Episode 25
What is a successful example of faculty-student mentorship?
We spoke to Kerry Garvin, a graduate with two Harvard Extension School degrees: an ALB in 2017 and an ALM in Creative Writing & Literature in 2020. Kerry worked as a Faculty Aide during her time as an ALM student with Dr. Elisabeth McKetta. Dr. McKetta has taught writing for Harvard Extension School and Summer School since 2012 and was awarded the James E. Conway Excellence in Teaching Writing Award in 2018. She is the author of nine books including a biography, a writing guide, five books of poetry, a children’s book, and the novel “She Never Told Me About the Ocean”.
Kerry and Dr. McKetta partnered recently to create their own co-operative publishing press. They have also co-edited a collection of essays from 60 women writers titled “What Doesn’t Kill Her: Women’s Stories of Resilience“. The collection was published earlier in 2021 and was described by Gloria Steinem in the following terms:
“When someone is ill, many old cultures say that they have lost their story. I believe that reading the stories in What Doesn’t Kill Her will help each of us to trust and tell our own.”
This conversation was an opportunity to learn more about their work and to see what a successful faculty-student and faculty-alumni partnership can look like.