Legacy Corner—Melissa Pitts

“He would give assignments and you would have to come in prepared to share it with the class,” states Melissa. “We met in the Patterson Office Tower in a room that had a very long table and we would have class there with everyone sitting around the table prepared to listen to what had been created that week. He would have determined the order of reading. It was all about the ear and hearing what was being said. He would start every class with his eyes shut and then begin to recite a poem or some prose and speak from memory. After he finished, he would point to the next person. Jim demanded that we be vulnerable.”

It wasn’t all just about the intensity of the writing and sharing. Melissa says there were also fun nights at a local University of Kentucky favorite then, High on Rose, where students and faculty would hang and discuss their art. They’d meet, shoot the literary jibber and drink a few brews!

“Jim’s encouragement really did help me both professionally and personally. In class, he would stop someone reading and say, ‘Do you hear that? Do you hear how different it sounds?’ He was all about sensory and not just mechanical writing. He was so devoted to his writing and art and led by example in how he lived his art and how he taught. He was kind enough to take people under his wing.”

Melissa has taught Creative Writing for nearly 10 years and continues the legacy of Jim with her students “to write soul-changing stories to go deep to your core.” She is also in her third revision of a novel about three generations of an Appalachian family. Keep an eye out for her in the future!