The college essay. The writing proficiency requirement. The line of students snaking down the stairwell of University Hall on the morning of writing course registration. Writing plays into every student's time at Brown. But for those of us who are passionate about writing, what happens after graduation?
There seems to be a disconnect between the emphasis on writing that faces us throughout college and the nebulous world of writing beyond Brown.
The world will always need doctors, lawyers and analysts. But careers in writing seem to be less practical, less stable and less accessible. The mere thought of trying to find a place in the writing business can seem daunting. What is the "writing business" anyway?
Perhaps the best way to answer this question is by hearing the stories of alums who found their way into the world of writing after Brown. The speakers at today's Writing Beyond Brown symposium prove that writing careers can take many forms. Writers can educate, inform, entertain and work for social change.
Take Simon Kinberg '95, screenwriter of 2005's box-office smash "Mr. & Mrs. Smith." His career in entertainment writing also includes work on the screenplay for the upcoming "X-Men 3" and a "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" TV show for ABC.
Sam Schechner '99 has also combined entertainment and writing. He writes an entertainment column for the Wall Street Journal and has freelanced for Slate magazine, Black Book and the New York Times Magazine. He helped MTV launch its first U.S. magazine as a senior editor and has worked for three years as editor-in-chief of Shout magazine.
Jonathan Fasman '97 has recently connected his career in writing back to his alma mater, setting his recently released mystery novel "The Geographer's Library" in a fictional school called "Wickenden College." He has also written for Harper's Magazine, The Moscow Times, the Washington Post's Book World and The Economist.
Just two years after graduating from Brown, Arthur Sulzberger '04 writes for the Providence Journal. Also a recent grad, Ariana Green '04 has worked as a New York Times stringer in Puerto Rico and as assistant editor of San Juan City Magazine. She has recently returned to New York and is writing a chapter for Senior Lecturer in American Civilization Paul Buhle's book "Jews in American Culture."
Louisa Lombard '03 worked as a research assistant at the New America Foundation and the Center for Strategic and International Studies. She then moved to Nairobi and worked as a consultant to Small Arms Survey in sub-Saharan Africa. She is presently doing freelance consulting on post-conflict situations for the U.S. Agency for International Development, and has recently published an article on traditional justice in Somalia for the magazine Legal Affairs.
Also working for social change, Lara Schwartz '93, a legal counsel, drafts op-ed pieces, policy papers and press releases for the nation's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender advocacy organization and has published several articles on legal justice.
While the path to a career in writing may seem challenging, this group of alums has demonstrated that the possibilities are endless when writing beyond Brown.
The writers invite you to the 2006 Writing Beyond Brown symposium, this afternoon, 4-6 PM in Petterutti Lounge.
