Monday, October 28, 2002

WILMINGTON, NC –Brad Land’s memoir on sibling rivalry, fraternities and violence began as a requirement for his graduate degree from UNC Wilmington. It could become a best seller.

Land, who received his Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing in May 2002, sold his thesis Goat to Random House. The work is scheduled for publication in spring 2004.

“It’s really exciting,” said Land, a native of Florence, S.C. “The manuscript that was accepted for publication is not much different from what I defended in the spring.”

According to Land, Goat is a coming-of-age story that involves his relationship with his brother. The two were members of a Clemson University fraternity, and during their tenure, a fellow fraternity brother died.

In reflecting on his accomplishment, Land expressed his appreciation for the MFA Program, housed in the Creative Writing Department at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

“I can honestly say that I wouldn’t have written Goat if not for the support and guidance that I received at UNCW,” Land said. “I’m honored to have studied with such a dedicated cadre of faculty writers. They and my fellow students supported me throughout the process.”

Land is pursuing a doctorate in English at Western Michigan University. He is focusing on creative nonfiction. In addition to working on a collection of essays and a novel, Land is nonfiction editor of Western Michigan’s literary magazine Third Coast.

According to Mark Cox, chair of UNCW’s Creative Writing Department, this marks the third time a new MFA graduate’s work was purchased for national publication – “a remarkable track record for a relatively new program.”

In 1998, Nancy Jones sold her thesis to Crown Publishers, which released the work under the title Molly in 2000. Algonquin Books published Dana Sachs’ thesis The House on Dream Street: An American Woman in Hanoi in 2000.

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Land can be reached for comment via e-mail at zooeyketchum@hotmail.com. To contact faculty within UNCW’s Creative Writing Department, call 910/962-7063. A photo of Land is available to download from the Web at www.uncw.edu/news/headlines/2002/oct/20021028-01.html.





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