When Dr. Richard Pierce arrived at Waynesburg he knew immediately it was a great fit.

“I knew Waynesburg was different. It has a lot different of an atmosphere than the university I was formerly at,” said Pierce.

Dr. Pierce has been a valued member of the Department of English since he took a job at Waynesburg. Not only is Pierce a professor at Waynesburg University, he is also a creative mind who enjoys writing. A favorite topic of Pierce’s writing is his focus on Christianity and the historical background of it. He recently wrote a poem called ‘First Century Fishing’ that ponders the fishers of men speech that Jesus gave to his disciples. It not only focuses on the details of the scripture but also asks the question “What was it like to fish back then?” This poem was presented in a conference at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Texas.

The biggest challenge for Dr. Pierce is finding the time to write.

“Teaching takes up a lot of time,” said Pierce. “I think that is something all scholars have to address. It is easier to focus on my writing over break particularly in the summer. When I first started here, I was working on my dissertation and I didn’t have a lot of stuff to write about for a while.”

While it may difficult during the school year to find time to write, Pierce makes it work for the impact he can have.

“It’s good to show students we are active; it’s important to show that we are scholars and writers and that we contribute to a large community of other writers,” said Pierce.

Pierce has an Orthodox background which is a big help to his creative writing about Christianity. It wasn’t always that way. In fact, it wasn’t until Pierce came to Waynesburg and met John Thompson, who welcomed him into the Orthodox family.

He had an influence on Pierce by simply inviting him to attend church.
“I had no idea whether he would like it or not,” said Thompson. “He had begun to investigate Orthodoxy and he found a home in it. He was like a duck to water.”

Pierce attributes Thompson as being a big influence for his work. On the contrary, Thompson believes the biggest growth for Pierce happened when he became an Orthodox Christian.

“Orthodoxy gave him an internal grounding and a depth of insight. He also is very observant as a poet. He reflects on details of life and personal experience very well,” said Thompson.

While many students have Dr. Pierce for class, it may not be well known that, he too, is a creative mind and faces the challenges that students have when it comes to writing. It is in these challenges that he finds inspiration and enjoyment.