Laurie L. Clark
Academic Advisor
After completing an MFA in Creative Writing at UNCW, Laurie started in the College of Science and Engineering as an Academic Advisor working part-time with Environmental Science students in August 2025. She joined the CSE advising team in January 2026 full-time and currently works with students in EVS, Biology, and Marine Biology. At UNCW, Laurie taught Creative Writing courses and was an Academic Mentor for Student-Athlete Support Services. She also assisted advisors and Education students in the Watson Student Success Center. The Academic Marketing Lead for Lookout Books, UNCW's independent press, Laurie helped organize Writers' Week 2023. She joined undergrad and graduate students as part of the inaugural UPLfT Leadership Institute in 2025 sponsored by UNCW's Gender & Research Center. In 2024, she traveled to Germany for research on her thesis, a memoir-in-essays.
Prior to UNCW, Laurie was an educator for over 20 years, serving as an English teacher, advisor, study coach, and sponsor of student publications at various independent schools. She has cycled through northern California with students and helped lead school trips to Mexico, Quebec, and El Salvador. For several years, she was as a College Board AP exam reader in Language & Composition.
In student support work, Laurie is especially interested in issues of belonging, resilience through transitions, civic engagement, and the importance of storytelling in our lives.
Education
BA in English, Bates College
MA.Ed in Secondary English, College of William & Mary
MFA in Creative Writing, University of North Carolina Wilmington
Certificate in Publishing, UNCW
Certified Resiliency Ambassador, University of Pennsylvania (UNCW)
Professional Service
North Carolina Writers' Network
Honors & Awards
Semifinalist, NC Literary Review's Alex Albright Creative Nonfiction Prize (2025)
Honorable Mention, Poetry, Writer's Digest (2025)
Nominated for AWP Intro Journals (2025)
Ralph W. Brauer Endowed Fellowship (2024)
2nd Place, Rose Post CNF Contest, North Carolina Writers' Network (2024)
Harvard Graduate School of Education's Applaud an Educator Initiative (2018)
Golden Apple Award: Teacher Who Made a Difference, Avon Lake City Schools (2009)
National Endowment for the Humanities Institute (1998)