Karen Carcia (14MFA-Book Arts), adjunct assistant professor in the University of Iowa Center for the Book (UICB), has been honored with the Emerging Educator Award from the College Book Art Association. The prestigious award is given biennially to the best mid-career teacher in the book arts.

Carcia stands out for her singular training and expertise. She is an experienced letterpress printer and an acclaimed published poet, with a PhD in English and two MFA degrees: one in creative writing and the other in the book arts. This range of skill, coupled with attentive pedagogy, translates into a dedication to students, which helps heighten their aesthetics.

“I'm honored to be recognized and feel grateful to all the wonderful teachers I've had whose pedagogical practices continue to inspire me,” Carcia says. “I feel so lucky to be able to work with such high-caliber students at Iowa who make teaching a joy.”

Sara Langworthy (13MFA-Book Arts), associate professor in the UICB and the 2010 recipient of the award, says that, “Karen models kindness and professionalism equally, providing her students the finest example I have seen of how to balance commitment to one’s own work, personal responsibility, and responsibility to the community.”

Students respond to Carcia’s Socratic method and understated motivational skills. India Johnson, an MFA student in the UICB, explains that “the process of critical response in Karen’s classes leaves you excited to keep revising a project.”

Similarly, Carcia’s emphasis on audience and generosity nurture in students their making, thinking, and writing abilities. Carcia will be recognized at the biannual CBAA Conference, January 2-4, 2020, in New Orleans.

Press Contact: Associate Professor Matt Brown, 319-335-0475, matthew-p-brown@uiowa.edu