Patricia Lockwood Inspires and Offers Advice to Student Writers at Assembly

Lockwood offered advice about writing, emphasizing creativity, reflection, and balance between engagement with the world for writers looking for inspiration. “Look for ideas. Be receptive, and inspiration will generally come to you,” she told students. Lockwood also added that honesty, for any writer, plays a big role in their work: “If you write about something that happens to you [and] if you’re writing for yourself, it’s just something you don’t think about … you might think, ‘Yeah, I can say what I think and I can be honest.’”

English teachers Leah Fry and Terence Mooney emphasize the importance of author visits for students. Fry said that author visits can help students see that writing is a “viable career path.” Fry noted, “hearing from … writers can also help students see that even the best writers encounter challenges like writer's block, self-doubt, overly critical feedback.” Mooney echoed Fry’s sentiment: “These author visits amplify what we already practice, participate in, and celebrate alongside one another as a community of writers.” Assistant Head of School John Roberts added that author visits help students to “continue to seek excellence and awesomeness in writing.” He said that the goal of these assemblies is to help “produce spectacular writers!”

Joseph Addison, Chair of the English Department, noted that this year, students were given opportunities to have “more intimate conversation[s] with her.” Lockwood was able to visit four English classes, including 21st Century American Literature, Women’s Narratives, the Young Apprentice Writers Program, and Studies in Poetry. Addison explained that the English teachers try “to make [visiting authors] more relevant to the school” by selecting authors whose work students encounter in class. 

In their English classes, students appreciated Lockwood’s unique writing style. Sabrina Hu ’25 described a poem about ocean pollution, noting how “the dolphins … by the end, represented women and their objectification in society.” Hu added, “It’s just a really different type of writing style that you don’t read in Nature Literature, the elective I’m in.”  Jasper Wong ’27 emphasized Lockwood’s blend of absurdity and meaning: “It’s not entirely sensical. But if you can write something that literally doesn't make sense, but figuratively and symbolically has meaning; that's just the best kind of writing in my opinion, and she does that pretty well.”   

Dylann Delgado ’26 and Annika Aslanian ’25 explained how the author visits benefit them. Delgado said, “Getting to talk with well-known writers gives students a great opportunity to expand their horizons in writing and English.” Aslanian added, “Having these authors visit us brings our in-class reading to life and allows us to ask questions and access the book in ways we otherwise couldn't.”  

Author visits have long been a springtime tradition at Hopkins as part of the English Department’s celebration of National Poetry Month. According to Addison, “There is a rich tradition at Hopkins of bringing intellectual luminaries [...] to hopefully be inspirational to both students and teachers.” Addison continued that this tradition helps “bring together the community.” Mooney added onto this, clarifying that “bringing authors to campus underscores our schoolwide commitment to and investment in the humanities”, especially as students are able to "better appreciat[e] and understand authors and their experiences.” Mooney remarked, “What a privilege to have authors of [Lockwood’s] stature come to our campus!”