Mother and Daughter work as peers in the English Department

By Stefanie Kinstle

Oh, Moon!
You are a great big piece of watermelon!
You are like a baby’s cradle!

“I recall hearing the poetic imagery and saying to my husband, Spencer, that Gwen was quite a poet! Little did I know,” says Sue (Miller) Spaulding BA ’67 about her daughter Gwen, who was 3 at the time.

Little did the Anderson University English professor know that her daughter Gwen Spaulding-Barclay would major in English at AU, get her Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing, and come back to teach at AU.

Gwen grew up among teachers and writers. Her grandfather, T. Franklin Miller, wrote several books and was president of Warner Press. Her dad has also spent time doing some creative writing outside of his teaching position in the Department of Religious Studies.

“Reading together for a pastime” was a big part of family life, recalls Gwen.

Sue and Gwen were both born in Anderson, Ind., though for part of the Spaulding’s family life they lived in Scotland while Sue worked at a European High School teaching English and Spencer did research at St. Andrews University in St. Andrews, Scotland. The Spaulding’s moved back to Anderson after being offered part-time positions at AU in 1983, which soon turned out to be 20 plus years of being full-time professors.

“This experience has been really rewarding for me because my parents have always been so loved on campus,” says Gwen. “They have been good ambassadors for me while working on campus, and it is comforting to go to your parents if you need them.”

While at AU, Gwen won the Syford Poetry Contest before graduating in 1994. After teaching English at Lawrence North High School in Indianapolis while her husband was in medical school, she was accepted at Emerson College in Boston where she graduated with her MFA in May 2004. While at Emerson, Gwen’s portfolio received the Dean’s Award for best MFA thesis in all genres.

“It has been so great seeing how little she needs me and where this journey has taken her,” says Sue. “Her stewardship and faithfulness in using her gift of writing have been rewarding for me.”

After Gwen’s one-year contract ends, she is taking the next year off to finish her graduate school writing project and eventually to start a family. While her future plans remain uncertain, Gwen says that it has been wonderful to “give back to the school that nurtured me.”