By the book: FIU’s creative writing program is a force to reckon with

FIU alumni are authors of acclaimed books and poetry collections. Above are just four outstanding Panther grads. Left to right, clockwise: Dennis Lehane; Ana Menendez; Richard Blanco; and Ashley M. Jones To celebrate Florida’s Literacy Week, we share the success of FIU authors and poets changing the world with their words and feeding our love of good storytelling. If you’ve ever read a book or poem that changed your life – or provided just a little bit of wisdom – you know the impact of great authors. This week public schools across the state are participating in the annual “Celebrate Literacy Week, Florida!” to promote the importance of literacy and inspire students to read from an early age. As we grow up, literature remains a crucial source of inspiration. Through their works, writers can make a long-lasting impact on the world, says Les Standiford, director and founder of FIU’s creative writing program and a New York Times bestselling author. Standiford himself is proof. Last year, when Brightline debuted its high-speed train connecting Miami to Orlando, the company’s founder Wes Edens stood on stage at the launch celebration and shared that this major undertaking – more than 10 years in the making – was inspired by a book . It was after reading Standiford’s “Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean,” that Edens’ ideas for Brightline were born. “It’s pretty thrilling that a savvy businessman was motivated to undertake this clean, mass transit project because he was inspired by a book,” Standiford says. “Books do make important things happen. We’re not just amusing ourselves and others to death. We write things that make an impact on the world. It would be a sorry, sorry place if we didn’t have books.” For over three decades, FIU has been doing its part to make sure Panther writers continue producing high-quality works that breathe literary life into society. The graduate creative writing program, housed within the College of Arts, Sciences & Education, has trained generations of authors and poets who have […]

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