Jan DeBlieu

Alum 2002

Jan DeBlieu is the author of four nonfiction books to date and is a national medalist in literature. She has led writing workshops and clinics for all ages, in addition to teaching undergraduate and graduate creative writing courses. Jan was an Associate Professor with the University of Alaska Anchorage Low Residency Master’s of Fine Arts program in creative writing. She is also known for her work as a conservationist and activist.

After writing for newspapers and magazines in Delaware, Oregon, and Atlanta, Jan moved to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, with her husband, Jeff. Her first book, Hatteras Journal, is considered an Outer Banks classic.

She followed with three other books that combine natural history and memoir. Meant to Be Wild was named by Library Journal as one of the best science books of the year. Wind was awarded the John Burroughs Medal for Natural History Writing, the highest national honor in the genre. Jan’s fourth book, Year of the Comets, is a combination of science writing and a clear-eyed look at living with a family member who suffers from depression. It was excerpted in Washington Post.

Jan’s work has been widely anthologized, and she has published dozens of articles and essays in literary journals and well-known national publications, including New York Times Magazine, Smithsonian, Audubon, and Orion.

You can learn more about Jan here.