Adrian Harrold Wood, Ph.D., author of the popular Tales of an Educated Debutante, visited Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019, with Virginia Boyd's creative writing students, sharing her insight and wisdom on life, writing, and the art of blogging.
Yes, Ms. Wood was a debutante and is highly educated, with a B.A. from Meredith College, a master's from UNC, a Ph.D. from N.C. State, and an impressive professional resume. She also has strong Saint Mary's connections, as her mother-in-law Janie Stronach Wood '62HS '64C and niece Kimberly Wood '17 are both Saint Mary's graduates. The students say they are inspired by the authenticity Ms. Wood shows through her writing about her family including her delightful children and husband, education, grief for a beloved brother lost too young to cancer, growing up in Rocky Mount, life now in a charming small North Carolina town (Edenton), and a variety of important community and national issues that capture her attention. Her tagline for Tales of an Educated Debutante reflects her voice, her heart and soul, and her brand – On Life, Loss, and the Joy That Rules the Day.
Her blog, which has been featured in national outlets such as The Today Show, was chosen by the students among well-known blogs that inspired them as they have created their own blogs on topics including life at boarding school, politics, science, health and wellness, phone apps, movie reviews, cooking, Chinese poetry, manners, and more. The students have used software such as wix.com to create their blog websites, and you may soon be able to follow along with some of them, as they are published. Their websites are polished, sophisticated, and professional, and their messages and voices are compelling and authentic. The girls also created posters about their favorite bloggers highlighting what makes an effective blog.
Instructor of English Virginia Boyd often brings in authors and writers to speak with her writing students as they study and put into practice the many ways – from novels to non-fiction to poetry to blogs - you can be a published writer in the 21st century. Ms. Wood was suggested by writing student Joyner Rascoe '21 who has been inspired by Tales of an Educated Debutante.
And, if you are not following Tales of an Educated Debutante on Facebook and Instagram, we highly recommended that you do! Learn more at http://www.talesofaneducateddebutante.com.
