LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A $1 million gift from a Spalding Univesity alumna will see the university's graduate school of writing renamed in honor of its two founders, Sena Jeter Naslund and Karen Mann.
Spalding announced Wednesday, Master of Fine Arts (MFA) fiction graduate Cindy Brady (Class of 2013) made the gift to the school, making it one of the largest from an individual in Spalding's history.
Naslund and Mann founded Kentucky's first MFA in Writing program twenty years ago. Current School of Writing Chair Kathleen Driskell said in a statement to Spectrum News 1, “We are wowed by Cindy Brady’s gift, which recognizes the importance of our creative community. We’re especially delighted Cindy Brady’s gift honors the innovative vision of our founders and will allow us to continue providing expert instruction, support, and flexibility to our graduate creative writing students.”
Brady now lives in Charleston, South Carolina but is active with the FA program and has traveled abroad with the program as an alumna.
"The celebration of Spalding University’s Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing begins with the cooperation and imaginations of two women,” Brady said in the statement. “We honor the vision and life’s work of these women and make enduring the partnership between Spalding University and the Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing.”
The gift honors Naslund, the author of Ahab's Wife and other novels. Naslund was the MFA director until she retired in 2017. When told of the honor she said, "After our first residency, when everyone but Karen (Mann) and I had left campus, I turned to her and said, ‘It was all even better than I’d dared to imagine.’ While I’ve retired now, my best wishes go out to all those who continue to teach, to learn, and to practice the art of writing.”
The other honoree, Mann has written two novels, including Woman of La Mancha, and serves in her original role as administrative director.
“I am humbled to be honored in this way for only doing what I have loved for this past 20 years,” she said. “My heart is filled with gratitude to Cindy Brady for her generosity, to Sena for her trust in me to share her dream, and to the nearly 1,000 students, faculty, and alumni who have enriched my life through their passion for writing.”
Notable graduates of the MFA program include Spalding President Tori Murden McClure (MFA ’05), whose creative thesis was her then-unpublished memoir, A Pearl in the Storm. McClure's book was published in 2009. Other notable Spalding alumni include current Kentucky Poet Laureate Crystal Wilkinson, former Kentucky Poet Laureate Frank X. Walker, author Silas House and Salon.com Editor in Chief Erin Keane.
The school of writing, established in 2017 includes the flagship MFA, a terminal degree, as well as a one-semester Graduate Certificate in Writing and a Master of Arts in Writing (MAW).
Students in any of the three programs may study fiction; poetry; creative nonfiction; writing for children and young adults; or writing for TV, screen, and stage. MAW and certificate students may also study professional writing and editing.