Bellarmine University is one of the most highly regarded liberal arts colleges in Kentucky. English and the literary arts are one of the foundational pieces of a liberal arts format. Why do a large majority of students have no knowledge of the literary life of Bellarmine?
Are the literary arts at BU dying?
Junior Andrea Doll said she thinks they are doing quite the opposite and argues they are continuing to thrive.
Doll is an English and psychology major and president of Ariel, BU’s literary magazine. She said although meetings for the magazine are always small, the submissions for the yearly edition are numerous.
“Last year we got somewhere near 100 submissions, maybe a little less. Some of those were multiple submissions from people, but that’s not to say we don’t get a good amount,” Doll said. “We do have to turn some down. Not every submission gets in.”
Dr. Jonathan Blandford, an associate professor in the English department, is adamant about the literary arts at Bellarmine. He said anyone who doubts the literary arts at the school should pick up a copy of the Ariel and read some of its entries.
“I think it [Ariel] is the beating heart of the literary arts culture, and it’s been happening all 10 years since I’ve been here, and it has been here much longer than that,” Blandford said.
Blandford said he believes the quality of writing in the magazine has improved over the years. He said it makes him proud some of the submissions are more than poems.
“The caliber of writing in it [Ariel] is incredible, and the fact that there is incredible color photographs and artwork. It’s now become a multimedia representation for the literary arts.” Blandford said.
He also discussed another literary organization forming on campus, Pen and Sword. This new registered student organization is a slam poetry group, which Blandford hopes will bring a more vocal presence to the literary arts at BU.
Doll said she believes one reason students think the literary arts are dying is because many are starting to view an English major as not valuable.
“The cost of college is rising. I think this idea of ‘I must get my money’s worth and I need to study something that is going to allow me to make up this debt.’ The first thought when making up debt is not ‘Let’s add an English major’,” Doll said.
Dr. Conor Picken, interim chair of the English department, believes there are many skills students can learn from literature, and they may be underestimating the career ability of literary arts.
“The close reading, synthesizing, and learning to articulate that for a specific audience is an invaluable skill in the workforce. Students are insecure about their ability to engage with texts. It can enrich their lives,” Picken said.
Blandford said he agrees with this sentiment about the literary arts. He said the ability to tell stories and to be able to connect with others is something we learn from literary arts and many forget about it.
He also said being able to write well and effectively is a skill in short supply in the current workforce. Picken added these are skills employers look for in interns and employees.
“The ability to communicate effectively in writing is in short supply. There is a need for people who can write, but also storytelling,” Blandford said. “We are the stories we tell as individuals and cultures and what we value. If you can tell a good story, you can really connect with people.”
Doll said she sees the value in an English major and the literary arts, and she has felt its value in her own life. She said she hopes seeing the value in them might encourage her peers to take an extra English course to strengthen their skills.
“It’s extremely valuable and you can get a lot of places. Does that mean you should major in English? Maybe not,” Doll said. “On a deeper level, it helps me understand the world better and helps me understand people better. The most worthwhile thing English has given me is to help me connect better with other people.”
Some concrete evidence the literary arts are growing at BU is the proposed creative writing minor. Picken said they proposed the minor due to demand from students. He said students are always “banging down the doors” to get into the creative writing classes.
Picken said the Academic Deans Council recently passed the minor proposal and it will move on to another board for approval soon. He said the curriculum will come in the Fall 2021 semester.
“If we get them in those classes because they love writing, then we know that they are going to get a dynamic lit critique experience,” Picken said. “Ideally, they are going to be motivated to take more classes with us.”
Blandford said the literary arts at BU are a hidden gem and they are slowly making their way to the forefront. He also expressed concern the English department is not doing enough to promote them.
However, he is certain of one thing: the literary arts are not dead at Bellarmine.
“The literary arts are a sleeping giant because there is an appetite among students for more creative outlets. Your generation is lucky to have grown up in this vibrant young adult literature that didn’t exist when I was a teenager,” Blandford said. “It’s not as if the literary arts have vanished from the face of the earth.”