Claudia Smith Brinson
Claudia Smith Brinson worked as a journalist for more than 30 years in Florida, Greece, and South Carolina. She was a national columnist and writing coach for Knight-Ridder when the former newspaper chain owned The State in Columbia, South Carolina. Her reporting at The State won more than three dozen state and regional awards. Brinson was the first person to win Knight Ridder’s Award of Excellence twice and a member of the newspaper team whose Hurricane Hugo coverage was a Pulitzer finalist.
Brinson published essays in national women’s magazines, and her short fiction awards include the O. Henry, as well as recognition by the National League of Pen Women and Iowa Woman literary journal. For almost 20 years, Brinson also taught once a semester either a journalism, nonfiction, or short fiction course at the University of South Carolina. From 2006 to 2016, she taught writing, literature, and media courses at Columbia College. She developed and directed the college’s Writing for Print and Digital Media major and its media internship program. Brinson is the author of two major civil rights volumes: Stories of Struggle (2020) and Injustice in Focus: The Civil Rights Photography of Cecil Williams (2024).
Brinson published essays in national women’s magazines, and her short fiction awards include the O. Henry, as well as recognition by the National League of Pen Women and Iowa Woman literary journal. For almost 20 years, Brinson also taught once a semester either a journalism, nonfiction, or short fiction course at the University of South Carolina. From 2006 to 2016, she taught writing, literature, and media courses at Columbia College. She developed and directed the college’s Writing for Print and Digital Media major and its media internship program. Brinson is the author of two major civil rights volumes: Stories of Struggle (2020) and Injustice in Focus: The Civil Rights Photography of Cecil Williams (2024).
