Students interested in writing and photography have a chance to hear from a successful writer with a unique perspective.
Teju Cole, novelist and photographer, will speak at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday in the Law School Courtroom. Cole will read his work and sign books after the event. Cole is a successful writer, photographer and world traveler. He has visited many countries and plans on traveling to Nigeria after his visit to Moscow.
Brian Scullion, a graduate student studying creative writing, will be the liaison for Cole during his visit. Scullion said he is excited to meet Cole and talk to him about his writing. Scullion said Cole is one visitor in a series of distinguished writers that have come to visit the University of Idaho.
Doug Heckman, a literature professor at UI, teaches students in the Master of Fine Arts program and said they like to bring in about three different distinguished writers every year.
Heckman said the students get the opportunity to work with the writers during the week of their visit. Students will talk to the writers about their experiences, have their work critiqued and talk about careers in creative writing.
“We’re training our students to be writers themselves, so we want them to have access to these writers,” Heckman said.
Heckman said it’s also a community outreach, because it gives students and residents of Moscow the opportunity to see award-winning artists.
“It’s one of the features of our MFA program. It helps us stand out compared to other programs across the nation that we compete with,” Heckman said.
All the writers that are invited to be a part of the series are nationally and internationally recognized artists and are willing to work with students all week on their stories and poems.
“This is a unique opportunity for students to hear and converse with a nationally recognized writer,” Heckman said.
Scullion said he enjoys the chance to work on his writing with artists
like Cole.
“A lot of the time these writers can be intimidating,” Scullion said. “You think you’ll never write anything like this. Then you meet them personally and see that their work you hear was once a work
in progress.”
Scullion said the MFA is unique compared to other programs across the country. Both Scullion and his wife are in the MFA program as graduate students. He said when he and his wife were accepted into the program both their advisers called them personally, long distance, to inform them about what they would be learning in the program, what to expect from their classes, what kind of students they’ll meet and what there is to do in Moscow.
Scullion said most students who graduate after three years in the MFA program end up in a post-graduate fellowship program. Scullion said there are about 40 students in the MFA program, which is smaller than other programs across the nation.
Heckman said aside from the distinguished writer series, the MFA program also hosts the Hemmingway Festival in the spring.
Heckman described Cole as a unique and creative writer.
“Teju Cole has a unique and powerful way of seeing our world,” Heckman said.
Heckman said Cole has received many awards and has been recognized internationally. He is the author of two books and a novella. Cole is also a past Pen-Hemmingway award winner, which is a very prestigious award in the writing world,
Heckman said.
The reading and book signing is free to all students. Heckman and Scullion said they recommend anyone who is interested in the MFA program or in creative writing attend
the event.