The other 2 of the 3 Rs

The other 2 of the 3 R’s Trivia: What is the name of MITs literary magazine, and which MIT Admissions blogger is its Editor-in-Chief? [answer at the end of the entry] Earlier this summer, I received an email from Dr. Karen Boiko from MITs Writing and Humanistic Studies department. Dr. Boiko wanted to tell me about a new magazine which  spotlights exemplary writing from the first year writing classes, requesting a link from the MIT blogs. After having checked it out, I happily agreed. Heres the link: AnglesI especially liked editors note the editors note, written by co-editors Lucy Marx and Dr. Boiko: Last year, a senior in one of our courses came up at the end of semester to say she thought the introductory writing courses must rate as one of MITs best-kept secrets, adding her regrets that she hadnt taken one sooner. Her reasoning? Maybe not what youd expect. No, it wasnt that shed learned so many things about writing which she knew would have been useful throughout her MIT career, though we hope shed agree with that, too. What she said instead was, You meet the most interesting people in MITs introductory writing courses! And now, she said, shed just met seventeen or so of them, and she regretted she was on her way out. Well, the fact is we often find ourselves saying something similar about our studentsâ€"how interesting they tend to be and how interesting they make our classes. So, what is it that makes our students so interesting? We think that, at least partially, its because they approach things from so many different and unusual anglesâ€"hence the name weve given our online magazine. As we hope youll find, their interests are surprisingly varied and always strongly their own. You can be sure that when one of these writers looks at something from an intriguing angle, its because he or she actually sees things that way. Taken singularlyâ€"and maybe even more in relation with each otherâ€"the work of these writers engages. [] So, we do hope this first issue of Angles will help undo that best-kept secret pointed out by our departing seniorâ€"by making public some of the most interesting writing submitted by some of those most interesting people in the introductory writing classes of 2007-8. Like the writing student, I too found MITs writing and literature courses to be among the Institutes best-kept secrets. I was surprised to find Pulizter Prize-winning writers on the faculty. I was surprised to learn that, apparently, MIT has one of the top Victorian literature faculties around. I was surprised to find out that you there was even a full major at MIT in both writing and in literature. . . . If you like great books and great writers, theres a terrific event coming up on campus. Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist (and MIT writing professor) Junot Díaz will open the Fall 2008 MIT Writers Series, reading from his novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. The reading will be on Thursday, September 25, at 7:00pm in MITs Kirsch Auditorium (32-123). Many MIT students, though, wont need to attend the reading to hear Prof. Díaz, as he is teaching the following courses this semester: 21W.755 Writing and Reading Short Stories ______ Prerequites: None ______ Introduction to the short story. Students write stories and short descriptive sketches. Readings from European and American stories from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Class discussion of students writing and of the assigned stories in their historical and social contexts. 21W.758 Genre Fiction Workshop ______ Prerequites: A subject in writing short fiction or comparable writing experience ______ Students read stories from various genres about catastrophes, natural and human-made, and write stories in specific genres, although not necessarily about the reading topic. Readings include The Last Days of Pompeii (historical fiction), The Tin Roof Blowdown (suspense), Road (fantasy), and the science fiction novels No Blade of Grass and A Canticle for Leibowitz. Students consider genre protocols and how to write within the restrictions and freedoms associated with each genre. Students write a short reaction to each novel, and one short story within a genre or between genres for round-table workshopping. Enrollment limited to 15 students. Aside from the Writers Series, other fun events include the Literature departments Monday tea, the [emailprotected] series, and more. Also worth checking out is the MIT Literary Society, an active, fun, and serious student group (n.b. I saw their president last week and she said they hadnt yet voted on this months book selection stay tuned). In short there are some great opportunities here in writing and literature. Really. Trivia answer: Rune is MITs literary magazine. Its mission statement begins, In our increasingly technology-driven world, and perpetually technology-saturated campus, weve found its more refreshing, more important than ever to look at life from new perspectives, be it the tip of a pen, the lens of a camera, or the tilt of a head. If youre reading this you probably already have some appreciation of art and its possibilities and wouldnt need to hear it from us. Well, we exist to promote precisely that and hope you will support us along the way. Senior blogger Lulu Liu is its Editor-in-Chief.