Doctor of Philosophy
English with a Creative Writing concentration
University of Illinois Chicago
Master of Fine Arts
Creative Writing
Art Institute of Chicago
Throughout his life, Garrett Brown has experimented with many forms of art: theater, painting, music and literature.
“To me, the arts teach us how to hone our experience of life and appreciate the world around us,” he said.
Since 2011, he has helped students at AACC develop their own artistic voice by teaching courses in creative writing, composition, poetry and writing for the stage and screen. He serves as the program coordinator for the Creative Writing program and has served as the advisor for Amaranth, the college’s journal for literature and the creative arts.
“There is a genuine generosity among the students at AACC,” he said. “I see this in creative writing workshops and at Coffeehouse open mic events. The students at this college support each other, lift each other up and encourage each other to find and be themselves.”
Brown, who lives in Baltimore, is himself a published writer. His first book of poems, "Manna Sifting," won the Liam Rector First Book Prize from Briery Creek Press in 2009, and his chapbook, "Cubicles," was published by Finishing Line Press in 2014. His other awards include first place in the Poetry Center of Chicago’s Juried Reading, runner-up in the Maryland Emerging Voices competition and a Creative Writing Fellowship from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His poetry and creative nonfiction have appeared in Black Warrior Review, Poetry East, TriQuarterly, Natural Bridge and Passages North.