Contact: Debra Dennis
ddennis@dcccd.edu or 214-378-1851
For immediate release — Oct. 9, 2017
(DALLAS) – The National Book Foundation offers one of the most prestigious literary honors a writer can claim.
Just ask El Centro College English teacher Samantha Mabry Schulze.
Writing as “Samantha Mabry,” she learned last month that she was among the long list of contenders for a National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. Schulze was nominated for her new novel, “All the Wind in the World,” a love story set in Texas. The book’s release date is Oct. 10.
Although she didn’t make the list of finalists, the Dallas native was surprised when she learned she had been recognized for her literary work.
“I was here on campus making copies,” said Schulze, who teaches English composition and Latino literature. “I came back to the office, and I had emails and voicemails and Twitter notifications. I was pretty stunned. It was a lot to take in. I wanted to tell someone, but there was no one around who would know what I was talking about!”
Word has gotten around to her family, students and colleagues as well as El Centro College’s president.
“By all accounts, Samantha is a gifted writer and an outstanding teacher who inspires her students to do their best,” said Dr. Jose Adames, El Centro’s president. “She exemplifies the very best of the talented faculty at El Centro College. El Centro is very proud of her well-deserved recognition.”
Schulze studied literature and taught at Southern Methodist University, where she received her undergraduate degree. She also has a master’s degree from Boston College.
“I’m a teacher moonlighting as a novelist,” she said. “My day job is teaching. Sometimes, something outweighs the other, such as doing promotional stuff for the novel, but I’m a teacher.”
Her name on the prestigious literary list puts her in the company of noted writers like Colson Whitehead, Annie Proulx, Joan Didion and E.L. Doctorow.
She tries to write about two hours each day, usually in the morning. Her debut novel, “A Fierce and Subtle Poison,” was harder to write, she said. And she is already working on a third book.
“I would be lucky to duplicate the reception that ‘All the Wind in the World’ received,” Schulze said. “There are lots of ups and downs in publishing, so I try to take the good times with a grain of salt. But it’s a big deal.”
Her experiences with the publishing world have become tutorials for her students. “They know that I’m a writer. I show them the feedback I get from my editors. I show the edits,” she said.
Schulze added, “I say, ‘I worked on this for an entire year, but I get a letter that says ‘start over.’ I tell them that this person giving feedback is on my team. It comes from a place of encouragement. I’m trying to help them get better.”
Her new status puts her in the category of writers to watch. And her work could be nominated again. “I’m only 36. I made the long list. They can't take that from me,” she said.
The National Book Award finalists were announced Oct. 4. The winners will be revealed Nov. 15 in New York.
For more information, visit Schulze’s web page at
http://www.samanthamabry.com.
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