What do your professors do after class? For DU’s assistant professor of English Laird Hunt, it’s writing novels that earn glowing reviews from book reviewers such as Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly.

A 2010 PEN USA Literary Award Finalist, Hunt was called “one of the most talented young writers on the American scene today” by renowned American author Paul Auster. Hunt has been penning books for ten years, including a collection of short stories, “The Paris Stories,” and four novels, “The Impossibly,” “The Exquisite,” “Ray of the Star” and “Indiana, Indiana.”

Released on Sept. 25, Hunt’s fifth and latest novel, “Kind One” is a story about a girl, Ginny, and her interactions with a dark period of American history in rural Kentucky, tackling heavy themes such as slavery, race, violence and more.

“‘Kind One’ is my attempt to engage with one of the most difficult parts of our nation’s history: the institution of slavery. It is largely told through the voice of someone who was both complicit in and a victim of this terrifying institution,” said Hunt. “She is both innocent and guilty in her own story.”

Hunt, who has a BA in History and French from Indiana University and an MFA in Writing and Poetics from Naropa University, has a rich personal background. Born in Singapore, he has traversed cities from London to Paris, Tokyo to New York, and currently lives in Boulder with his wife, American poet and DU’s Director of Creative Writing Eleni Sikelianos and their daughter, Eva Grace.

Kirkus, in a starred review, described Hunt’s writing in Kind One as “profoundly imaginative, strikingly original, deeply moving.”

“‘Kind One’ is perhaps most related to my second novel, Indiana, Indiana, which addresses some of my concerns about and interest in rural America. Other of my novels are set in cities, which reflects that other part of me that has lived in large urban environments,” said Hunt.

Hunt describes his writing process as somewhat volatile.

“Sometimes I write daily, sometimes only every few days,” said Hunt.

Regarding the reactions around “Kind One,” Hunt feels “extremely pleased.”

“I feel that despite the difficulties of its subject matter it can speak to a wide audience.  The review attention it has been getting would seem to support this,” said Hunt.

The Tattered Cover Bookstore downtown hosted Hunt for a reading of Kind One on Tuesday, Oct 9. Hunt travelled to Iowa and Minnesota last weekend for two other readings as well, and will be doing other readings in New York, Washington and Oregon this coming month.

Now entering his ninth year as a creative writing professor, Hunt is teaching “Literary Inquiry” this quarter and will offer “Advanced Creative Writing – Fiction” next quarter. According to him, writing and teaching are ideally two intertwined actions.

“I am constantly learning from the razor-sharp students I have the privilege of working with. With any luck they come away with valuable information too,” said Hunt.

Hunt had this advice to offer for writers-in-training: read, read and keep on reading.

“By dint of being human we all have had extraordinary (at least to us) experiences. Building those experiences effectively into language is a whole ‘nother thing. That’s where the reading comes in,” said Hunt. “See how others have done it. See until your eyes feel like they are about to fall out of your head then see some more.”

What’s next for Hunt? More books, more classes and of course, more students.

“Sounds pretty promising,” said Hunt.