In a late April Form 5 meeting, the visiting author for next year’s Warren Baird English Symposium, Irish writer Claire Keegan, was revealed.
A longtime tradition at the school, this program provides the opportunity for seniors to apply to a class based solely on the chosen author, brings world-renowned writers to campus, and brings the KO community together for meaningful discussions surrounding important topics in modern literature.
Ms. Keegan’s works mainly include novellas (“Foster” and “Small Things Like These”) as well as short story collections (“Antarctica,” “Walk the Blue Fields,” and “So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men.”) English teacher Daniel Gleason will be leading next year’s Symposium classes and chose Ms. Keegan due to his own interest in the author as well the compatibility of her writing with the Symposium course.
“ We’re in the enviable position of being able to read everything she has,” Dr. Gleason said, noting how classes in past years have struggled to finish reading enormous collections of work. “ She’s compared a lot to Chekhov and Raymond Carver in a sort of minimalist way, so we’ll probably read some authors who do a lot of that to see her influences.”
Among the list of strategies Dr. Gleason has noticed in Ms. Keegan’s writing is her use of precise language and implication. “ You can tell that it’s been crafted and reworked many, many times,” he said. “It is very spare, but evocative. She gets you to hear that word of dialogue in a different way, or she says a word that brings up associations for you. A lot of it is happening under the surface.”
With that in mind, Dr. Gleason has already begun coming up with ideas for next year’s classes. He specifically wants to incorporate re-reading and Keegan-style writing into the curriculum. “ It’s a fun combination because her writing is so clear and precise, but then sometimes the meanings are very debatable and ambiguous,” Dr. Gleason shared, describing how he hopes the students will grasp onto Ms. Keegan’s writing and ideas.
A Symposium class all about Ms. Keegan also presents a unique scenario for students, seeing as both of her novellas have recently been adapted into films. This means that freshman and sophomore English classes who will likely read “Foster” in their fall Symposium unit will also have the opportunity to see the story play out on the big screen. “ They both look like they’re going to be really engaging and well-produced versions of her work,” Dr. Gleason said.
KO is looking forward to Ms. Keegan’s visit to campus next winter and is excited for next year’s seniors to have the opportunity to learn from this incredible Symposium author!
