LIT 100: Guest Writers with Brendan Mathews

If you’ve read my previous review of Guest Writers, you know it is my favorite class at Simon’s Rock. In essence, you read four books/collections then meet the authors who wrote them—creative writing major’s dream.When I took Guest Writers last year, it was conducted by Peter Filkins. However, Peter and Brendan switch off every year, so this year it was run by Brendan Mathews.

The primary difference between Peter and Brendan is their approach to the class. Peter uses Guest Writers to explore contemporary literature, and thus requires more homework. Brendan focuses more on the author visits themselves, so he asks for more during the meetings rather than in homework; this means he will ask you to share your thoughts if you haven’t talked all class period. One especially appealing aspect of Brendan’s class is that he dedicates a small portion of the day to introductions with the author, which I personally enjoyed because I like to talk to people, but I can see how others might have preferred to just get into the Q & A.

To succeed in this class, don’t be stupid. It’s pass/fail.

Warnings:
Because the work presented in Guest Writers is contemporary, some books can be difficult to read. Luckily, Brendan is willing to accommodate for any issues you might have.

Rating: 10/10 again.

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