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Olivia Archibald came to Saint Martin’s in the fall of 2000. She earned her Ph.D. in Old English and the personal essay (creative nonfiction) at the University of Iowa, a graduate program which, according to Gloria Martin, Ph.D., American literature professor, is the top-rated program in creative writing in the country. Several of Archibald’s personal essays have been published and many have been read in cities throughout the country. It is through writing that Archibald works to help her students learn to acknowledge, accept, understand and grow from their own life experiences. She demands much of their thinking and of their writing. “Writing is one of the most important skills a good citizen of our democracy has. It is the key to good thinking,” said Archibald. “Something about the act of writing, the taking of a thought from our brain, putting it into words, and then onto paper for others to read, helps us become clear, critical, and able to synthesize and organize concepts into a new and better understanding.” She actively works to improve her students’ learning environment. “I try to find ways to put me in the background and to bring the students’ voices to the foreground. It’s not my class, but my students’ class. Research shows that long-term retention is much higher — sixty to seventy percent — when learning occurs in an active and engaged environment.” “She has been a good influence,” said student Kathryn Dalton, “especially on my writing. I’ve become a much better writer because she has taught me how to really listen to my own inner voice and to write according to that.” “She is a Saint,’ said Martin. “The driving force behind our hiring a writing specialist in the Writing Center. She saw that with just a bit more help, our sometimes struggling students could be very successful. Hiring the writing specialist turned out to be an excellent idea.” Archibald insists on living a private life also. Her energy, she says, flows from stillness and silence. A mother of three as well as a grandmother of three, she has little time for television. She is an avid reader and daily makes time for journal writing, meditating and several other centering activities. “This morning I tried to draw a face with my left hand.” She enjoys any activity that has to do with seawater and is often found backpacking the local mountains. Her favorite pastime, though, is Michael. “I love spending time with Michael, my husband.” And some day this small, sun-bronzed woman would like to, maybe, knuckle down and become — yes — a country and western singer — one with big hair.
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