Award-winning author will visit Clarke Central High School on Oct. 25 as part of the University of Georgia’s Willson Center for Humanities and Arts’ Delta Visiting Chair program. For UGA Willson Center communications director Dave Marr, the opportunity is invaluable. “Somebody like Michael Ondaatje, who’s such a brilliant writer and such a brilliant mind, has some insights to share with all audiences, but in the case of high school students, with people who are still forming their ideas of what they want from their lives, it’s even more valuable,” Marr said. Illustration by Lilli Sams
Author Michael Ondaatje will speak in the Clarke Central High School media center on Oct. 25, and participate in a discussion hosted by the iliad Literary-Art Magazine.
On Oct. 25, award-winning Sri Lankan-born Canadian author Michael Ondaatje will visit the Clarke Central High School media center to share his insights with students from 11:10 a.m. to 12:10 p.m.
The event, which is being hosted by the iliad Literary-Art Magazine, was coordinated through the University of Georgia’s Willson Center for Humanities and Arts’ Delta Visiting Chair for Global Understanding.
“(For the Delta Visiting Chair), we try to have the people who are honored with this chair come to UGA and Athens and spend a couple of days and really try to integrate them with the university and the Athens community,” Willson Center communications director Dave Marr said.
According to Marr, one of the things the Willson Center places emphasis on for the Delta Visiting Chair is community events and discussions.
“We have multiple public events, and then we also try and organize some smaller-scale conversations both at the university and the Clarke County public schools,” Marr said. “We want to share these people’s time and their talents with as much of the community as we can.”
After Ondaatje is introduced, iliad seniors Beatrice Acheson, Editor-in-Chief, and Georgia Blue Simmons, Managing Editor, will facilitate a discussion between the author and audience members.
“We’re planning a discussion to facilitate and we’re trying to figure out how to make it the most interactive,” Acheson said. “We want it to be fun for Clarke Central students, but we also want Michael Ondaatje to feel invited and welcome here.”
Acheson believes that Ondaatje could have a particularly powerful message for CCHS students.
“(Michael Ondaatje’s) had kind of a crazy life story, so I think his background and identity will be a big part of the discussion,” Acheson said, “I think that’ll be one of the most important parts to Clarke Central students because a big part of who we are is how diverse we are.”
According to CCHS media specialist Angie Pendley, having these events can be important for students, particularly those interested in writing or other humanities.
“It’s great for our students to have these experiences, to see a real live author in front of them,” Pendley said. “It’s great for them, seeing people who have first-hand knowledge (talk) about how to make a career out of the writing process and what it takes, start to finish, to actually publish material.”
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