Wendy will be joining Collins Library on August 1 as our Arts & Humanities Librarian. Wendy comes to us from Central Washington University where she was the liaison librarian to Africana & Black Studies, Art & Design, Asian Studies, English, Music, Philosophy & Religious Studies, World Languages & Cultures, and Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies. She earned a Master of Library Science from Indiana University, an MFA in Creative Writing and Poetry, also from Indiana University, and a BFA with an emphasis in Writing from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Wendy has experience with a number of community organizations, including four years as the Youth & Teen Programs Manager at the Indianapolis Art Center, and most recently as a volunteer creative writing teacher and mentor at an LGBTQ+ youth support center in Ellensburg, WA. Learn more about Wendy and her interests below.
- What attracts you to Puget Sound?
I attended a small, liberal arts college for my undergraduate degree and I am excited to be back in an environment that values critical thinking and the development of the whole person. The friendly faculty, dedicated library staff, and beautiful campus won me over immediately when I did my campus visit, too! - What are you looking forward to most?
Artist’s Books! Teaching with them, acquiring new ones, making use of the Book Arts Studio. I have a passion for book preservation and conservation and did my undergraduate degree in fine art and my MFA in creative writing, taking numerous courses on bookmaking, publishing, and artist’s books. I’m also looking forward to making personal connections with faculty and collaborating on supporting student’s research needs in the Arts & Humanities. - Past accomplishments you would like to share?
In my previous role as Arts & Humanities Librarian at Central Washington University I was nominated for a President’s Diversity Award, was the principal investigator for an NEA Big Read Grant that we were awarded, and collaborated with numerous departments and student groups on events and collection development projects. - Anything that might be fun to know?
In addition to being a librarian, I’m a poet! I publish my writing under my initials: WLS. You can find links to my poems here: wlspoet.com