On February 29th, students gathered to attend an interview with Pulitzer Prize winning author Kathryn Schulz. Schulz is most well known for her works for the New Yorker, and students across all grade levels were enthralled by both her writing and persona.

English teacher Marc Lebendig, who organized the interview, greatly admires the writer, and often uses her pieces in class settings for samples and activities. 

“Occasionally, when I’m in contact with writers whose writing or experiences might help students become better writers and communicators, I just hit them up,” Lebendig said. “We all believe in the value of education, and there are plenty of people in intellectual fields who are often willing to provide their experiences and wisdom to help high school students. So, after an event for her most recent book that I attended at my local bookstore, I asked if this was something she’d be willing to do. She said ‘email me’, and quite a bit later, she said yes.”

Schulz is primarily known for the variety of topics within her writing. From science writing in her Pulitzer Prize winning article “The Really Big One” to travel writing and cultural commentary, she finds worthwhile and thought-provoking discussions in various aspects of her life. This is one of her many perspectives on writing which she shared in the interview. The meeting aimed to give students new perspectives and allow them to further develop skills necessary to succeed academically, particularly throughout AP Language classes.

“Obviously as a Pulitzer prize winner, Kathryn Schulz is a pretty good get,” Lebendig said. “Honestly, I just think she had something to say that would be of value to our students, and she was willing to do it. As for me, I think she’s just a wonderfully enjoyable writer who does a number of things really well and I enjoy her writing a lot.” 

The variety in Schulz’ writing allows readers, especially those in high school, to find some benefit in reading her pieces. Listening to her discuss her thought process as she writes inspired the attendees as well. Students found that attending the interview improved them as writers. 

“Seeing someone as accomplished as her be earnest and talk about obstacles that many of us face when writing and then how she overcame them was very valuable and eye-opening,” Wesley Kang (’25) said. “Listening to her has nudged me to be more aware of my surroundings, because anything can be a topic worth diving into.”