Peppers has impressed professors with his talents, with many saying he could easily make history once entered into the Helen Zell Writers’ Program.
Demonstrating what his ENGLISH 223 instructor described as a “diverse and impressive” range of skills with the English language, Jabrill Peppers has reportedly shown versatility in numerous phases of his creative writing tutorial. Known for his talents on the football field, Peppers has also exhibited a knack for numerous forms of poetry-writing, ranging from free verse to more restrictive forms like sonnets or quatrains.
“Limericks, haikus, Horatian odes, he can really do it all,” reported instructor Mary Hersayn, noting that Peppers had shown an exceptional affinity for the Shakespearean sonnet. “Usually, students will demonstrate an aptitude for one style or another, but Jabrill, he’s really got it all.”
“Just last week he cranked out two ballads in a fifteen minute free-writing period at the end of class. You simply can’t teach that kind of talent.”
Hersayn noted she had had high expectations for Peppers after hearing about his writing abilities from his previous instructors, but hadn’t realized the extent of his capabilities until he came to class.
“[Peppers] showed a strong command of the material right out the gate and has continued to improve, so I’m not really sure what’s left for him to accomplish,” said Hersayn. “The sky’s really the limit with regards to his literary scope and his future as a writer.”
Peppers, who had been touted by department heads early on, had some concerns that his talents wouldn’t live up to the hype. So far, however, Peppers has been consistently strong in his command of the written word.
“I think people knew about my abilities with regards to elegies and tercets, but I want to show people I’m more than just champion of traditional English verse,” said Peppers, who noted he has been trying to experiment more with meter. “I’ve been working on an epic in the same vein as Eliot’s ‘The Waste Land’ that I’m hoping will get some attention in class.”
At press time, rumors had begun to swirl in the English department that Peppers’ writing abilities could have him in the running for a prestigious Hopwood Award, given out at the end of the semester to the best student compositions.
