50 Columns Later.

CRITICAL & persuasive writing; HIGHER education; NARRATIVES; SELF-confidence; COLLEGE teachers as authors; ANONYMS & pseudonyms; BENTON, Thomas Hart, 1889-1975

The article presents the author's explanation for his pen name, which he chose after seeing a 1988 Ken Burns documentary on Thomas Hart Benton. The author recalls that he admired Benton's "feisty" style as he spoke out for Regionalism, a realistic painting style, in a time when abstract expressionism was popular and eastern U.S. cities were influenced by Europhiles. He thought that emulating Benton's style would give him confidence. The author also explains that he writes under a pseudonym because, as he found out while writing under his real name as a graduate student, popular writing and especially first person critical writing can be harmful to an academic career. He also notes that his real name is not important, as people read the column for the content, not due to the author.