Visiting Writers Series Kicks-Off This Week

Author Leslie Jamison will visit Northwest Academy tomorrow to talk about The Empathy Exams, her collection of essays exploring the conception of pain and feelings in others.

Jamison is coming to read parts of her book as well as answer questions, as part of the Visiting Writers Series.

“Each author meets with the high school during an 80-minute block,” Paul Martone, a Northwest Academy English teacher and the creator of the Visiting Writers Series, said. “They read from their work and answer questions about the book and other writings and share personal experiences.”

Northwest Academy students have enjoyed the Empathy Exams, especially Jamison’s writing
style.

“I think that she offers a really interesting perspective on suffering and the human kind,” Theo Snyder, a freshman, said.

The book received positive reviews from the press and found its way onto the New York Times bestseller list.

“[The essays are] really good,” Josephine Appleyard, a sophomore, said. “I like them because the author is able to convey convincingly a wide array of voices. They’re in situations that are kind of hard to comprehend, however they’re written in a way that’s applicable to your circumstances.”

Martone said that the Visiting Writers Series has been a success in the past.

“The best indicator is student feedback, which has been overwhelmingly positive,” Martone said. “Each student feels differently about each book, of course, but most students agree that meeting the author enhances the reading experience. We really have fun when the authors get here, because students feel comfortable being themselves and asking honest questions.”

Students have enjoyed the Visiting Writers Series for the most part.

“It’s nice [that] the whole school reads the same book, and everyone gets to talk about it no matter what class were in and we actually get to meet the author,” Sarah Hatcher, a junior, said.

The Visiting Writers Series is a partnership between Northwest Academy and Late Night Library, a program that Martone co-founded in 2011.

“Late Night Library is dedicated to sustaining book culture, promoting literature in schools and communities, and supporting a diverse array of writers early in their careers,” Martone said.

The other books in the series this year are When My Brother Was an Aztec by Natalie Diaz, Split by Cathy Linh Che and Red Moon by Ben Percy. The authors are coming in December, February and April respectively.

“Reading is a uniquely entertaining, intellectually stimulating, soul-nourishing experience,” Martone said. “The series is important because it encourages all of us to read for pleasure; it creates shared cultural experiences and it fosters a lifelong interest in books,” Martone said.