Creative Writing Alumni
Duncan Culbreth
Assistant Principal, Capstone Scholars Program, University of South Carolina, Class 2013
“I chose a career in higher education, informed…by my love for the community that I found through pursuing Honors in Creative Writing…I learned how to hone my craft—and that such a thing existed—with eight fine poets and an incredible teacher, and it set my momentum for the rest of my working and writing career.”
Sarah Dessen
New York Times Bestselling Author, Class 1993
“As an English major at Carolina…I learned to really understand the layers of meaning in the works I studied. In doing so, I also gained a greater understanding of what it was that made those words speak to me.”
Jonathan McClure
MFA and Poet, Class 2012
“I can’t speak highly enough about the English major at UNC. When I started college I had no intention of majoring in English, but I fell in love with the major after taking a course on Renaissance literature, with a special focus on poetry…I can’t imagine a major that would provide better preparation for life after graduation.”
Mary Pope Osborne
Author of children’s books, including the Magic Tree Series, Class 1971
“Long ago, in a poetry class in the English department at UNC, I gained the confidence to put thoughts and images on a page and share them with others. In that class, I began my love affair with the English language, with the magic and mystery of words. Since then, I’ve published over a hundred children’s books.”
Scott Reintgen
Author of Nyxia, Class 2010
My time in UNC’s writing program built a necessary and irreplaceable foundation, all learned from proven masters of the craft. Nyxia is just the first novel in a long career for me, and it’s not hard to trace my path back to Greenlaw Hall.”
Melanie Rio
Author of If We Were Villains, Class of 2014
“My time at UNC was invaluable to my growth as a student and an artist…As a PhD student at the University of Maryland and a novelist published by Flatiron Books, I’m so grateful for the literary foundation UNC has given me and the many friends I made in my time there.”