English department welcomes Tulane faculty member and published author

This year, St. Martin’s Episcopal School welcomes a member of Tulane University's faculty into its ranks: Upper School English and Creative Writing Teacher, Adrian Van Young.

His teaching experiences have been diverse, ranging from high schools to universities all over the U.S.

“I taught high school at a prep school, (Buckingham Browne and Nichols School), very similar to St. Martin’s in Cambridge, Massachusetts,” Van Young said.

Van Young’s educational involvement does not stop at the secondary level. He has taught on a variety of college campuses as well.

“I taught at Boston College, Boston University, all over the place,” Van Young said.

After growing up on the West Coast, he traveled to the East Coast to attend Vassar College and later received his Master of Fine Arts in Fiction at Columbia University. After obtaining his MFA, he wrote a series of fictional pieces.

“I’ve written two novels,” Van Young said. “One of them is a ghost story, and the other one is a collection of short stories. They are bizarre, creepy stories about everyday people making their way through the world.”

Although Van Young is currently teaching at St. Martin’s, his writing career has not come to a halt—far from it, actually.

“I have a story coming out this fall,” Van Young said. “It’s an anthology about robot animals.”

Aside from his pieces of fiction, he has also written nonfiction works, including critiques, short stories, and personal essays for the past 10 years. Specifically, he reviewed pop culture, ranging from movies and music to literature.

“His publications will be an asset, particularly for the Creative Writing students, but to all of his English students,” said English Department Chair and Upper School English Teacher Megan King. “His experience makes him particularly well-suited for this job.”

Although Van Young is a part of our community, he simultaneously teaches classes at Tulane’s School of Liberal Arts, where he has been employed for the past six years. His personal connection to writing and his extensive experience teaching made him a good fit for St. Martin’s.

In fact, Former Upper School English and Creative Writing Teacher Christopher Shipman recommended Yan Young for the position. From Sophomore Rikki Bourg’s perspective, Shipman made the right call.

“While Mr. Van Young’s class is very challenging, I think he is preparing us for the rest of the English classes at St. Martin’s,” Bourg said.