Meet Brett Iarrobino

Brett holds a BA in English and Theatre Arts from Clark University, an MA in Teaching from Clark’s Hiatt Center for Urban Teaching and School Practice, and an initial license for teaching secondary English and Drama with a Sheltered English Immersion endorsement. They are currently a member of University Park Campus School’s English Department, teaching courses on introductory English, creative writing, film-as-text, and dramatic literature. This marks Brett’s third year on the Student Leadership Committee, previously serving as Student Representative for the Eastern Region; they’re proud to continue to support the service and scholarship of English students through the Society!

1. I chose to become an English Major because of the wide array of fields you can pursue.
2. My favorite part of being an English Major is the wide array of fields you can pursue – once I graduated with my English degree, I felt ready to jump in almost too many different career paths!
3. The last book I read was I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy.
4. My favorite book is On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong.
5. A book character I identify with is Basil Hallward, from Oscar Wilde‘s The Picture of Dorian Gray.
6. The last book I bought was In the Blood by Suzan-Lori Parks, but I have not yet read it.
7. My favorite book to movie adaptation is the 2008 film Doubt, directed by John Patrick Shanley and adapted from his 2004 stage play Doubt: A Parable.
8. I’m both a reader and a writer.
9. My favorite style of writing is dramatic literature (playwriting, screenplays, etc.) – they make for such a dynamic read!
10. My go-to children’s book is The Beautiful Butterfly: A Folktale from Spain, by Judy Sierra.
11. My favorite childhood memory is Berry-picking (and, to the chagrin of my parents, berry-eating) at Wards Berry Farm in Sharon, MA, a trip that typically mandated a (re)reading of Robert McCloskey‘s Blueberries for Sal!
12. Growing up, I was sure I would be an actor or writer.

    

13. My first job was bussing tables at a local restaurant.
14. My dream job is teaching and writing; anytime, anywhere, anyhow!
15. I like to spend my free time getting through my eternally overgrown lists of “To Be Read” or “To Be Watched.”
16. The destination at the top of my travel bucket list is New Zealand.
17. The literary place I’d most like to visit is the Eugene O’Neill National Historic Site.

If I could move anywhere in the world, I’d live in Oxford, England.

If I was stranded on a desert island, the three things I would bring with me are an aircraft, jet fuel, and a pilot!

The one song I could listen to on repeat is “Perfect Places” by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde.

The best gift I ever received was great seats to Adele, live in concert, back in 2016.

The best gift I’ve ever given is a bottle of wine for Nic Stone, author of Sigma Tau Delta’s 2022 Common Reader, on behalf of all the 2021-22 Student Leaders!

If you find me in the kitchen, I’m typically whipping up something quick and easy (I’m a teacher, not a chef).

If I could try any food from a book or series, it would be the “Eat Me!” growth cookies from Lewis Carroll‘s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. (And, I suppose, the “Drink Me!” bottle required to shrink one back to proper size!).

The author (dead or alive) I’d most like to spend a day with is James Baldwin.