Author Dr. Harrison Scott Key, Executive Dean of Savannah College of Art and Design, speaks during an author visit in the Clarke Central High School Media Center on Oct. 17. During the event, Key shared about his experiences with writing and his family, prominent topics in three of his memoirs. “It took me a decade or more of trying to write as an adult before I was like, ‘Oh, if I’m funny, then what I write kind of has to be funny, because that’s who I am,’” Key said. “Not everybody is. Some people are very romantic and poetic and (their) writing should also be like that.” Photo by Maypop Wren
CCHS students and faculty attended the iliad Literary-Art Magazine author visit and moderated Q&A with author Dr. Harrison Scott Key.
Author Dr. Harrison Scott Key, Executive Dean of the Savannah College of Art and Design, spoke and delivered a reading in a moderated Q&A with Clarke Central High School students and teachers in the CCHS Media Center on Oct. 17.
Various CCHS students were invited to attend the event, which was organized by the iliad Literary-Art magazine adviser David A. Ragsdale and facilitated by iliad Editor-in-Chief Margo McDaniel and Outreach Director Jay Braswell. The visit began with Key reading an excerpt from his second memoir, “Congratulations, Who Are You Again?”, which focuses on Key’s journey to becoming a writer.
“Dr. Key was very light hearted and very charismatic. It’s a little bit different from a few of the past author visits we’ve had with more serious authors,” McDaniel said, “I knew coming into (the event) that he was a comedy writer, and that definitely showed through with all the interactions that we had.”
Attendees listen to memoirist Dr. Harrison Scott Key, Executive Dean of Savannah College of Art and Design during his visit to the Clarke Central High School Media Center on Oct. 17. CCHS Media Specialist Angela Pendley has organized multiple artist and author visits to help inspire students. “I think it breaks up the monotony of the day, gives kids something different in their day, and I think it fuels creativity and really helps kids realize that (writing) is something that they can do,” CCHS Media Specialist Angela Pendley said. “Those are all things that benefit our students.” Photos by Miriam Silk and Kye Streetman
After the reading, Key participated in a Q&A with McDaniel and Braswell where he spoke in length about the use of comedy in his writing and how he navigates writing about personal family issues. After the Q&A, the floor was opened to students for questions.
“He was funny and I think that he not only had the adults (in the room) laughing, but the kids laughing, too,” CCHS Media Specialist Angela Pendley “I think that is a true testament to his humor, that he was able to (build that) bridge across the ages.”
Clarke Central High School students listen to memoirist Harrison Scott Key, Executive Dean of Savannah College of Art and Design, in the CCHS Media Center on Oct. 17. The event was organized by iliad Literary-Art Magazine adviser David A. Ragsdale who first reached out to Key to set up the event. “There was a lot of work and coordination that went into it,” iliad Literary-Art Magazine Editor-in-Chief Margo McDaniel said. “Everybody in the iliad Editorial Board, even the people that weren’t able to be here for the actual event, contributed in some way.” Photo by Maypop Wren
CCHS senior Rodricus Fleming attended the event as a member of his Advanced Placement English Literature and Composition class, after having studied Key’s story “My Dad Tried to Kill Me With an Alligator.” The visit helped him gain confidence in his own writing abilities.
“I think (author visits are) important because you never know what a student wants to do. For the profession that I’m thinking of going into, I will definitely need writing experience,” Fleming said. “(Key) shows us how to deliver harsh topics in a funny way.”
“To a lot of students (in) this age, writing is not something you would do as a job. So, (this event) shows you a new, different way of being an adult.”
— Dr. Harrison Scott Key ,
Author and Savannah College of Art and Design Executive Dean
Key originally aspired to be a playwright which inspired him to start writing. Key received a Ph.D in playwriting from Southern Illinois University and wrote the first of his three memoirs, “World’s Largest Man,” about his father.
“I think it’s good for students to be like, ‘Oh, this guy makes his living writing books,’” Key said. “To a lot of students (in) this age, writing is not something you would do as a job. So, (this event) shows you a new, different way of being an adult.”
