By Suzy Alstrin
Dr. Carey “Scott” Wilkerson, who served as a core faculty member of Reinhardt’s Etowah Valley Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing program, passed away on July 7th, 2024. He was 55 years old.
As a highly accomplished writer, Dr. Wilkerson published poetry, fiction, and drama. He also authored numerous opera libretti and plays successfully produced on stages in several states and Germany. His remarkable achievements include the honor of twice being a Pushcart Prize-nominated poet, recipient of two Lillian E. Smith Writing Fellowships, and a Georgia Author of the Year Award nomination in 2022.
At Reinhardt, Dr. Wilkerson joined the MFA staff in 2018, providing lectures on writing and literary topics. In 2020, his role transitioned into working with students one-on-one. He consecutively served Columbus State University for 17 years as an Associate Professor of Creative Writing.
Professor Bill Walsh, Director of Reinhardt’s MFA program laments, “Scott was one of my dearest friends and a formidable component to the MFA program. All the students loved working with him, and he absolutely loved them. In addition to being a wonderful poet, he was best known as a librettist and staged performances all over the world. Scott changed the lives of many people, and he will be missed. You simply cannot replace a person like Scott.”
Reinhardt’s MFA program launched in 2016 and held its first commencement in 2018. Dr. Wilkerson’s expertise touched many of the program’s 52 graduates and his influence lives on in much of their work.
In honor of the life of Dr. Wilkerson, his family encourages the Reinhardt community to read a book or enjoy some of his published work.
