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Honors Welcomes Writer in Residence

Nov 17, 2009

"I'm a poet with a doctorate," Honors Writer in Residence Frances McCue says. For Frances, writing is a way of learning. She sees her role as one that encourages writing beyond the traditional research paper and hopes that students will have opportunities to write poems, stories, blogs, memoirs, essays, vignettes and robust letters as well as academic papers.

Frances McCue Photo

After spending last year as a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Morocco, McCue's view of writing has deepened: "Giving people a voice matters in our democracy. Writing allows us to express ourselves, utilize language as a craft, and find out more about the world." She's back, ready to talk to students about their work. McCue also teaches a three-term sequence on "What We Know and How We Know It," "Teaching What We Know" and the final quarter culminates in student internships. All three courses use writing to explore new reading and life experience.

"I want to help the honors students use writing as a way to connect the world of research to their own lives and to their communities," McCue says. This is work she has done before, in other contexts. For ten years, she was the founding director of Richard Hugo House, a literary center here in Seattle. She has also worked in K-12 schools, community colleges and here at the university. Her book, The Stenographer's Breakfast won the Beacon New Women Poets Prize and her two forthcoming books, The Car That Brought You Here Still Runs, along with a poetry collection, will be out this spring.

To reach her, email frances@francesmccue.com or visit her website at www.francesmccue.com.

Learn more about Frances McCue »
Visit the Richard Hugo House website »