Coming Full Circle By Shoshana Mayden
An estate gift from Amanda Kaufmann will benefit mentorship in the creative writing program.
When Amanda (Shaver) Kaufmann majored in creative writing at the University of Arizona in the late 1980s and early 90s, she honed her skills through workshop-style classes in fiction and playwriting. But it was also her experiences outside of the classroom that helped her launch a successful career in educational publishing. Kaufmann worked with her undergraduate adviser to craft a for-credit internship and went through the yellow pages cold calling local publishing companies to find one that would take her on. She got interest from Zephyr Press, a small Tucson publishing company that specialized in professional development for educators. While she says the small press didn’t know what to do with her at first, Kaufmann found a mentor in editor Stacey Lynn – a relationship that lasted until Lynn died of cancer a few years ago. The internship also led to connections that got Kaufmann her first job after graduation and helped her develop her career in the educational publishing world. Kaufmann hopes to provide similar experiences for UA creative writing majors through an estate gift to the
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program. She and her husband, Matthew Kaufmann – a UA alumnus in engineering – made a plan to give half of their estate to the University of Arizona. About 25 percent of the total estate is earmarked for creative writing in the Department of English. “I feel personally that there is a place and a need for good writing and literate folks in the world,” Kaufmann said. “These disciplines do not receive funds. So, it was really important to me to funnel something in that direction.” After a few years of technical writing and editing, Kaufmann began doing freelance work for educational publishers. She completed a master’s in teaching English from California State University, East Bay in 2011. Today, Kaufmann heads her own consultancy, CA Thrasher Editorial, working with textbook authors to create video tutorials. She writes scripts and directs the video productions, illuminating topics primarily in the sciences for college students. Kaufmann is currently working with Ander Monson, the head of the UA’s creative writing program, to develop a
