Writing Professor/Alumna Offers Encouraging Message: 'Your Story Is Enough'

Lizz Dawson ’16 spent numerous hours crafting poems and stories as a student in York College of Pennsylvania’s Professional Writing program. In the fall of 2023, she joined the program’s faculty.

Books and notebooks were Lizz Dawson’s solace throughout her childhood. When she wasn’t lost in a story, she was composing poems and positing anecdotes across blank pages.

From a young age she knew she wanted to be a teacher. She didn’t realize until much later that she also could be a professional writer. She graduated from York College of Pennsylvania in 2016 with a degree in Professional Writing. In Fall 2023, she joined the faculty of that program and found the perfect outlet for teaching and writing professionally.

But getting to that point was no small feat.

‘Possibilities You Can't Imagine'

When Dawson came to York College as a student, it was not her first attempt at completing a degree program. A years-long struggle for sobriety, a history of personal trauma, and an unclear vision of the future had led her to change universities, switch her major several times, then drop out twice.

By 2014, Dawson knew something needed to change. She committed to the long and arduous road toward sobriety. That pivot provided a path for her to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Professional Writing with a minor in Creative Writing.

This summer, she is celebrating 10 years sober.

“I’m only able to teach today because of my journey and my sobriety,” Dawson says. “Not just the physical sobriety, but the experiences I’ve had, the healing I’ve done, my connection to myself and, therefore, my students. I see them struggle a lot with mental health, which is why I push connection and community in my classroom. If I could teach them anything, it would be to never lose hope. There are possibilities you can’t imagine from where you are now.”

One of her most cherished works is her nonfiction essay “Slime Flux,” published in Hayden’s Ferry Review, an international literary journal published by Arizona State University. The piece, which she began while a York College student and took nearly a decade to complete, explores her and her mother’s recovery from alcoholism. It holds a special place in her heart, not only for its literary achievement but for the personal healing it represents for her family.

Opportunities to Create

As a student, Dawson savored the College’s myriad creative outlets. She became the editor of the student-run literary magazine The York Review and worked to bring its curated poems and writings outside the halls of the College and into downtown York. She also helped launch Rough Draft Podcast, which is still produced today.

“There were so many creative writing opportunities! I can’t say enough about how well York prepared me for a career in the literary world,” she says of her time as a student.

After completing her degree, Dawson pursued writing and spirituality, which took her backpacking around the globe, enriching her worldview and influencing her craft. Her travels have deeply informed her writing, particularly in the realms of nonfiction and memoir.

“It was life-changing for me. I realized how much was out there, how small we are,” she says.

Combating Students' Doubts

After settling back into York for a few years, Dawson decided she would move to New York City, where she got her Master of Fine Arts degree in Nonfiction Writing from The New School and immersed herself in the city’s literary scene. In 2023, Dawson returned to York College as an Adjunct Professor in the Professional Writing program. Her teaching philosophy centers on fostering a sense of community and encouraging students to find the magic in their personal stories. Her experience of healing and coping with trauma through writing personal nonfiction is something Dawson spends a lot of time impressing upon her students.

“Writing about self is healing,” she says. “It’s art, yes. And we do a lot of work in the classroom to sculpt our stories into literary art. But it is healing, too. What I see constantly with students is that they don’t think their own stories are enough. They think they’re too boring or too trite or they’re scared to be vulnerable or misunderstood. We spend a whole day each semester just going through their fears.”

This approach is particularly pertinent in the digital age, when students often grapple with the allure and ease of tools such as the chatbot and personal assistant ChatGPT. Dawson instead emphasizes authenticity and self-expression, encouraging students to go more slowly, more quietly, and to tap into their imagination.

When not leading her students in creative self-discovery, Dawson works on channeling her experiences into a full-length memoir, a project she began as her thesis for her master’s degree. The memoir delves into themes of belonging, queerness, family, and recovery from trauma and addiction. It’s a narrative she hopes to complete after connecting with an agent to publish the manuscript.

Art That Makes You Feel Something

Dawson is the final judge for the annual Mary Jane Diamond Poetry Award in a competition organized by York College. Established in 2015, the award is backed by the Academy of American Poets, which publishes the winning poem. Dawson approaches each poem with a focus on its emotional impact.

“I’m really big on not intellectualizing art or poetry too much, and just allowing it to make you feel something. Art should be an experience,” she says.

In her work at York College, Dawson is on a mission to help students recognize the value of their experiences and voices. As she continues to grow through her published works and her role as professor and mentor, she remains an advocate for the power of community and creativity. Whether through teaching, her writing workshops at the bookstore Bound Books, or personal projects, she hopes to inspire others to find and share their stories.

“Your story is enough,” she says. “It’s almost selfish not to share it. There’s someone out there who needs it. You never know how your words are going to affect someone, or save someone, or give someone hope.”