High school English and creative writing teacher Dr. Kathleen Lawton-Trask, discovered her love for writing at eight years old, even reading books on how to improve her writing skills. However, that passion dimmed in high school, overshadowed by the pressure to excel in other subjects to appear smart. Her first year at Swarthmore College reignited her love for storytelling through a creative writing course. That class inspired her to write her first of many unpublished books, Bantam Flyer, a novel based on the kayaking club she was in during the summer after senior year in Washington, D.C.
After receiving her undergraduate degree Lawton-Trask earned a Master of Fine Arts from Columbia University, where she wrote The Oklahoma Standard, a series of interconnected stories exploring opposing worldviews such as liberal and religious views. Since then, she wrote The Domestic Mock Hero, and is currently working on a fourth book. However, she feels that balancing her passion for writing with teaching isn’t easy.
To help others with time management, Lawton-Trask runs a support group for writers who are also parents. Every Monday night, the parent-writers meet to discuss their weekly writing progress. Lawton-Trask’s time management skills, however, came out of necessity. During the second year in her doctoral program, Lawton-Trask juggled with writing her dissertation and caring for her newborn.
“The last year of my doctorate was extremely difficult,” Lawton-Trask said. “But, it was also a testament to what I was capable of, which is really meaningful to me. My dissertation advisor taught me to break big tasks into smaller ones, which made writing my book more doable. Writing allows me to put part of myself out in the world in hopes that someone will feel less alone.”
Similarly, high school mathematics teacher Robert Coombs practices time management as he takes advantage of holidays to write his book. He found his love for writing early on in his life, even declaring in his senior yearbook that he would become a writer in ten years. However, his college success in math led him to teach geometry. Years later, during the COVID-19 lockdown, he rediscovered his passion for writing from reading philosophical and self-help books. His extensive reading inspired him to write his own, as the book counters the common self-help perspective which focuses on individualism.
“I’m calling my book an anti-self-help self-help book,” Coombs said. “My perspective [on self-help] shows that humans need a community to rely on for solving problems. I can’t write during the school year, as unfinished chapters haunt my dreams during the school year. This book is my legacy, giving me something to care about beyond my job and my family.”
Josh Adell, High school performing arts teacher and theater director, also finds that he serves a higher purpose through writing. Adell wrote the play, Then We Dream, to provide a healing space for those grappling with grief, the play tells the story of a family coping with the death of a loved one. The themes struck a personal chord for Adell, who faced the possibility of losing a close family member to cancer ten years ago. Adell wrote his first play at 13, consisting of a group of kids that sneak out of their house and take a bus to Las Vegas. Adell believes that every play he’s written reflects a piece of himself.
“Alex Waters’ actions in the play mirrored how I imagined I’d react to losing a loved one,” Adell said. “Whether they’re aware of it or not, every writer puts themselves into the story. Creating this play was very emotional at times, but seeing it come to life was extraordinary.”
