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University of Detroit Mercy Professor of English Nick Rombes decided to do something creative for his creative writing class this summer, inviting several alumni to audit the class to create a mix of alumni and current undergrad students.<\/p>\nUniversity of Detroit Mercy Professor of English Nick Rombes decided to do something creative for his creative writing class this summer, inviting several alumni to audit the class to create a mix of alumni and current undergrad students.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea was to bring together students and alums from different age groups and geographies so we could draw on each other’s different life experiences,\u201d Rombes said. \u201cTypical undergraduate creative writing classes have students who are close together in age. This was an opportunity to broaden that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bringing people of different ages, race and geographies allowed the class to not only learn how to write better, but also from other people\u2019s writing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe alums really brought a new dimension and perspective to the class that I hadn’t experienced when I was just taking undergrad classes,\u201d said Alyssa Porcerelli, a sophomore in the 5-year MBA program at Detroit Mercy. \u201cI enjoyed the intimacy of having a smaller group, and the community that all of us built with each other. Having a place to be vulnerable and share personal writing was really nice and comforting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Giulia Pink graduated from Detroit Mercy in 2015 with a degree in English and said she took two of Rombes\u2019 classes as an undergrad, which helped her develop a passion for writing. She took the class because she wanted to hear others critique her work.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone can benefit from slipping back into the role of \u2018student,\u2019\u2009\u201d said Pink, who is a copywriter in the Boston area. \u201cThere\u2019s so much to learn. Self-improvement starts with understanding that everyone comes into a situation with their own web of experiences, stories, realities. You can\u2019t expand as a human being if you\u2019re incapable of questioning how you see the world, or if you\u2019re not open to hearing someone else\u2019s experiences, stories, realities. I felt myself stretch into a better writer and a better me in this class.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rombes admitted he thought being all online might not be ideal for a class like creative writing, but after a few meetings, he didn\u2019t feel that way anymore.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a much more intimate, personal experience than I’d ever imagined,\u201d Rombes said. \u201cI think we have this idea that technology, especially when it comes to teaching, is cold, remote and a poor substitute for in-person learning, but in this case, at least, the opposite was true. For instance, when students read each other’s work aloud we could see each other’s faces and reactions. This in itself provided powerful feedback for each student writer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Students agreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the video call format, I found it fascinating to watch everyone\u2019s faces as classmates told authors what they liked, what confused them and what might be improved,\u201d said Jon Whitener, who graduated from Detroit Mercy in 2011 with a degree Computer Science. \u201cI won\u2019t soon forget some of the looks on people\u2019s faces as they braved this critique. What I often saw was a writer who was insecure about their abilities and nervous their work wasn\u2019t \u2018good enough,\u2019 who then discovered from the comments of other students that they had done something good.\u201d<\/p>\n
The students all had great things to say about Rombes, who they felt brought out the best in their writing.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is the perfect teacher for this course,\u201d said alumna Michelle Styczynski ’11. \u201cIf you’re nervous or intimidated by creative writing, like myself, he will only lift you up and help you develop the voice you want or are searching for.\u201d<\/p>\n
The alumni enjoyed interacting with current students, which gave them a chance to do something they thought about, but maybe didn\u2019t have time to do during their time at Detroit Mercy.<\/p>\n
\u201cRaising three kids, working full time and trying to maintain an old house never left much time for writing,\u201d Whitener said. But over the last couple years, I tried to hack out stuff here and there. When I learned about the summer class, I immediately felt like I didn\u2019t want to be alone as a writer anymore.”<\/p>\n
The alumni also enjoyed getting a chance to reconnect with the University and some of its current students.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been so happy to see how involved my classmates are with social justice and equity,\u201d Pink said. \u201cMeeting people just starting their careers mid-pandemic, mid-crisis as a country, well, it was just plain inspiring to see that Detroit Mercy is supporting emerging leaders who are driven to make this world better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rombes hopes to offer the course again in the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would love to have the opportunity to do this again,\u201d Rombes said. \u201cIt made me fall in love with teaching in a new way.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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