The Pathway of Literature to a Career

Audience members of the LitFest (Photo courtesy of Bridget Roche)

In many colleges, composition courses are typically required for all students, no matter the intended major or field. While some students may dread these courses as mandatory classes to get over with, others utilize these courses as their building-blocks to grow their career in writing. For students aspiring to become writers, they may not be aware of the multiple pathways in which their writing can become their trade. From professors to journalists, writing is not a limited field, which is what the LitFest aims to show.

Bridget Roche, English professor at Wright College, aims to show how writing can become an advantage for all students, not just students wanting to become full-time writers. Professor Roche is a part of the Creative and Publishable Writing Pathway committee that gives students a guideline of which courses are necessary to major (or minor) in writing and which courses will transfer over in select four-year institutions such as UIC and Columbia College. Roche’s effort, as well as the committee and students, opens a space for all students to inquire what realistic expectations students should have when pursuing a career in writing.

The purpose of the festival was to showcase to students that writing, whether fictional or journalistic, is a viable career that brings all kinds of professions together. Allison Epstein, is an editor for a law firm, as well as a published writer. Carlos Matos is an English professor at Truman College while simultaneously being an author to over 11 different book genres from poetry to creative nonfiction essays. Daniel Borzutzky is a professor of Latin American Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago and an acclaimed Chicago-based poet.

Throughout the festival, the writers read parts of their (un)published works for audience members to experience how the pieces sound from the writers themselves. Epstein read from her soon-to-be-released book Let the Dead Bury the Dead, a tale centered in St Petersburg 1812 after Napoleon's defeat and political dissidence from a rebellious group looking to overthrow the tsar.

Borzutzky read from his book Lake Michigan, with scenes centered around a fictional prison on Chicago’s Lake Michigan beach while symbolically representing the brutality of police around the country and the blind eyes of politicians witnessing such acts. Matos read poems from his collection We Prefer the Damned, a series of poems exploring erasure of identity and culture, sexual orientation, and denial of one’s self.

Allison Epstein and Daniel Borzutzky answering audience questions (Photo Courtesy: Lucia Escalera)

After listening to the excerpts, audience goers were encouraged to ask the speakers questions. One audience member asked how they [Borzutzky and Epstein] were able to balance their personal life with their day jobs. Borzutzky responded “Instead of dedicating two hours at a time, I incorporated my writing into my daily life at 15 minutes max.” Epstein briefly described her process of writing, and stated “I push myself to make my first draft very detailed- which isn’t the best method- but I give myself something. I don’t write for hours everyday, 30 minutes max will be writing.”

While Matos could not attend in person, he pre recorded himself responding to a couple questions students had emailed him before the event. One question he answered was: “What helped you pursue writing?” Matos recalled a period in his adolescence in which his father told him to never throw away any of his writing because his writing is his work. Matos expressed how the implicit support of his family was his foundation. Matos stated that “creativity was always in the house but never talked about. I kept writing and eventually it became my own. Creativity in art is something that can’t be taught. You mold it yourself to create your own.”

Students are encouraged to seek Professor Roche in regards to the Creative and Publishable Pathway if they are interested in pursuing an English major or minor.