By JOHN BONAZZO
COLUMNIST
Even people who write for a living aren’t sure you can learn to do it in college.
That was one of the many lessons imparted by Chad Harbach, the author of The Art of Fielding, one of my favorite books, during an appearance in Trumbull, Conn. on Sunday afternoon.
What was the author of one of the best-reviewed novels of the past few years doing in my suburban hometown last weekend? Well, his book was Trumbull’s “One Book, One Town” selection this year. Harbach’s appearance was the grand finale of the program.
Set at a small Midwestern college, The Art of Fielding centers on Henry Skrimshander, a baseball star who loses his knack for the game. The ensuing drama entangles Henry’s coach and teammates, along with the school’s headmaster and his daughter.
This is so much more than a baseball book. It’s also a great coming-of-age novel and an affecting romance.
Harbach read passages from the book and answered questions from a moderator and the audience. Learning a writer’s methods always fascinates me, and this event was no exception—Harbach may be one of the only modern authors who still writes some sections in longhand first.
The discussion of craft led Harbach to talk about his newest project, editing and contributing to the essay collection MFA vs. NYC, which deals with the conundrum that many authors who used to work through New York publishing houses now teach writing in university MFA programs.
Since he is a writer who hasn’t worked in publishing, Harbach stuck mostly to hypotheticals—he got a big laugh from the crowd when he said Jane Austen would have been a brutal writing teacher.
However, as an author who has now been through the entire publishing process, Harbach did have some wisdom applicable to our generation. He, along with the moderator, lamented that classes on critical reading have been replaced at many colleges with writing courses (I’m certainly glad this isn’t the case at Fordham as of yet). He also said that many of the things he learned in his MFA were not actually that much help to him after he left school.
Anyone who wants to pursue creative writing in college should certainly have the opportunity to do so. It is best, however, to have a foundation in critical reading first so you know how other writers do it. Being at Fordham, we are also in close proximity to New York publishers – hello, internships!
I’m so glad I got to see the author of one of my favorite books in person not only discussing his craft, but also showing how it applies to people my age. The event, which occurred in the same room where I attended story hour as a child, gave me a feeling of coming full circle.
Finally: Yes, I do realize this column screams “English major.” And I’m proud of that.
