Therese Fowler Named 2017 Distinguished Alumna

Fowler, who earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and cultural anthropology and an MFA in creative writing at NC State, is the author of the New York Times bestseller Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, among other works. Z is available in multiple languages worldwide and has been adapted as an original television series for Amazon Studios, starring Christina Ricci.

Fowler’s other novels include Souvenir (2008), Reunion (2009) and Exposure (2011). Her essays have been published internationally in newspapers and magazines such as The Week, the London Telegraph and Harper’s Bazaar. Fowler’s next novel centers on Alva Smith Vanderbilt Belmont, whom she calls “a determined, opinionated, compassionate, often amusing woman from America’s Gilded Age.” This novel has the working title of Scenes of Her Own Making and will be published by St. Martin’s Press.

“Therese‘s writing has inspired thousands of readers,” says Dean Jeff Braden. “Since Z,  A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald, was adapted as an Amazon original series, she’s begun inspiring television viewers, too. I have followed her career with excitement and delight, as she continues to extend the craft of creative writing and to earn the respect and admiration of readers around the world. We are proud to count Therese Fowler among our most distinguished alumni.”

Fowler has been a visiting professor at NC State and occasionally teaches fiction writing at conferences and workshops. She’s a member of Phi Beta Kappa and PEN America. She lives in Raleigh with her husband, author and professor John Kessel, and their three “endearing but incorrigible” cats.

The Graduate School at NC State recently featured her in its Think alumni magazine.