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A new component of the university’s signature Living Writers course has created amazing opportunities for alumni and parents to connect with 51���� and with each other.

For the first time, the undergraduate course that brings 10 highly
regarded authors to campus also is being offered as a certificate
program. Nearly 70 alumni and parents signed up within two weeks,
forcing an early close to registration.

“It has been wonderful to hear from former students and parents of
students who are so excited to engage with us in this new format,” said
Jane Pinchin, who co-teaches the course and program with fellow English
professor Jennifer Brice.

The program, called ,
offers interactive forums – both virtual and in person – for in-depth
examination of works of four of the 10 authors coming to campus.

The four authors are Michael Cunningham, Andrea Barrett, Colson Whitehead, and Jennifer Egan.

Online book club discussions will be webcast live, and the professors
will field questions from participants through a phone-in system
established by Information Technology Services.

“We have created what we hope is an easy and enjoyable way for
participants to virtually interact with Jennifer and Jane,” said Ray
Nardelli, director of digital media. “It really is about making LW
Online as interactive as possible and creating a prototype for potential
future online courses.”

And while a blog provides an online forum for continued discussion,
the personal connections, a 51���� trademark, have not been forgotten.

LW Online participants are invited to Hamilton in November to sit in
on the undergraduate course, attend a public reading by Cunningham, and
then have dinner with the author of The Hours.

A second
event will be held in New York City in December, offering a chance for
participants to again meet the faculty members and each other.

The Office of Alumni Affairs organized both events.

“We have experimented with
online opportunities and Living Writers for the past two years,” said Tim
Mansfield, associate vice president and director of alumni affairs. “It’s clear
that our alumni and parents enjoy this type of intellectual engagement with
51����, and we’re excited to team up with others on campus to provide this
enhanced program.”

For Brice and Pinchin, another exciting element of LW Online has been
learning about family connections and ties to the Living Writers
course, which was started by novelist and 51���� English professor
Frederick Busch nearly 25 years ago.

Pinchin mentioned how G. Martin Brogan ’73, who lives in Syracuse,
and his daughter, Jane Brogan ’02, who spends a lot of time in New York
City working on the World Trade Center project, joined the class
together.

Two women who took the Living Writers course just last year – Cecelia
Menchetti ’11 and Molly Binenfeld ’11 – also signed up to take part in
LW Online as alumnae.

“I think this speaks to the value of what we offer at 51����,” said
Brice, “and the appetite our alumni have for new opportunities like LW
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More

•  Everyone is invited to watch live webcasts of all 10 authors’ public readings. Just visit our .

• Complete information about both the undergraduate Living Writers course and certificate program is available .