By Melissa Aguilar |
Writing is not easy. Anyone who has taken an English class can attest to this, and both literature students and engineering majors alike can agree that writing is downright difficult.
English professor Fr. Patrick Hannon believes that despite this inherent difficulty, venturing into the dark, unknown places of one’s writing keeps the adventure interesting.
Just last month, Fr. Hannon’s latest collection of essays, “Sacrament: Personal Encounters with Memories, Wounds, Dreams, and Unruly Hearts,” was published.
“He encourages people through his own writing,” English professor John McDonald said. “He encourages his students to take chances and do things that are unusual and unorthodox. I really appreciate that about his approach.”
Hannon has published four other essay collections, as well as several features in various magazines. Yet only in the past several years has delved deeper in his thoughts.
“This is my effort to go to some really surprising places,” he said. “[And] be willing to take risks--to put that on paper in a way that [even] I’m surprised at how it ends.”
Hannon completed his master’s degree in creative writing at Portland State University last year, but his love for the written word extends back to elementary school, where he learned to diagram sentences. His teachers not only helped him write well technically, but also gave him what he called “the permission to imagine.”
Hannon did his undergraduate work at the University of Portland, where he continued gaining confidence as a writer. He still has a column he wrote for The Beacon in his office about a spring break trip he went on with Campus Ministry.
Hannon, who recently celebrated his 25th anniversary as a priest with the Congregation of the Holy Cross, said his inner life of faith is completely intertwined with his writing.
“There’s this tendency to say, ‘I’m a writer here, I’m a person of faith here, I’m a priest here.’ At this point my faith is a lens,” Hannon said. “Through the sacramental lens, I believe that I can have these encounters with God - mysterious ones, amazing ones, surprising ones. But God, I believe, wants to be seen and heard, smelled, tasted, touched in any way.”
Hannon said he still strives to be the kind of person that, “When I wake up in the morning and put my feet on the ground, I want to be able to hear the devil say, ‘Oh crap he’s up!’”
He tells his students to approach writing as another form of thinking, and not to be afraid to always push deeper and experiment--whether that be with interesting subject matter or playing with form.
Junior English major Ana Fonseca said creative writing can be hard for students used to writing in academic settings, but Hannon provides support for students to make the transition.
“He is really good at helping you build on your strengths,” Fonseca said. “He’s really good at pointing out what you did right.”
Hannon believes those serious about pursuing writing should continually practice their craft, just as any athlete would practice their sport.
“Write a ton, and don’t get discouraged,” Hannon said. “Because every now and then you’re going to write something that will startle you and amaze you and then you’ll realize it was all worth it.”
Melissa Aguilar is a reporter for The Beacon. You can reach her at aguilarm16@up.edu.
