Class of 2015, BFA in Creative Writing

What was your favorite part of studying Creative Writing at UE?

The people. My classmates and professors were beyond talented, and it felt like a little family. Everyone supported one another and genuinely wanted you to succeed. I never felt like I couldn't go talk to a professor about something. It felt like there was an actual open door policy.

What did you experience in UE's CRW department that feels special/unique to our program?

There were so many opportunities. You could read for and help run The Evansville Review or Measure. You could work for The Crescent or Yearbook. There were guest authors coming in to talk craft. You could attend AWP, pick up an internship, or go to panels on how to make it in the publishing world. There were so many ways you could get involved and get better.

What was your favorite Creative Writing class and why?

This is the toughest question, because how do you begin to compare? I've narrowed it down to a top three: Dr. Nik's CNF class, Rob Griffith's Humor Writing class, and Paul Bone's Senior Seminar. CNF showed me that even if you think your story isn't interesting, writing it in a way that is attention-grabbing and confident is what makes it worth being told. And although it's important to get the words down on the page, the real writing comes during revision. Humor Writing was just flat out fun. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to be around. And Senior Seminar was Novella Writing so we wrote a 50,000 word piece that semester. After that, I felt like I could do anything.

What are you up to now?

I work at the Nashville Public Library as a Children and Teen Associate, which means I schedule and lead programs. I love my job. I plan story times, I lead everything from cooking demonstrations to crafts, and I try to keep children and teens engaged in general. I love encouraging people to read and I plan on going back to school to get my MLS so I can become a full librarian.

In my free time, I try to write as much as I can. I just started blogging for the library's website, and I'm currently working on submission pieces.

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