Claudia Smith Brinson, a journalist for 30 years, now a senior lecturer in English at Columbia College, will discuss in-depth reporting and read excerpts from her work on Feb. 18 as Columbia College’s Maxwell Guest Writer. The 7 p.m. reading and talk will be held in the Breed Leadership Center, 201-202, is free and open to the public and will be followed by a reception.

 Brinson, who left The State newspaper in 2007 to direct the advanced writing track at Columbia College, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist with her State newspaper colleagues for Hurricane Hugo coverage. She twice won the Knight Ridder Award of Excellence, that former newspaper chain’s highest award. She was a national writing coach for Knight Ridder and wrote a column on social issues, distributed nationwide by the chain, for more than 10 years. She is the recipient of more than three dozen other state and national awards for her journalism.

Brinson also reported free-lance for The New York Times, the Washington Post and, for several years, Newsweek. She published essays in Redbook, McCall’s and Reader’s Digest and short stories in literary reviews. Her short story “Einstein’s Daughter” won an O. Henry. She now teaches journalism, public relations and creative writing courses at Columbia College and is assisting the college in a new focus on digital media.
The reading will be followed by a question-and-answer session. Brinson invites discussion on the shift from print newspapers and magazines to digital media. The reception will follow at 8 p.m.

The Breed Leadership Center is located on Columbia College Drive. Free parking is available in Lot A, at the intersection of Columbia College Drive and Colonial Drive.

The Maxwell Guest Writers Program is a literary event offered by the Division of Languages and Literature at Columbia College. Offered through the benevolence of the late Robert Maxwell, a scholarship donor and Columbia College Medallion recipient, the program benefits students, faculty and the greater Columbia community. Past Maxwell Guest Writers include Ed Madden, a poet and USC professor; George Singleton, a novelist, short story writer and creative writing instructor at the S.C. Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities; and Susan Ludvigson, a poet and professor emeritus at Winthrop University.

Read Samples Below:

To Reach Up Higher' -
Through Her Own Willpower and Others' Helping Hands, Ellender Rhodes'
Long, Lonely Journey Ends With Hope
State, The (Columbia, SC) - Sunday, March 12, 1995
Author: CLAUDIA SMITH BRINSON , Senior Writer

A Mother in Prison
State, The (Columbia, SC) - Sunday, December 12, 1993 
Author: CLAUDIA SMITH BRINSON , Senior Writer

Crossing a Great Divide: A Congressman, a Bridge and a Swamp
State, The (Columbia, SC) - Sunday,May 17, 2007 
Is the way it was the way it should be? The story of a bridge reveals much about the people, history and future of South Carolina.
Follow this link to TheState.com to read online the 17 chapters from the May 2007 special section. The link also offers video and photographs, including historic material, and sidebars.

Posted with permission from The State Newspaper, Columbia, South Carolina.
Copyright and all rights reserved by The State Newspaper.