Visiting Writers Series Launches With a One-Two Literary Punch

Northfield Mount Hermon launched a new visiting writers series this month with acclaimed spoken-word poet Marshall Davis Jones and bestselling young adult author Julie Berry.

The program has been in the works for more than a year, said English teacher and poet M.K. Brake, who organized the series.

“We have such gifted students, and we have so many amazing facilities — Gilder for our STEM students; the [Rhodes Art Center] is this beautiful space for all of our performers — I felt like there is a niche that could be filled for students who have that writing bug,” Brake said.

Brake said the series is meant to channel students’ enthusiasm for writing and connect them with professional writers and performers across genres.

“Being connected to the creative writing world outside of a school environment really lit me up when I was younger and made everything feel much more real,” she said. “I'm also interested in collapsing what tends to be a divide in the world of writing between ‘page and stage.’ I want students to see that this is not something that's just in dusty books on the shelves.”

Marshall Davis Jones

Brake called Jones — a celebrated slam poet, speaking coach, and founder of MindBodySPEAK, which helps business leaders and professionals hone their voice and public presentation  — the ideal opener to the series.

“I love that the first person is someone who gained notoriety through slam,” she said. “He has his poetry and performance angle, but he also does a lot of workshops around how to communicate clearly and effectively in high-stakes environments.”

Jones visited classrooms on Sept. 17 and 18 to perform and lead workshops on building confidence in writing, recitation, and public speaking.

“Your embodiment of what you're recalling is just as important as the rote memory itself,” he told a Humanities 1 class. “[Audiences] have patience with someone who has patience with themselves, but if you give up on you, the audience is going to follow you.

“For the most part, the life that you're choosing to live, no matter what you are doing, is a fantasy before it becomes real,” he added. “The beauty of what becomes real starts off with basic pieces of who you are, the way that you use your language. So send out something that matters.”

Jones said seeing students emerge from their shells is one of the most inspiring parts of his work.

“You kind of feel where they're calculating, recalibrating, trying to see how things make sense,” Jones said. “It's one of those things where I look at it like seed planting. It's something that was introduced today, right amongst all of the other hundreds of things that were introduced by way of your other teachers and your phone, and you wait to see where it takes root.”

Julie Berry

Berry followed on Sept. 22 with a presentation in Schauffler Library on her new book, “If Looks Could Kill,” and the historical and cultural influences behind it.

Hosting a writer like Berry, the author of 29 books and winner of numerous national awards, is an invaluable experience for students, said Library Director Stephanie Charlefour, who has known Berry for several years.

“Anytime you can have those conversations with an author, you're a little bit more intrigued to pick up the book,” she said.

Charlefour praised the compelling mix of history, mythology, and fantasy in Berry’s work. 

“Her richness and her stories — it's the best of both worlds,” Charlefour said. “If you like facts and historical information, you're going to find that. But then she spins it in a way that is so, so unique, that it's only going to peak interest.”

Berry discussed her background, the inspirations for her latest work — which pits Medusa against Jack the Ripper in Gilded Age New York City — and how literature can confront historical and social issues in creative, poignant ways.

“Fantasy literature is always an exercise in imagining a power that we do not currently have and asking ourselves, ‘What would it be like for individuals to have that power? How would the power structures change?’” she said.

Berry said connecting with teenagers helps enliven her own sense of her work.

“Writing for teenagers holds you to a very high standard, because kids are not going to tolerate somebody pontificating; they're not going to tolerate pointlessness and boredom,” said Berry. “Adults may or may not be paying attention, but kids are still listening.”

Charlotte Helgeson ’28 and Leni Hill ’28 stayed after Berry’s presentation to thank her and get their books signed.

“I loved it!” Helgeson said of the presentation.

Hill agreed, noting that Berry’s topics aligned with recent themes they studied in their humanities class.

Looking ahead

Brake hopes to build on the strong start to the visiting writers series by establishing a regular schedule, ideally tying it to cultural touchstones throughout the year and collaborating with nearby schools and colleges to bring in more high-caliber speakers.

“Moving forward, my two primary focuses are getting students in touch with working writers but then also celebrating some historically underrepresented voices,” she said.

Ultimately, she wants the program to inspire students to write and help shape the future of literature.

“We have a lot of writers here,” Brake said. “Given this exposure, a whole new generation of creators is possible. I'm excited about that, and I think our student body is perfectly primed to help start the revolution.”

–  Max Hunt

Photo of Marshall Davis Jones by Vinny Alvas. Photo of Julie Berry by Travis Tanner.