By Anna Mefford
Creative Writing teacher Mark May-Beaver told me that his elective is a place where “students can be their own authors.”
The class is workshop-based, so students spend class periods giving feedback to each other on their stories. The first assignment is a short story with a three-page limit. The stories get longer as the semester progresses, usually reaching five to six pages towards the end of the semester.
The class is small this semester, with three students. In the fall semester, Creative Writing is open to all grades, however in the spring semester it is only open to seniors, most of whom are not taking AP Lit, and are taking the course to fulfill their final English credit.
He said there are advantages to having a small class, like there being a lot of “1 on 1” time, and the students get to know each other very well. His ideal workshop is 8-10 students, but “we can go smaller and bigger and still have a good time,” he said.
According to Mr. May-Beaver, one of the biggest challenges of a Creative Writing class is that “kids don’t know what they don’t know.” He added that we are living in a time where reading in general is not as valued as it once was. “Kids your age spend so much time on their phones,” he said, acknowledging he was “being the old man shaking his finger.” Kids might not realize the potential they have and how this could be a passion for them.
Writing certainly is a passion for Mr. May-Beaver, who has been at Lovett for 24 years and was hired to teach creative writing based on his Master of Fine Arts degree in writing. Mr. May-Beaver has published two books.
“In addition to being a teacher, writing is a huge part of my life,” he said.
His most recent book is The Ballad of Karla Faye Tucker, a nonfiction book about a woman who committed murder and was sentenced to be executed. She converted to Christianity shortly after going to prison, and as the execution date drew near powerful voices in American Christianity rallied around her, trying to get her execution date suspended, because they felt like she was a different person. This book took him four years to write.
His first book, Suburban Gospel, is his memoir about his teenage years growing up a Southern Baptist in the 1980s. It focuses on his coming of age at that time, facing a lot of religious expectations. This book took him six years to write.
Mr. May-Beaver said student topics over the years are often heavy and focused on mental health. He thinks heavy topics are good but “it can be refreshing when a story comes along with a sense of humor or an off-beat perspective,” he stated.
The three students taking the class are freshmen Maya Hawkins and Rachel Sammons, and junior Mylee Dubin. They are all very fond of this class. Maya likes how the class takes your mind off of other core class stress. Rachel appreciates being able to choose what you want to write about instead of being given an essay prompt.
Mylee was interested in it because she likes to write but hates writing essays. “It’s nice to be able to write without the stress,” she said.
