Humanities Circle Mentors

Our mentors are renowned writers and distinguished scholars. They are passionate about guiding young people to enjoy the beauty of the language and grow into highly competent oral and written communicators.

Dr. Kemick

Ph.D. in Creative Writing
Award-winning poet, journalist, and fiction writer

Dr. Kemick is an award-winning poet, journalist, and fiction writer. His new nonfiction book, I Am Herod, takes readers backstage and undercover at one of the world’s largest religious events. He is also the author of Caribou Run, a collection of poetry.

Dr. Kemick has published widely in all three genres, and his work has been included in anthologies in North America and Europe. He is the recipient of multiple awards including two National Magazine Awards.

Testimonials

"I've taken quite a few supplemental writing and reading classes in the past with different organizations, but the Great Books Seminar with Dr. Kemick at Polaris has by far been my favorite. The classes are structured in a way that allows for engaging discussions that explore the stylistic and thematic elements of English literature much deeper than in a typical high school English course. During class, Dr. Kemick will prompt students with tough, open-ended questions about significant excerpts of a written piece, ones that force them to analyze the passages in relation to the story as a whole, or even in a broader context. Additionally, classes are streamline and productive, but are also personalized as per student requests. For example, although the Great Books Seminar is heavily reading-focused, Dr. Kemick was willing to add in writing assignments and provide me with helpful feedback regarding my written analyses.

Since taking this course, I have seen clear improvement in my ability to comprehend and analyze texts for school, be it fiction or nonfiction. Great Books Seminar has also been one of the first English classes that has left me wanting to read more classic novels rather than turning away from them, which is an unexpected but pleasant surprise.

Last but certainly not least, this course is genuinely a lot of fun. Dr. Kemick always finds a way to incorporate entertaining activities into each session. Having the opportunity to get to know him better, I can attest that the hour of class time always goes by too fast.

I would wholeheartedly recommend Great Books Seminar to anyone looking to improve their reading, analyzing, and writing skills while expanding their knowledge of English literature. Plus, there is never a dull moment, I promise!"

"I enjoyed the much more in-depth and challenging discussion about the subjects. It was unbelievably helpful and really opened my eyes to what I could write. As for the instructor, I have never had an instructor or English teacher as compassionate, patient, knowledgeable, and articulate as Dr. Kemick. He has definitely played a big role in my writing journey, and has brought forth so many new ideas and thought processes to the table."

"I really liked how flexible it was and how the instructor would adjust the syllabus based on our personal needs and always asked for our opinions on homework assignments and reading material. The instructor’s greatest strengths were the questions he asked us during class to lead us into further understanding and interpreting a certain story or article, since it really forced us to think deeper and process what we were reading, and it also taught us that in the future, we can ask those questions to ourselves to help digest a piece of writing. I also particularly liked how he would give us very straight-to-the-point feedback, both good and bad, to help us realize our shortcomings and help us improve for next time."

"I really enjoyed the deep and thoughtful conversations that we had on the different books. This class really was an eye opener into the world of classical literature and I liked the variety of books that we were able to read and discuss. Dr. Kemick is phenomenal at encouraging conversation and deep thinking."