UCF Honors Faculty Authors for their Creativity and Scholarship

In addition to teaching and conducting research, many faculty members write and publish books. They spend days, weeks, or sometimes years building stories, sharing knowledge through textbooks, or creating worlds through poetry and other creative works.

UCF honored 39 such faculty members during UCF’s second Authors Celebration on Feb. 5 at the Live Oak Ballroom. The Office of Research, College of Graduate Studies and Faculty Excellence co-sponsor the affair every two years. Interim Provost Michael Johnson also attended to cheer faculty on.

“As a kid, I used to jump on my bicycle and pedal to the library as fast as I could just so I could borrow books,” says Elizabeth Klonoff, vice president for Research and dean of the College of Graduate Studies. “Books are incredible. They open up whole new worlds. It is no easy thing to publish a book. That’s why what you do is so cool and we wanted to recognize you.”

The celebration included a reading by one of this year’s honorees, Professor of writing and rhetoric Martha Catherine Brenckle. During her talk she spoke about the steps necessary to writing poetry and read excerpts from her book Hard Letters and Folded Wings.

She shared many of her poems, some that rhymed and some that did not, to weave a tapestry of colors and shapes that evoked emotions. Brenckle concluded with perhaps the most important lesson: “There is no one way or right way to write poetry. Commitment, lots of hard work and to get [started] writing is what is needed.”

About 80 people attended the event, including some previous honorees. They shared conversation and food while browsing tables that showcased some of the books written by the author honored.

The collection included works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and textbooks. They covered a variety of topics including: women’s contributions to journalism in the post-World War II era, invasive plants in Florida, spacecraft Cassinis’ voyage to Saturn, sports heroes, and marketing for tourism and hospitality, among others.

This year’s recognized authors are: