“In the Grip of Grace”: Award-Winning Poet Reflects on the Impact of Her Time at UVA Wise

Marianne Mersereau, a poet and 1984 graduate of the University of Virginia’s College at Wise (UVA Wise), credits the College for positively impacting her entire life. From the encouraging professors she learned from to the beauty and culture of the region itself, Mersereau felt right at home. 

When it came time to choose a place for her education after high school, Mersereau knew that UVA Wise, then Clinch Valley College, was the right choice. As a Lee County native, she was happy that the College was close to home. Mersereau was also the recipient of the Slemp Foundation scholarship, which ultimately made her education possible. 

UVA Wise also happened to be the place where she met her husband of 38 years, David Mersereau, who was a student at the College for two years before transferring to an institution out west. 

“The College is very special to us,” said Mersereau. “It will always be the place where we met, and we consider it a part of our story.”

Mersereau was involved in the Student Government Association as well as the Baptist Student Union. Retired UVA Wise Campus Minister Jim Collie performed their wedding in Lee County. Their wedding ceremony also had a very special UVA Wise guest, the first Chancellor of the College, Joseph C. “Papa Joe” Smiddy, who performed at the reception alongside of his band. 

Although she was an elementary education major, Mersereau cites history professor Ed “Buck” Hanson for encouraging her in her writing. Mersereau had a deep interest in history, which she learned to later translate into her poetry. A daughter of two veterans, her father earned a Purple Heart in World War II and her mother was in the Women’s Army Corps in the 1950s. 

“I realized that I really liked the idea of telling a story within a small space. The conciseness of a poem really spoke to me,” said Mersereau. “I would say that I am a narrative poet, because I am after the story.”

Mersereau dabbled in children’s literature, and even wrote a book as part of one of her classes at the College. She remembers Lana Low, a former professor of education and director of enrollment management at UVA Wise, as being an integral part of her journey within the education department. Mersereau then went on to write another children’s picture book, “The Green Lake Gifting Game,” in 2014.

Upon graduating from the College, Mersereau’s teaching career began in Lee County where she taught special education for two years. After getting married, she and her husband moved out west. From teaching kindergarten in California to picking up and moving to Seattle, where she earned her master’s degree in education, she gained teaching experience on a national scale. 

She spent the majority of her time focusing on her teaching for nearly a decade, where she supported her students in their own writing. It wasn’t until she took a break from her teaching and had children of her own that she started considering publishing her own works.

“I think I have always been a writer. The storytelling culture of the south is something that has left a lasting impression on me,” said Mersereau. “I like to call it the ‘porch culture’ because that is where I would hear all of these stories, just hanging out on the porch.”

Mersereau authored a poetry chapbook, “Timbrel,” in 2013 that was selected as a semi-finalist in the Finishing Line Press New Women’s Voices Competition. In 2024, she published her first full-length poetry collection, a memoir in verse, “In the Grip of Grace,” through Finishing Line Press.

“I have been touched by my family history, and I wanted to tell stories and touch upon Appalachian culture and the things that have been passed down through oral tradition. I wanted to capture that in my writing,” said Mersereau. 

The Clapboard House in Wise recently hosted a launch party for Mersereau’s book. At the event, she performed a reading of selected poems and signed copies of her latest work. 

In attendance were a host of UVA Wise alumni, along with family and friends. 

“I’m just so blessed to have been able to be at the College at Wise and it has truly impacted my entire life,” said Mersereau. 

You can find her collection of poems, “In the Grip of Grace,” at finishinglinepress.com.