Based on my past and current class schedule here at Emerson, you would think I was doomed to take every single class Rick Reiken will ever teach. My first semester, I was dropped (unwillingly, at first) into two of his courses, a lit class and a novel workshop (novels, gag), and had no small amount of trepidation about whether or not I would hate this guy. People would ask me what I was taking and I would say, “Reiken,” and shrug my shoulders, as though my happiness at Emerson were completely in the hands of one man. Turns out, the hands couldn’t have been better chosen.

Rick walks the fine line between “absurd tangent” and “charming roundabout way of making a cogent point” like a well-trained circus performer. His lit courses are shockingly eye-opening yet accepting of your newbie analysis. His workshops are perfectly moderated, never becoming over-imposing of Reiken’s particular philosophy or, worse, a free-for-all of idiotic and unfounded class-mate opinions. You’ll get much out of either kind of course, though his latest offering, a lit course focusing on the use of time and filtered through the philosophical and aesthetic ramifications of time travel, makes me think his lit courses are just ever-so-slightly more valuable.

I don’t recommend Reiken for anyone looking for an easy A. He expects hard work, and writers should be prepared to spend “a lot of time tapping into dimensions that most people don’t ever think about.” He doesn’t expect you to be the next Joyce, but you’ll have to put more into his courses than most others. You’ll also have to take responsibility for that effort. “Everything you say or write is yours, and it’s important to break the undergraduate mindset of ‘doing it for the teacher,’ because in the long run writing is a solitary endeavor.” Like I said, your newbie analysis is tolerated, but you’d better be giving it in earnest.

Hopefully his latest course on time travel will be offered again, as I love the idea of incorporating traditionally non-literary themes into a discussion of literature. And hopefully you’ll sign up for said course. Looking at a topic like time travel with Reiken means breaking down your preconceptions of both the topic and literature in general, seeking the previously unknown point at which the two converge. In the end, Reiken says, “whether something is ‘literary’ or not is almost always a matter of a writer’s approach,” and, “any theme or idea is what you make of it…” A Reiken course on time travel, then, is not so much an exploration of something non-literary, but rather an exploration of how literature can take anything and make it work. A valuable lesson indeed.

On a purely technical note, Reiken is also the new Graduate Program Director for the MFA program. That means he’s your go-to guy for any questions you may have regarding the program or grad school life in general:

“I am here in the capacity of an advisor for all MFA students, so students should feel free to come to me with anything that they would like advice about, whether that pertains to the MFA program or larger questions about being a writer.  I’m here as a point of contact for any concerns or points of confusion or problems students might have, and I will do my best to clarify or provide assistance.  I am also willing to diagnose time travel paradoxes, but that’s where I do charge an extra fee.”

I recommend utilizing Reiken as GPD more than you think you should. Grad school is tough business, and you’re going to need a little guidance, especially if you’re inclined to think of this time as merely an extension of your undergrad work, rather than a significant two or three year undertaking, the outcome of which will drastically affect the rest of your life. No pressure, though.

Tags:   Emerson · fiction · GPD · Joe · MFA · Professor Profiles · ReikenNo Comments