Ronan Healy

Award-winning novelist Jenny Offill visits the 10th grade English class of Rob Traviesso – her own former student.

Rob Travieso’s D-block English class on October 10th began with several chaotic sights.

Sophomores pouring juice and grabbing bagels out of a large Panera box. Maintenance workers digging into the ceiling to fix light fixtures. And Mr. Travieso’s former grad school professor, visiting author Jenny Offill, watching over the whole scene.

Offill’s visit to Friends began with a Collection presentation to the Upper School, primarily focused on her 2020 novel, Weather. During Collection, Offill talked about climate despair, and took questions about her writing process.

But the real nuggets of Offill’s style and personality showed up during her reunion with former student Travieso during that D-block class.

The conversation started with a smattering of talk about the class’s current read. But discussions quickly frayed off into more familiar territory for Offill: teaching her former student (whom she often accidentally called Rob in front of his students), and how she writes.

Enthusiastic students volunteered story ideas and anecdotes.

“This is like a teaching nightmare,” joked Offill in response. In addition to her writing, she teaches (presumably quiet) college students at Bard College.

Students weren’t the only ones sharing stories, though. Offill told several about accidentally cursing her writing by speaking about it to others, about spies, and about why she ultimately wouldn’t kill Julius Caesar.

As Offill leaned in, Trav pulled the class back, the three generations of teacher-student dynamics on full display to anyone passing by.