Prof of the Month!

Professor David Wilder English Department

A graduate of Wesleyan University, Professor Wilder is perhaps best known for his sense of humor, his unique approach to the study of both literature and creative writing… and there is the matter of his, well, good looks, that have students lining up at his door in the hopes of getting into his highly regarded classes. Wilder's interest in the power of words began when he was high school in a small town in Maryland. Having heard from some friends about Salinger's landmark novel, Catcher in the Rye, he asked his English teacher if they would be reading it in class. She told him it was an "inappropriate" novel. "I guess I'm sort of drawn toward the inappropriate," laughs Wilder. "Anything worth reading should stir up some kind of controversy," he adds, "whether it be a personal, internal conflict, or a political one." This semester, Professor Wilder is teaching "An introduction to Creative Writing," a Frosh only seminar, as well as the upper level "Banned Books: The Power of the Pen," and "Brevity is the Soul of Wit: Writing the Short Story."