“Be an Encourager, not a Discourager”

November 25th, 2008: Stovall Witte introduced our guest speaker as an author of twelve books that range in subject from ancient highways to the differences between men and women. He also wrote “Jewel, an Oprah pick.” Mr. Lott is a Fulbright Senior American Scholar whose teaching credentials include the College of Charleston, the University of Massachusetts, and Louisiana State University where he was the editor of the Pulitzer Prize-winning journal, The Southern Review. Stovall said he and Bret meet over yard work … Brett agreed stating “his yard looked a little shabby.” Mr. Lott opened his talk last Tuesday with a poem from Tom Lynch on Rotary then immediately used his life as an example of why poetry, writing, and essays are so very important in life.

Brett’s father worked for RC Cola and fully expected him to follow suit in the same profession. When he proceeded to work his way through multiple college majors: forestry (I’d like to be a Park Ranger) and marine biology (I like the beach), he ended up becoming a RC Cola employee only to realize no matter how happy that made his father, the vocation was not for him. The only “night school” college course available to Bret in 1978 was a creative writing course that he attended in his daytime uniform … for that he was labeled “so establishment” by the professor. But, it was that professor who inspired this future author with the reading of one sentence and observation: “that’s a writer’s sentence.” His future was launched! After “burning everything I’d written” while a professor at UMass in 1986 Bret decided to teach at the College of Charleston. His first thoughts of Charleston: “wow, it’s like the Pirates of the Caribbean!”

During the lighthearted and insightful question and answer session, Bret showed his depth of character by answering his greatest reward for writing come from the simple things like a “letter from someone who likes you book.” He also related that he thought Oprah’s phone call in 1998 was a joke and he had to re-read his own book before appearing on her show.

Submitted by Bill Crowe, Keyway Committee Chair