By Mary Ellis Logan and James Galgano

“Human beings have never lived in harmony with nature.” – Peter Brannen

Brannens The Ends of the World. Photo credit: @silverunicornbooks on Instagram.

The Whitfield Speaker Series is a program endowed by former Collegiate parent Bryan Whitfield as a way for students to learn from a variety of writers. Upper School English teacher Dr. Bart Thornton spoke to The Match about the process of planning for the Whitfield seminar and Upper School Assembly on Tuesday, Nov. 13. This year’s speaker is science journalist Peter Brannen.

Dr. Thornton detailed the variety of Whitfield speakers over the years: “just about anything you can think of … poets, rock musicians, screenwriters, science writers, fiction writers, memoirists.” The student seminar, which we will both be participating in, is designed to allow students to get a behind-the-scenes view of the writing process while also learning where their own interests lie.

The committee which annually suggests speakers to feature in the series has always wanted to bring in a writer with a perspective on climate change. Dr. Thornton describes Brannen as “knowing his science” and also “being one hell of a writer.” He explained that while Brennan’s speech during Upper School Assembly will be “70% science and 30% writing” focused, that morning’s seminar with a small group of students will instead focus “70% on writing and 30% on science.” The seminar will give students the chance to discuss Brannen’s book The End Of The World and get feedback from Brannen on their own writing.

Dr. Thornton posing with his favorite book. Photo credit: @collegiaterva on Instagram.

Since we are both looking into career fields that have a combination of writing and science focuses, this seminar is an opportunity to be able to learn more about the professional realm of science writing. As the issue of global climate change become more and more urgent, it is becoming increasingly important to be educated on the ever-changing world around us.