battles that need [to be] fought.” His experiences in Roger Casey’s Critical Approaches to Postmodern Culture led Cricks to realize he no longer wanted to be a journalist. “I want a chance to teach and effect positive change and liberate through knowledge.”

A former music student in Boston, Emily May transferred here at the beginning of the Spring 2007 term, and is a little less certain about her goals. She said “Someone once told me the only thing you can do as an English major is to be a Civil War reenactor… but despite the odds, I plan on writing even if that means writing between battles.” On a more serious note, May also said “Thanks to the Holt School, writing has become the medium for creating and expressing, rather than a stressful paper to squeeze out of an all-nighter.”

Soon to finish her degree and head for a graduate school on the Pacific coast, Erica McEachern said “I write because I have to, because I love exploring the connection between words and emotions. And I write to be a better writer.” Of her experience at Holt she said, “When I began the writing program, I thought I had a passable talent, but I realized quickly that my inspired words were overshadowed by poor grammar and scattered point of view… I am hoping that my venture into a graduate program will solidify [my self confidence about my writing] for me.” She added “My workshop groups and professors inspired me and kept me focused on technique and tangible details. They have instilled a love (fear) of grammar.”

Charlotte Jarrett writes because “It’s an insatiable urge to pen the ineffable, to give voice to the things that leave me rearranging my breath. Writing is how I experience life most fully. And I’m happiest when I’m translating the world – the things I feel and see and taste and crave – onto the page.” Jarrett said she is considering a career in journalism, but “Ideally, someone (actually a lot of someones) would decide they like my poetry well enough to pay to read it, and I could live on the beach and write all day and love as infinitely as the sea around me…”

“I had forgotten that writing could be fun,” said Carolyn Freligh. “I… had failed to maintain the habit of writing every day. Lezlie Laws’ Writers’ Studio class re-established that practice. My husband, cat, and regular visitors have grown accustomed to finding me at the computer or on the patio with pad and pencil in hand before dawn every day. By sunrise, I have written my dreams, worked on a piece in progress, or noted ideas for future exploration, and am ready to face the world with a smile.” It is no wonder then that this writer is nearly ready to send out a collection of short stories and a children’s storybook for publication. Freligh says of her time here, “Attending Rollins has been the most empowering experience of my life.”

“The purpose of the writing minor is to allow students to specialize in writing and to upgrade their writing skills while involved in work that is art rather than work that is strictly scholastic,” said Philip F. Deaver, associate professor at Rollins College and award-winning author.

Various motivations drive people to persevere at the often thankless task of writing: both the process of writing and the end results can be empowering; being published offers a chance at immortality, of a sort; and poems and stories can delight, captivate, entertain, and instruct. All who succeed at writing seem to agree that, in spite of its challenges, both the process and the act are rewarding.

Students pursue the writing minor in addition to selecting their major. Some are chasing a dream, while others are increasing their marketability in the business world. More than half of these undergraduates major in English, but many come from other fields, like Psychology, Humanities, and Organizational Communications. Students wishing to complete their degree with a writing minor must complete three core and three elective courses as well as a writing portfolio representing their best work produced at the institution.