Although graduates of a humanities program may appear to have fewer lucrative career options than those in more traditionally "employable" majors, the skills they have acquired will be indispensable, said panelists at the April 27 "Careers in English: A Panel Discussion."

The Cornell English Club hosted four professionals who pursued literary careers to discuss the adaptability of humanities-related practices, such as analysis and communication.

"You're always going to be able to write, and to write well," said J. Robert Lennon, a novelist and associate professor of creative writing. "Once people figure that out, they'll be coming to you with all sorts of work."

Lennon and poet John Murillo, a visiting assistant professor of creative writing, also discussed the freedom and fear that the inherent instability of a career in literature can generate.

"What I like about the English major is that it opens up to so many possibilities," said Lennon. "Your parents might not like that you're smoking cigarettes and playing in a band with your Cornell degree, but ... if you're happy, if you're writing, why not?"

Murillo, who did not start writing poetry until a "bad breakup" in his early 30s, warned against turning to academia as a result of such a fear.

"I loved being in a [master's of fine arts] program, because it was a chance to really throw myself into my craft ... but if you're just doing it because you think it's a guarantee of success, you're not doing it for the right reasons," Murillo said. "You're not going to be happy with it."

By contrast, two other panelists tailored their careers to fit their primary interest: books.

Gary Weissbrott, the former owner of Ithaca's Buffalo Street Books and now the general manager of Buffalo Street Co-Op, said that he enjoys how the bookstore attracts a community that was invested in reading. Yet he lamented the rise of e-book readers because, he argued, "Nothing can replace the atmosphere of a good bookstore."

When Katherine Reagan, the Ernest L. Stern '56 Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts at Kroch Library, sheepishly produced a first-edition Kindle from her bag, she said, "It's the library's,"and then explained that Kroch has been collecting the readers as cultural artifacts. Unlike the other panelists, who got their professional starts by pursuing literature as an art, she had been interested as a student in the tools of shared experiences.

To demonstrate, she pulled out more props: an original copy of Charles Dickens' "Nicholas Nickleby," juxtaposed with a 1981 cassette tape of an early hip-hop rap battle. Both items, she said, allow those of the present to get a better understanding of those in the past.

When asked about the futures of careers in literary professions, all four panelists seemed optimistic, to a degree.

"I think this is a very exciting time for young people," said Murillo. "Even as the popularity of physical books has gone down, the talent available on the scene has really exploded."

He and the other panelists referenced the utility of the Internet as a community for those passionate about the humanities and advised the audience to revel in the change rather than fearing it.

"You never know when something's going to be relevant," Reagan pointed out.

"Yeah, Snooki [from MTV's "Jersey Shore"] might turn out to be the next Dickens," Lennon chimed in. Then he added, "though if she gets a chair named after her in the English department, we might have problems."

Kathleen Jercich '11 is a writer intern for the Cornell Chronicle.