Q&A: Meet Professor Paul Graham
Meet Your English Mentor
Craig Professor of English Paul Graham '99, better known by students as “PG,” blends his passion for storytelling, teaching, and mentorship into every class he teaches. From guiding first-year students in their academic and personal growth to helping aspiring writers find their voices, his work highlights the power of narrative to connect people and spark change.
What’s your favorite class to teach, and why?
I love teaching First-Year Seminar. My course explores how storytelling helps us understand issues like climate change by pairing science with memoirs and essays. It’s exciting to show students how scientists need storytellers to convey the human side of their research. Another favorite is Introduction to Fiction, where we explore novels, graphic novels, and books by two authors who were a part of St. Lawrence’s Visiting Writers Series. One of them came to class to talk about his novel with my students!
What makes your teaching style unique?
I prioritize flexibility and reciprocity. My students have the chance to choose readings or shape parts of the syllabus, which creates a collaborative learning environment. I also dedicate Fridays in my 100- and 200-level classes to “writing and reading days,” where students work on drafts or dive deeper into the texts while I provide one-on-one support. We can each listen to our own music, move around the room and building, and work at our own pace. This seems to create a collaborative environment where we're all excited to pursue our own interests.
What do you value most about your students?
Their unique perspectives. My students provide me with a perspective into stories and storytelling that I cannot possibly access, since my own position is so different. There are "rules" about how to tell a good story, supposedly. But those "rules" are constructs—of culture, history, and of the college writing workshop itself—and my students reveal this to me every day. The same goes for the stories, novels, and essays we're reading. I come into class thinking one thing, and I find my perspective quickly enriched.
What’s an innovative course you've developed?
I teach an FYS on the harms of industrial agriculture, but it feels wrong to teach about problems with the American food system without offering solutions. Obviously, that means teaching students how to cook. I incorporate hands-on cooking using locally sourced food whenever I can, like taking FYS students to a commercial kitchen to cook brunch.
What surprises students most about you?
Probably that my wife and I live completely off the grid, growing much of our own food. I’m also a rhythm guitarist in a group that plays Appalachian old-time fiddle music, and I’m the faculty mentor for the men’s cross-country team. Conversations during sunrise runs with the team often cover everything from Chaucer to marathon racing. It’s a truly unique way to connect with students.
