Students have the opportunity to study with some of the nation's most influential writers of the day. Established in 1993, the Ferrol A. Sams, Jr. Distinguished Chair of English brings a nationally prominent fiction writer, poet or dramatist to Mercer each spring to teach creative writing and highlight the literary arts. 

Made possible by a major grant from the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation, this endowed chair honors Dr. Ferrol A. Sams, Jr., a physician, author and distinguished alumnus of the College of Liberal Arts, whose works include Run with the Horsemen, The Whisper of the River, When All the World Was Young, The Passing, The Widow's Mite, and Christmas Gift. Run with the Horsemen was selected as the Book of the Year by residents of Atlanta, when they were asked to vote on their favorite book in 2006.


Ferrol A. Sams Chairs