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Author and U of M professor Julie Schumacher speaks about the art of writing

Woman poses next to separate photo of book cover
Minnesota novelist Julie Schumacher's completed her trilogy of Professor Jason Fitger's academic misadventures with the book, "The English Experience," published in 2023.
Courtesy Doubleday

Have you ever wanted to write a book but struggled? Writer Julie Schumacher has been there. Schumacher is best known for her trilogy of satirical novels about teaching college English, beginning with the best-selling novel "Dear Committee Members," which won the Thurber Prize for American Humor. It's composed entirely of letters of recommendation.

Julie Schumacher is Regents Professor of English at the University of Minnesota's Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program. She spoke about tricking herself into writing -- and other tips -- at the Heginbotham Literary Lecture Series at Concordia University in St Paul in November.

This speech aired on MPR News on Jan. 1, 2025. Click the Listen button to hear the speech.