Sean Prentiss

Sean Prentiss teaches creative, sports, environmental, and professional writing at Norwich. His books include "Finding Abbey: A Search for Edward Abbey and His Hidden Desert Grave," which won the 2015 National Outdoor Book Award, the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award, and the Utah Book Award. Sean also wrote "Crosscut: Poems," a memoir-in-poems about his time as a trail builder in the Pacific Northwest.

In addition, Sean co-authored "Environmental and Nature Writing: A Writer’s Guide and Anthology and Advanced Creative Nonfiction," "The Science of Story: The Brain Behind Creative Nonfiction," and "The Far Edges of the Fourth Genre: Explorations in Creative Nonfiction." He also edits for the Bloomsbury Publishing Writer’s Guide and Anthology series. Sean lives with his family on a small lake in northern Vermont and they also have a hand-built cabin in the mountains of Colorado.

M.F.A. Creative Writing, University of Idaho

Professor Prentiss is a creative writer whose work explores how place shapes identity. Rooted in creative nonfiction but now writing primarily poetry and fiction, he focuses on the landscapes and hometowns that define us. His interest in place began after moving from rural Pennsylvania to the American West, inspiring him to examine how home and geography influence who we become.

He mentors students through the Chameleon Literary Journal, encouraging them to research what they love so their work feels meaningful rather than obligatory.

A committed collaborator, he partners frequently with Joe Wilkins of Linfield University on textbooks, anthologies, and a Bloomsbury series with more than ten titles. He has also worked closely with Nicole Walker and Jessica Hendry Nelson, valuing collaboration for its ability to challenge ideas, broaden vision, and strengthen the work.

EN 274 Intro to Creative Writing
EN 254 Sports Writing
EN 204 Professional Writing