Blinn professor recognized for her positive impact on readers

Audrey Wick selected for teacher scholarship to attend Key West Literary Seminar

November 17, 2017

Blinn College-Schulenburg English Professor Audrey Wick recently was awarded a teacher scholarship to attend the Key West Literary Seminar (KWLS) in recognition of her positive impact upon readers.

“It is very humbling and exciting because the authors who will be at the conference are big names in my field,” Wick said.

“I want to empower my students by bringing literature and writing to life for them, and I am honored by the opportunity to be a part of the Key West Literary Seminar.”

Each January, the KWLS welcomes readers and writers to the island for a four-day event where participants expand their professional network and bring new ideas to the institutions and communities they serve. The scholarship program reduces fees for teachers and librarians, and recognizes the work of outstanding emerging writers.

Authors attending the event include Marlon James, Edwidge Danticat, Jamaica Kincaid, and Madison Smartt Bell.

“I am teaching my students about some of the authors who will be in attendance, so to see them face-to-face or have a conversation with them will enrich what I do in the classroom,” Wick said.

Wick will have the opportunity to tour the Key West Public Library and its archives, and to visit local historical sites to animate the mission of the KWLS.

Wick is in her 15th year as a full-time professor of English at Blinn-Schulenburg. In addition to teaching, her writing has appeared in college textbooks published by Cengage Learning and W.W. Norton, newspapers such as The Chicago Tribune and The Orlando Sentinel, and various literary journals. She has also had work featured in The Daily Yonder and Parent.com.

Wick earned her Associate of Arts in English from Blinn College. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degrees in speech communications and English, and her Master of Arts degree in English from Sam Houston State University.