Cumberland University hosted New York Times best selling author Kathleen Glasgow Monday, Sept. 27 in partnership with the university’s Creative and Professional Writing department. The department has been awarded a grant every year since 2019 from The Hays Foundation of Nashville that funds “The Art of Life” (TAL) outreach program in Wilson County high schools. It’s most recent award was for $150,000. As the grant’s inaugural award-winning applicant, the Creative and Professional Writing program is able to host a writer-in-residence each semester. 

Glasgow, author of New York Times best seller “Girl in Pieces”, has been published in 24 countries and her book, “You’d Be Home Now”, was featured in Vanity Fair in 2021. While on campus, Glasgow spent time engaging with students in two Dual Enrollment Freshman Composition courses, a Sophomore course with a special focus on Mental Health in literature and an advanced fiction writing course. 

After spending the day on campus with students, Glasgow hosted a 15 minute reading at Alumni Hall that was open to the public as well as students, faculty and staff. Immediately following her reading, Glasgow participated in a panel discussion with Assistant Professor of English Sara Hays, as well as a former CU student and graduate of the Creative and Professional Writing program and two current CU students. 

“It was an honor to have Kathleen Glasgow visit with our students and community,” said Hays. “Her moving novels explore the grittier, often-overlooked experiences that many adolescents face, such as self-harm, addiction, grief and betrayal, all in a raw but lyrical voice. I know we all benefited from her powerful insights into surviving trauma and growing up.” 

“The Art of Life” strives to provide a compassion and ethics based curriculum that embraces diversity and views time in nature as fundamental to The Art of Life. TAL aims to provide the community with the holistic benefits of the creative arts and mindful body movement.