Dear Current and Former English Faculty and Students at Pitt,
Thank you to the professors who told their students, "You know you're not going to support yourself with your writing, don't you? None of you are going to do that." Your bitterness over being failed writers forced into an educational setting was enlightening. You are the same professors who never wrote critiques for your students, but demanded that your students write detailed critiques for 21 others.
Overcrowding in writing classes is hindering to the artistic and intellectual development of students in the writing program. As mentioned above, our professors do not always take the time to critique our work, and it is left solely to overworked students who do not always have time to read 60 pages or more per week. I do not blame my fellow students for this. They have at least three other classes, jobs, and families to worry about on top of their own writing being neglected by professors. Instead of 22 people per class, there should be a maximum of 15 or even 12 for the Senior Seminar level.
But let's face it: Some people can't write, and some people just won't try. It is embarrassing to sit in a Senior Seminar in Fiction and read pages with an accompanying Author's Note that states, "I really rushed this story...I wrote it last night in an hour..." etc. then be expected to critique a piece of writing that would be unacceptable in an Introduction to Fiction course because there are no signs of character desire, development, or plot.
While it is true that students have a right to throw their money away on a field that they perform poorly in, those of us whom actually care about our work would appreciate being challenged and taught to develop our craft, which is what we signed up for. I'd like the suggest the implementation of a portfolio review for advancement in the writing program. At Edinboro University in Edinboro, PA (where I attended my Freshman year of college) students are accepted into the Studio Arts program without a portfolio. After completing their foundation courses, they must apply for candidacy to the program in order to continue to higher level courses. There is also the need to state one's career goals and the reason one desires to move forward in the program. This process would hopefully separate the dedicated students from the students whom often state they chose English "because it seemed like it would be easy."
Pitt's writing students would benefit from taking courses with students able to grasp and demonstrate basic writing skills developed in the Introduction and Intermediate levels. The program itself would gain a stronger reputation as an intensive writing program that does not tolerate laziness or neglect.
Some might be appalled by the suggestion that the program deny students the ability to follow their dreams, but that isn't what would happen. There is no requirement to have a BA in English Writing in order to become a published author. As the Fiction Writing program stands, I could have developed my writing to the current level it is at by reading craft books and joining a small critique group of other serious writers. However, I want writing programs to succeed because I want writing and reading to continue to be taken seriously, and to not be dominated by white males writing about middle class people messing up their lives.
There is a level of elitism that needs to be struck out of the program regarding "literary" fiction. Students have been told that they are not allowed to submit science fiction and fantasy stories because they are genres and are not considered literary, yet magical realism is literary. It should be noted that everything is a genre just by definition of the word, and there is no reason sci-fi/fantasy fiction should not be considered literary, especially when authors of those genres have degrees in Literature and Classics. The English department should look to hire professors dedicated to teaching writing with an unbiased approach, and should be required to give feedback beyond "This was a lovely story. Let's talk about it in class." or "This story needs improvement."
Now I have a few words for the students in the writing department. Stop texting in class. Stop whispering about how drunk you're going to get on Friday when someone's story is being critiqued. Stop skipping class and complaining about how horrible your grades are because you don't turn your work in. Stop saying you hate a professor because he/she is too demanding but in reality is one of those rare professors whom pushes you and wants you to succeed. Not all of our professors give us or our writing the attention we expect and deserve, but you're not helping our case. Your whining is part of the reason we can't have nice things.
Sincerely,
Jazz Sexton
