After decades of writing success, one accolade after another, and a bookshelf full of published works, John Biguenet shines in the critic reviews of his latest play, “Broomstick”.

“Broomstick”, currently traveling the country and recently named one of the Los Angeles Times Critic’s Pick, is a play about the confessions of a witch and is composed entirely of heroic couplets.

An enchanting, merciless tale that rhymes every other line, Loyola professor and chair of the English department, Biguenet, said he is most proud of his use of literary devices and manipulation of language to create the works that are so uniquely his.

With a Master of Fine Arts in poetry and seven published books, a series of plays inspired by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and a nonfiction book on the nature of silence currently in the works, playwright is far from the only hat this writer wears.

“I found that poetry was very limiting because in the end, the experience of the poet is very often the subject of the poem,” Biguenet said. “But if I turned to fiction, then I could write about other people. And in the process, I could write about the things that concern me most as a parent, as an adult, as a citizen, as a teacher.”

His father taught him from a young age that a good carpenter doesn’t just learn to make furniture; he learns to build the whole house. So when Biguenet decided writing was his talent and passion, he applied the same logic to his work, mastering just about every literary form of the written word.

“Teaching and writing have sort of gone hand-in-hand for me from the beginning,” Biguenet said. “Part of that was being a Loyola student, just a sense of responsibility toward others.”

His students see him as a mentor and say his teaching style allows for even the quietest of students to be heard.

Enrique Galvan, English senior said that as a professor, Biguenet is the best.

“I always took his advice. I’m usually a soft-spoken student, but in that class, I felt very comfortable expressing my ideas and opinions,” Galvan said.

Ryan Williams, theatre junior said that Biguenet inspires and challenges his students just as he does his audiences.

“Professor Biguenet is a skillful professor with an arsenal of knowledge and experience,” Williams said. “Not only does he push his students toward success, but he also gives them the tools and insight needed to get the job done.”

Writing since the age of ten, Biguenet has spent his life guiding other young writers to their successes and continuing his own.