Rob Roensch has been named the Katherine and Mary Clary Endowed Chair of Creative Writing at Oklahoma City University. Roensch is the first recipient of this endowment, which was established through an estate gift from Mary Clary Sargent, and named in honor of both sisters.
“Rob is a gifted instructor to both our undergraduate and MFA creative writing graduate students,” said Amy Cataldi, interim dean of Oklahoma City University’s Petree College of Arts and Sciences. “We believe Rob’s passion for teaching and his meaningful and moving writing talents make him the perfect fit for this prestigious recognition, and in turn pay homage to the Clary sisters who created and inspire this endowment.”
Katherine Clary Corinth and Mary Clary Sargent were Oklahoma City University alumnae from the 1930s who went on to work in news and publishing in New York City. The women wrote for Time, Newsweek, Seventeen and co-authored several books in the 1960s and 1970s on etiquette, male manners, entertaining and fashion.
“This is an incredible honor. The Clary women were dedicated to writing and creative writing in particular,” said Roensch. “I am happy to continue their legacy of Oklahoma City University as the center for creative writing in this city.”
Roensch is an associate professor at Oklahoma City University teaching freshman composition and creative writing for fiction and non-fiction. He actively participates in the Red Earth Master of Fine Arts program and the Smokewood Institute, teaches writing workshops at Epworth Retirement Community and leads short order poems at Oklahoma City events. Roensch received his MFA from Cornell University and won the International Scott Prize for short stories in 2012 from Salt Publishing for his collection titled “The Wildflowers of Baltimore.”
For more information on the Oklahoma City University Creative Writing Endowed Chair, visit okcu.edu/artsci/english.
