'Dear Stanford': Letter 37
A Collection of Letters in Support of Stanford's Creative Writing Program
On August 21st, 23 Creative Writing lecturers were ‘future fired’ in a meeting with Deans, Directors, and Professors that oversee the program. Writing against the firing and in support of their teachers, students’ and alums’ letters to the administration alike have received auto-replies and brief responses to their concerns. This Substack is a space for these letters. This one is by Megan Mikhail ('14).
Dear Stanford,
I am writing to you as a Stanford alum (2014 BS with distinction in biology with a creative writing minor, Urmy/Hardy Poetry Prize recipient) regarding the recent decision to terminate the contracts of the existing Jones Lecturers within the creative writing program. I was greatly saddened and angered to learn this news just as my class is celebrating its 10 year reunion and wanted to take the time to let you know what the creative writing program meant to me as an undergraduate and why I think this decision would be a serious mistake.
Although I majored in the sciences, my most impactful teachers and mentors by far were the Jones Lecturers I was fortunate to be able to learn from through the creative writing program (including current lecturers Keith Ekiss, Tom Kealey, Kai Carlson-Wee, and Nina Schloesser Tárano, among others). Within my major, I often had difficulty even tracking down my faculty advisor to sign needed paperwork. In contrast, within the creative writing department, the Jones Lecturers took a personal interest in me and my learning and supported me in not only developing as a writer but also as a young person trying to find my way in the world. They were also always open and eager to hear from me regarding my ideas for how the creative writing program could continue to grow. This level of dedication and investment in student learning and development would not be possible with a transitory teaching staff who are only “passing through” the department.
The dedication of the Jones Lecturers was particularly meaningful to me because I struggled with anxiety and depression as an undergraduate, and often going to a creative writing class was the thing that would get me out of bed in the morning. This was partially because of how enjoyable and valuable creative writing classes always were, but also because I knew that if I didn’t show up, the instructor would care about where I was and why I wasn’t there. I can say definitively that I did not feel the same way about my large biology lecture courses. This is part of the value of having dedicated teachers and instructors that cannot be easily replaced.
I am currently in my last year of PhD training as a clinical psychologist and I use the skills of narrative building, meaning making, metaphor, and connection that I learned through the creative writing program every day in my work to help youth and families. My decision to pursue this career path in the first place was driven in part by an impactful conversation I had with Nina (one of the Jones Lecturers) as an undergraduate about how to combine my love for language with my desire to help and serve others. The current Jones Lecturers have had a profound and enduring impact on students that has been facilitated by the relative stability they have been able to experience at Stanford. I strongly urge you to reconsider taking that away.
Sincerely,
Megan Mikhail
Stanford class of 2014