I Am Knox -- Evelyn Coffin '17

I am Knox -- Evelyn Coffin '17

Hometown: Spencer, Indiana
Major: Creative Writing
Campus Clubs & Organizations: Cellar Door, Caxton Club
Class Year: 2015

Three Facts About Evelyn

1. Her short story, "Proudly, Unburied," won the Associated Colleges of the Midwest Nick Adams Short Story Contest in 2015.
2. Amazingly, she wrote that story as an assignment in the first writing class she had ever taken—ENG 207: Beginning Fiction Writing.
3. Some of her favorite authors include Ray Bradbury, F. Scott Fitzgerald, poet Seamus Heaney, and Knox alumnus Edgar Lee Masters (interestingly, she didn't learn of his Knox connections until after she had applied).

What makes Knox a good place to study writing?
I actually came to Knox because I didn't really have any career plans, not specifically, and knew that I would have lots of time to explore here. Being in this energetic, thoughtful space is incredibly healthy for growing stories. At this point, I'm trying my hand at everything I can: this term, I took my first poetry class, and, next year, I'll be learning about screenwriting and playwriting in Ireland. I'm all about exploring my options before settling down!

Describe your writing process.
Inspiration is such a strange thing. Sometimes a line or an idea will work its way into my head, and the whole story will just follow. Sometimes I have to sit down at my computer and really slam something out, so that I can tear it up in revisions. I probably have a dozen drafts that I've started and not really pursued (I guess you could call those works-in-progress); it just takes more time to build some than others.

What's your favorite thing you've written so far?
It's hard to have a favorite! I'm working on a story right now about goats that I like pretty well so far, but it's not finished so I can't tell you about it that much. (And, while I'm writing it, every story is my new favorite thing I've written.)