Storm King School Creative Writing students recently traveled to Brooklyn, New York, for a day of writing, discussion, and exploration at Pratt Institute, one of the nation’s top art and design colleges known for its creative campus and community.
Students and English department faculty Sophia Grausso and Dr. Alexandra Finn-Atkins traveled by train and subway to Pratt’s campus, where they participated in a personalized writing workshop led by Hannah Assadi, a National Book Award finalist. Through a series of narrative exercises, Ms. Assadi encouraged students to explore the concept of home from different perspectives, offering new ways to approach personal experience and storytelling.
Students also attended a panel discussion featuring professionals whose careers combine creativity with other fields, including a poet and librarian, a comedian and administrator, and a writing professor and social worker. Each shared insights into the role of creativity and personal values in their professional and personal lives.
After lunch at a local restaurant, where a memorable menu item included spicy breaded macaroni and cheese, students toured the campus with three undergraduate guides. Stops included the university’s traditional library and a taxidermy room featuring insects, animals, and other specimens. The tour offered a closer look at Pratt’s distinctive campus environment and the wide range of majors available to students interested in the arts and design.
Specimens ranging from owls to insects fill the shelves of Pratt’s taxidermy room.
Students explore the traditional stacks of Pratt’s library.
The visit made a strong impression, sparking conversations about college and future possibilities. At one point, a student summed up the group’s enthusiasm with an emphatic, “I can’t wait to go to college!”
Students gather in Pratt’s taxidermy room during a campus tour led by undergraduate guides.
From the writing workshop and panel discussion to the campus tour, students experienced firsthand the many ways creativity can shape college studies and future careers. The day offered fresh perspectives on their own writing and a glimpse of the possibilities that lie ahead.
