Graduating from the Iowa Writers Workshop (which has an acceptance rate of just under 4%), being a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet, and directing the Graduate Program at New York University (NYU) are the first things on Philip Schultz’s impressive resume. But, Schultz did not come to success without anguish in his early years of education.
When Philip Schultz was in elementary school, he was told by his teachers to pretend to read by looking at photos and sitting silently during reading time. Schultz recalls feelings of wanting to belong, and longing to dive into the world of reading. During his fifth grade year, Schultz was asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, and when he replied that he dreamed of being a writer, the principal of his school laughed and claimed that it would be impossible with his low reading levels. Hearing these hurtful comments changed the way Schultz approached reading. That night, he was determined to make his first splash into the world of reading.
Philip Schultz would go on to become a notable writer and winner of the Pulitzer in Poetry. Schultz would graduate from the prestigious Iowa Writers Workshop and teach the graduate program at NYU, before making a workshop of his own.
With drive and determination, Philip Schultz beat the odds stacked up against him. We are grateful to have such proud dyslexic representation at such a high level of reading and writing!