Furious Flower Welcomes New Carmen R. Gillespie Fellow

Furious Flower Poetry Center is thrilled to welcome Lily Craig as our second Carmen R. Gillespie Fellow. Craig is a senior English major with minors in Secondary Education and African, African American, and Diaspora (AAAD) Studies. After she graduates in December, Craig will be returning to James Madison University as a Masters of Arts in Teaching candidate in the School of Secondary Education.

The Carmen R. Gillespie Fellowship, named in honor of the late scholar, poet, and professor, Dr. Carmen R. Gillespie—a "double Duke" who was active on campus during both her graduate and undergraduate careers and studied with Furious Flower founder, Dr. Joanne Gabbin—seeks to nurture the interest of an undergraduate student in Black literature and culture through mentorship and experience in literary arts administration with Furious Flower. During her time with us, Craig will work closely with the Furious Flower team to assist with events, serve as liaison between the Center and campus, and work to develop and execute a project related to Black poetry.

During the recent visit of students from the University of Liberia, Craig along with Furious Flower graduate assistant, Jessica Carter, were instrumental in the event's success. They engaged with visiting students about cultural differences and similarities, their studies and research, and their experience in the United States this summer. Craig plans to write about the experience in her first post on The Seed: The Carmen R. Gillespie Fellow Blogspot.

Furious Flower is excited to see the work Lily Craig produces during her time as our Carmen R. Gillespie Fellow. Keep an eye on our social media and her blog to keep up with all the work she does with the Center this semester.

If you would like to help fund the Carmen R. Gillespie Fellowship and allow future students like Lily Craig to have this opportunity, please click here to make a donation.