Creative Writing Students Win Coveted Fellowship

Kristen Brennan and Sara Daniels, two students in the Central Michigan University Master of Arts in Creative Writing program, won Creative Fellowships from Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, an environmental education center located ten miles south of Hastings, MI. This is the first time since offering the Creative Fellowships that Pierce Cedar Creek Institute awarded them to two students from the same university.

Pierce Cedar Creek Institute’s competitive Creative Fellowship program offers students an opportunity to spend five weeks at the institute, immersed in Michigan’s breathtaking natural environment. Fellows are given opportunities to work with mentors and be inspired by the beauty around them.

Throughout late July and early August this year, Creative Fellows went on nature expeditions and midnight hikes, used star maps to find constellations, discussed the importance of environmental regulation, and worked one-on-one with other fellows to further their creative growth.

During the workshop, each of the ten student fellows were divided into pairs—one visual artist working with one writer—to create a booklet containing both visual art and poetry.

“Over the course of the Fellowship, I had the chance to hone my abilities as a writer, collaborate with other creatively minded people, and learn about the world through new perspectives,” Kristen Brennan said. “This is an experience that I will never forget.”

“I am so grateful to walk away not only with a portfolio of poems I am proud of, but also a deepened sense of connection to Michigan’s landscapes and a community I now consider myself part of,” said Sara Daniels, who graduated and is now pursuing her Master of Fine Arts at Northern Michigan University.

For more information, visit the institute’s Grant and Fellowship Programs website.