Whitfield Speaker Willy Vlautin Shares Stories with Students
This year's Whitfield Speaker, novelist, musician and songwriter Willy Vlautin was on campus this morning to spend time with students and talk about his life of writing both stories and songs as well as songs that tell stories.
Known for his storytelling skills and charismatic presentation, Mr. Vlautin hails from Portland, OR. Last night in the Sharp Academic Commons' Estes Cafe, he treated a small crowd to a solo acoustic concert -- he is the lead singer of Richmond Fontaine, an alt-country band he founded in 1994. He has written four novels including The Motel Life which was made into a film in 2013.
This morning, in a special workshop organized by English teacher Dr. Bart Thornton, Mr. Vlautin and several students discussed the themes and mystery of the famous ballad by Bobbie Gentry, "Ode to Billy Joe." Mr. Vlautin shared details about his own experiences as a writer and musician and the importance of having a dual career in which he can shift gears depending on his state of mind and variable success.
At Upper School assembly, Dr. Thornton asked Mr. Vlautin questions about his bands, his novels and the nuances of keeping both energized. Mr. Vlautin performed several songs about subjects that have caught his attention and gotten under his skin and he talked about the experiences of growing up in Reno, NV and becoming a writer. He also answered several good questions from students.
Many thanks to Mr. Vlautin for traveling from Portland to spend time with us today and to the Whitfield family for making this annual special speaker event possible.
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This morning, in a special workshop organized by English teacher Dr. Bart Thornton, Mr. Vlautin and several students discussed the themes and mystery of the famous ballad by Bobbie Gentry, "Ode to Billy Joe." Mr. Vlautin shared details about his own experiences as a writer and musician and the importance of having a dual career in which he can shift gears depending on his state of mind and variable success.
At Upper School assembly, Dr. Thornton asked Mr. Vlautin questions about his bands, his novels and the nuances of keeping both energized. Mr. Vlautin performed several songs about subjects that have caught his attention and gotten under his skin and he talked about the experiences of growing up in Reno, NV and becoming a writer. He also answered several good questions from students.
Many thanks to Mr. Vlautin for traveling from Portland to spend time with us today and to the Whitfield family for making this annual special speaker event possible.
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