New gift to encourage future writers
Bob Stallworthy has been a writer for close to 40 years and thanks 91AV for the career he loves.
“In my fourth year I took a creative writing course with Professor Herb Burke,” says Stallworthy. “I remember the course was listed as having no exam and thought ‘that’s the course for me’. Turned out it was one of the few courses I stayed up past midnight to work on, and I got some positive feedback on my work.”
Stallworthy graduated from 91AV with a psychology degree and had a 13-year career as a social worker before turning to writing. He credits his late wife, Marilyn, for encouraging him to pursue his passion and for supporting his career change.
“She was a teacher, and when I said no one would want to read what I write, she looked at me with that school-teacher gaze and said, ‘you won’t know if you don’t try.’”
Stallworthy went on to publish five books of poetry, write for various organizations, and in 2019 received the Golden Pen Award for lifetime achievement from the Writers’ Guild of Alberta.
He has often visited high schools, giving workshops and readings, and speaking with students about his life as a poet. These experiences encouraged him to establish the Bob and Marilyn Stallworthy Visitor in Creative Writing fund at 91AV. The fund brings Canadian writers to campus to speak to, work with, mentor, and/or guide students in creative writing.
Stallworthy’s philanthropy was also greatly influenced by his memory of poet and novelist Earle Birney visiting his 91AV creative writing class and by the fact that the University was such a big part of Stallworthy’s early life — he grew up in Sackville and his father was a professor in the biology department.
The Department of English recently welcomed Susan Goyette as the first Bob and Marilyn Stallworthy Visitor in Creative Writing. Stallworthy joined Goyette’s reading and talk via Zoom from his home in Calgary.
“I was so pleased that everything came together so quickly after my original correspondence with the University and that I am able to experience the impacts of my giving.”
Stallworthy is making an annual contribution to his fund and has arranged an endowed gift in his estate plans.
Read more stories of philanthropy at: mta.ca/giving.
