Steve Heller Elected President of the National Board of Directors for Association of Writers and Writing Programs
Posted on Tuesday, March 13th, 2012
CULVER CITY, Calif. – March 6, 2012- Steve Heller, Professor and Chair of the MFA in
Creative Writing Program at Antioch University Los Angeles, was recently named President of
the Board of Directors for The Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP). The
organization is an international, nonprofit literary organization for creative writers and teachers
of creative writing. Founded in 1967, AWP has grown to a membership of about 40,000, serving
academic creative writing faculty and students, independent writers, and writing centers and
conferences. Heller previously served as Vice-President
“I attended my first AWP in 1980 when I was a graduate student,” Heller said. “The keynote
speaker was poet Richard Hugo, who claimed that creative writers were destined to become the
keepers of the literary canon, even if all we wanted at the moment was to expand it, replace it, or
do away with it altogether. Hugo was right. Today I direct one of the most progressive writing
programs in one of the most progressive universities in the world. And yet in pursuing our
program’s special focus on community engagement and social justice, my MFA colleagues and I
still read–and recommend that our students read–books because they are artfully written.
Writers who also teach not only create literature, we help our culture to preserve literature and
treasure it as part of our heritage. It’s an honor to serve as President of the organization that
taught me not only the rights but the responsibilities of a writer in the world. And it’s a pleasure
to teach at Antioch, where the role of the writer is recognized and supported.”
Heller was elected President just prior to AWP’s annual conference one of the biggest and
liveliest literary gatherings in North America, features more than 400 presentations: readings,
lectures, panel discussions, and forums plus hundreds of book signings, receptions, dances, and
informal gatherings. This year’s conference, held in Chicago, attracted more 11,000 attendees,
including 9,600 registered participants.
“As outgoing president, I could not be more pleased to see such a capable, people-smart person
step into the leadership role for AWP’s Board,” says Dr. Denise Low-Weso, AWP president
2011-2012, who teaches at Baker University School of Professional and Graduate Studies.
“Creative writing continues to show growth as a major field for students. AWP leads the way for
writers as new forms of media expand. Heller’s experience with online education, on-the-ground
education, and administration–plus his own expertise as a fiction writer–prepare him for this
national role.”
Prior to joining the MFA faculty at Antioch University Los Angeles in 2003, Steve Heller taught
at Kansas State University for 22 years, including 15 as Chair of the Creative Writing Program.
He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Bowling Green State University and an EdD in
English Education from Oklahoma State. His first novel, The Automotive History of Lucky
Kellerman, received the Friends of American Writers Award and was a selection of Book-of-the-
Month Club and QPB. Heller’s most recent book, What We Choose to Remember, is a collection
of nonfiction narratives from Serving House Press. Heller’s individual short stories and essays
have appeared widely in journals such as Manoa, New Letters, Colorado Review, and Fourth
Genre, and have been reprinted in anthologies such as Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards, In
Brief: Short Takes on the Personal, and Living Blue in the Red States. He has been a resident of
Yaddo and the recipient of an NEA Fellowship Grant and numerous other writing awards and
distinctions. He helped found two literary journals, Hawaii Review and Mid-American Review.
Antioch University Los Angeles (AULA) provides a rigorous progressive education to prepare
students for the complexities of today’s diverse societies. AULA, a not-for-profit institution, has
served the greater Los Angeles area for almost 40 years. The core values of social justice,
service to the community and lifelong learning lie at the heart of the BA degree completion
program and master’s degree programs in organizational management, education and teacher
credentialing, psychology, creative writing and urban sustainability. AULA is part of the Antioch
University system which has roots dating back to 1852 and was recently named one of the top 20
colleges most committed to community service by USA Today. Inspired by the work of
pioneering educator Horace Mann, Antioch University was founded in 1964 and serves over
5,000 adult students around the world and across the country, online and at five campuses in four
states.
