Rebecca Heintzelman

Fulbright/University of East Anglia Award

Originally from Durham, North Carolina, Rebecca Heintzelman graduated from Bucknell University in 2024 with a B.A. in English - Creative Writing, French and Francophone Studies, and Psychology. She will be continuing her academic career at the University of East Anglia, working towards an M.A. in Creative Writing - Poetry.

Rebecca’s lifelong interest in poetry, specifically documentary poetry, was cemented during her time as an undergraduate at Bucknell. Among her classes in creative nonfiction and novel-writing, her work in poetry workshops centered on a documentary poetry project about Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States. The chapbook which resulted from this work centered on themes such as parenthood, imperialism, and masculinity.

At UEA, she plans to write documentary poetry about the Strangers of Norwich. Her goal is to highlight the experiences of individual Strangers who contributed to the cultural, social, and literary development of Norwich but whose stories have otherwise been lost to history. She expects themes of her work to focus on the cultural enrichment that immigration fosters, with a particular interest in the contributions of women and children. Rebecca looks forward to researching the Strangers in local archives and exploring the hiking trails in and around Norwich.