Alumni SPOTLIGHT
Moving in the Write Direction JARED JACKSON ’10 can’t overestimate
the value of writing. “I think it’s an essential skill, full stop,” he says. “Just on a basic level, being able to sit with your thoughts and express yourself is crucially important, and writing equips us with the ability to think critically and refine our ideas.” In his work as literary programs manager for the New York branch of PEN America, Jackson fosters thoughtprovoking conversations with some of today’s leading minds and works to promote
free expression and effect social change. Jackson joined PEN in fall 2019, while still in his final year in Columbia University’s MFA program, serving first as literary programs coordinator before being promoted to programs manager this past January. “I curate and produce events that aim to bring out nourishing reflections on literature, society, and what we’re reckoning with,” he explains. In this capacity, he oversees the weekly PEN Ten online interview series and PEN Out
Below: Jared Jackson ’10 opening an event at the Strand bookstore just before the pandemic (February 2020) for a conversation he curated between bestselling author Mitchell S. Jackson and distinguished scholar and writer Imani Perry.
Loud, a conversation series that focuses on amplifying diverse voices by bringing authors, poets, journalists, artists, and activists into dialogue with each other. He also leads the Emerging Voices Fellowship, an immersive five-month program that looks to cultivate promising writers and diversify the publishing and media landscapes. “I’ve always valued teaching and mentorship, and this role gives me the opportunity to almost administer my own creative writing program,”
