Assoc. Prof. Maureen Stanton has always liked a good story. She enjoyed writing papers at school and in journals at home and liked finding the stories around her in friends and family. After writing for nonprofit environmental foundations, Stanton decided to follow her dream back to creative writing.
“Writing has been in me for a long time, and I’m not sure why. Maybe I was a storyteller in a former life,” says Stanton. “I always loved creative writing, but didn’t know how to do it as a job. So I went back to school and found a way to make a living from what I love.”
Stanton specializes in literary journalism, applying literary techniques to true stories. Her recent book, "Killer Stuff and Tons of Money: An Insider's Look at Flea Markets, Antiques, and Collecting," followed an antique-dealing friend, pseudonym Curt Avery, on his rise through the industry. Dealers, restorers and buyers are Stanton’s characters, Avery’s travels her plot and the turbulent antique business her setting. The Massachusetts Book Award for Nonfiction was a fitting homecoming present when Stanton returned to New England from the Midwest.
“I enjoyed the Midwest but always knew I wasn’t staying there permanently,” says Stanton. “I’ve done enough wandering and it feels good to be home with a job I really enjoy.”
After teaching mostly graduate and advanced students in her previous position, Stanton is teaching personal reflective writing and introduction to creative writing courses. She’s excited to teach the beginnings of writing to students and watch their progression as writers.
“I’m also really enjoying the diversity of students at the University,” says Stanton. “Everyone has such different voices and stories to tell.”