Professors of English mentor students in classes based on publishing experience

Linda Bamber, an associate professor in the Department of English at Tufts, is turning heads with her latest book, “Taking What I Like.” A collection of short stories drawn from classic literature, six of the eight stories are based on Shakespeare’s works. There’s a twist, however: The stories take place in modern society, making for an inventive, contemporary spin on original texts.

“It’s a mixture of narrative, history, criticism and sometimes a little autobiography or memoir, mostly set in the present day,” Bamber said.

In “Taking What I Like,” the cast members of “Othello” are members of a college English department navigating an affirmative action search, the protagonist from “As You Like It” dates three men from “Henry IV” and inmates at a Missouri prison put on a production of “Hamlet.”

Last December, the publication received a prestigious shout-out on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” program. NPR was hosting acclaimed author Ben Fountain at the time, who chose Bamber’s book as one of the top four picks for best forthcoming fiction of 2013.

“I’d like this book to reach the people who will enjoy it,” she said. “And this means that perhaps it will.”

Bamber is particularly pleased to note that Fountain characterized her work as “laugh-out-loud” funny.

“I really hope this book gets a lot of play,” Fountain said during the NPR program. “It deserves it.”

With Desdemona as the central character of the Othello story and Cleopatra occupying a prominent role in the aptly named chapter “Cleopatra and Antony,” a female perspective underlies “Taking What I Like,” according to Bamber. In several stories, she takes a minor female character from a text and makes her the focus.

“There’s a slight women’s perspective that arises and passes here and there,” Bamber said.

The book combines a deep admiration for classic works with a sense of humor.

“An important point to me is that those two things don’t have to be separate,” she said. “They can come together, and in fact they often should come together.”

The title of Bamber’s collection of short stories reflects the juxtaposition of deep respect for literature and playfulness with it.

“I love these plays, and I also feel free to take liberties with them and do whatever I please,” she said. “That’s why it’s called ‘Taking What I Like.’”

One of Bamber’s students, sophomore Philip Host, pointed out that Bamber also calls attention to humorous aspects of literature in her Short Fiction course.

“Something that she definitely emphasizes is humor in writing, which is kind of cool,” Host said. “Because, as she has brought up several times, often even the driest authors have a sense of humor.”

Host, who is majoring in English, noted that Professor Bamber’s Short Fiction course stands out to him as a class dominated by rigorous discussion.

“Of all the English classes I’ve taken so far, [it’s] probably the most discussion-based, and probably the best at doing it, too,” he said.

Like Bamber, many professors in the Department of English at Tufts are published authors and bring that expertise to the classroom. Marcie Hershman, a lecturer for creative writing classes, has published several books, fiction and non-fiction, as well as many essays.

Hershman noted that her approach to teaching is influenced by her experiences as a writer, particularly in the way she mentors student writers.

“I know from my own experience how tough it is to write,” Hershman said. “I hope to create a supportive environment for students, but one that also really challenges them to do something they may not want to do.”

She explained that, although this process can be difficult, she believes that it allows students to develop into better writers. Professor Bamber likewise thought that being an author translates very well into teaching.

“I’m always looking at what I teach from the perspective of both a critic and a writer,” she said. “So issues of craft and construction are very much on my mind when I teach.”

Hershman acknowledged that, while she publishes and teaches professionally, the role that personal experience plays in written works is central to many authors as well.

“I think every writer draws from his or her own experience, but not necessarily from the events themselves, just from the feelings, the pressures, the curiosity,” Hershman said.

Bamber echoed this sentiment.

“I think anything that anybody writes that’s any good connects in some profound way to their own life. ... If the writing is any good, the writer has a stake in it, and that comes from what goes on in his or her own life,” she said.

According to Hershman, making sure to challenge yourself is a critical component of good writing.

“If you just write what you already know how to do well, you’re not going anywhere,” Hershman said.

Host said that he too sees taking English classes as a way that students can challenge themselves and examine many facets of life.

“The way I see books in general is that they offer you models for looking at different aspects of life. ... English is modeling how people interact with the world around them and each other,” Host said.

While Host is enthusiastic about his class with Bamber right now, he has found himself disappointed in the format of some of his past English courses and says there is room for improvement. Despite enjoying the book selections and the vast amount of knowledge that professors can impart to his or her students, Host said that if there were fewer lecture-dominated courses at Tufts, he would be pleased.

“[Classes] are often supposed to be discussion-based and that seems like the only thing that could be beneficial in an English context,” Host said. “An English lecture doesn’t make that much sense. It’s just kind of a lesser version of what English should be, in my mind.”