Doyle?s animated expressions at the assembly (Photos: Kitty Katz)
On October 19, Brian Doyle visited the Upper School as the 2012 Jean Vollum Distinguished Writer to speak about his first novel, Mink River.
Over the summer break, the entire Upper School read the work. Doyle spent most of his day visiting the freshman English classes. In the afternoon, he spoke in an assembly in the Cabell Center to the Upper School student body and faculty, as well as some parents.
Doyle began his speech comically, stating he believed it to be the best way to get people engaged. He thought that there was ?grace? when people laughed together. He expressed his idea that if he could get people to laugh, he could later talk about ?heavier? topics. During his lecture he spoke of his early work as an essayist and a poet, but his main focus was on Mink River.
The novel centers on the town of Neawanaka and the interpersonal relationships between the myriad of characters who occupy the town. The book features a good deal of magic realism, such as Moses, a philosophizing raven, and a bear clan with its own culture. When asked to explain these elements, he remarked that he was not completely certain that the supernatural is not real, and so felt it fit in with the realism of the piece.
Doyle additionally shared many anecdotes from his personal life as a professor and father. He spoke of his experiences as a son, and then a father. He tried to impart the wisdom that one?s father loves one and is effected by one, even if he doesn?t show it. The second story centered on Doyle?s encounter with the Dalai Lama when he came to the University of Portland, and their disagreement?unwitting on Doyle?s part, as he did not realize he was speaking to the Lama?over whether soccer or basketball is the best sport in the world. At the end of the encounter, Doyle and the Lama shared a hearty laugh. After the story, Doyle again spoke of ?grace? but this time in reference to the Lama?s ability to forgive those who transgressed upon his country. These stories were very emotional for him, and at two points he began to cry. He was adamant that he needed to express his emotions in any way he knew how.
After his speech in the Cabell Center, Brian Doyle met with English teacher Paul Donohoe?s class during lunch. I had the opportunity to sit in as a representative of both CatlinSpeak and the creative writing program. This setting was more intimate, as we shared pizza and stories with Doyle one on one. During the lunch, he spoke of his path to writing Mink River, and gave advice to budding writers. This included, ?if I can do it, you can,? and, ?sit in the chair,? yet another instance when Doyle used humor to convey his message. At the end of Doyle?s trip, the Upper School was left with not only a better understanding of Mink River, but also of a man?s unique perspective on life.
Source: http://speak.catlin.edu/2012/10/mink-river-and-beyond-brian-doyles-visit-to-catlin-gabel/
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