2016 Bennett Fellow Peter Anderson Gives Interactive Tuesday Assembly

Sporting his signature cowboy hat, George Bennett Fellow Peter Anderson took the assembly hall stage last Tuesday to share with the audience excerpts from his newest project, a mystery set in a small town in Colorado.The George Bennett Fellowship awards a one-year fellowship to an author who has not yet published a book. The Fellow lives in Exeter and is provided a stipend for one academic year, as well as housing, meals and benefits. Every year, a selection committee chooses the Bennett Fellow from hundreds of applicants. The committee searches for talented writers who would likely benefit and improve their craft by spending time at Exeter.English instructor and Chair of the George Bennett Fellowship Committee Todd Hearon described Anderson’s writing as “gorgeous, lucid, compact prose,” and said that the selection committee was impressed by his book proposal. They wanted to give Anderson the opportunity to pursue the book at Exeter.Anderson teaches composition, creative writing and literature classes at Adams State University in Colorado and has also taught at a quaker seminary and various community colleges. He writes a monthly column for Colorado Central Magazine. He has explored a variety of genres throughout his career including journalism, essays, childrens’ books and poetry. For the past five years, Anderson has been working towards creating a “hybrid” of his poetry and his prose, and a few years ago, he began cultivating the idea of writing a mystery.Anderson’s foray into a new genre has required him to experiment with new techniques in his writing. “Writing a mystery takes a lot more imagination,” he said. “It’s different literary architecture … It’s a little more complicated and expanded than my past work.”Anderson’s “literary architecture” is a loose template. He said that he knew where he was headed, but wanted to leave space to invent along the way. “I hope it’ll read fresher that way,” he explained. By leaving himself room, he hopes readers experience the same surprises that he had while writing.Anderson draws inspiration from E.L. Doctorow’s quote “Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” While he loved Doctorow’s advice, he wanted to expand that metaphor and know the roadmap before he set out. In addition to allowing himself space to invent, Anderson remains open to new ideas and input from others throughout his writing process.With this in mind, students had the opportunity at assembly to hear excerpts of Anderson’s work in progress as well as offer their opinions and ideas about where the plot of his work could go. “I didn’t want to just give a formal reading. I wanted to have a conversation and read bits rather than one big chunk,” he said, “It was fun for me, and I got some good ideas.Upper Jack Telman enjoyed hearing Anderson’s work and having the opportunity to relax and simply listen. The story “captivated [him] throughout the assembly,” and he thought that the overall reaction among students was positive.Like Telman, other students enjoyed Anderson’s personality, which was evident onstage, and his ability to put a twist on a typical reading. Upper Jaden Wood enjoyed Anderson’s writing abilities. “His writing style was detailed and descriptive with humorous undercurrents that overall created a pleasant sound and style as he read,” she said.Prep Micheala Phan said that Anderson’s presence onstage grabbed her interest even more than his writing did. “I wasn’t as interested in the story until he cracked some jokes and started asking the audience questions,” Phan said.Faculty also enjoyed hearing Anderson speak and commended his choice to read a work in progress and to ask the audience for responses. English Instructor Wendy Mellin said that Anderson’s reading was a great way to show how many different directions a story can go. “We got to see how writing is a process for all of us, even for professional writers,” she said, “Not only was it fun, but it was inspiring to see.”While the Bennett Fellow has no obligation to offer his advice to students, Anderson will be hosting several writers’ workshops during his time here. The workshops will be held on Wednesday evenings from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Lamont Room on the fourth floor of the Library from January 20th to February 24th. He hopes that students will bring a poem or a short piece of prose to read aloud. The group will then offer positive feedback, questions and suggestions to the writer.“I hope that this writing group can be an informal, fun way for writers to be together,” Anderson said.English instructors are hopeful that the workshops will be constructive for students working to improve their writing.“This will be a great way for students to interact with and obtain valuable advice from an empathetic, gifted practitioner,” said Hearon. “I hope he has a great turnout for these sessions.”Mellin agreed and added that Anderson is creating a unique opportunity on campus for students of varying grades and skill levels to come together and write. “It’s a really brave thing to share, and we can learn so much about each other… in that open bonding experience,” Mellin said.Telman hopes to find time to attend the workshops. “I want to know how he is able to write with so many sensory details and imagery without losing the interest of the reader,” he said.Anderson has also recently started attending classes and hopes to apply what he’s learned about the Harkness method to his workshops. “It’s fun to be in the classrooms here. I’ve always instinctively wanted to teach [Harkness style],” Anderson said.The Bennett Fellowship is an opportunity for students to interact with gifted writers and an opportunity for writers to devote their time solely to their craft. While Anderson is an active author, he also keeps perspective about why he writes.“Right now I’m writing for an audience of one,” he said. “I’m writing to amuse myself, and hopefully there are enough people out there who are amused by the same things.”