For Auburn Chason, Faulkner University was more than the place where she earned her degree. It was where she learned to become a better writer, a deeper thinker and a more loving Christian. She was honored at the 2026 Faulkner Marketplace Faith Friday Forums as the Accomplished Alumna for the Alabama Christian College of Arts and Sciences’ English, Humanities, Music and Great Books Honors departments.
Chason graduated from Faulkner in 2018 with an Honors Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing. Today, she is an author whose work spans books for children, teen girls and adults. Much of her writing is rooted in the Christian faith and her own experiences, including her book Fruitful Grief, which explores her journey following the death of her father and her effort to understand grief as a companion rather than an enemy.
Through her writing, Chason particularly enjoys sharing humorous stories from her childhood through her newsletter, One More Story. She also speaks openly about grief, hoping her experiences can help make the process feel less overwhelming for others, particularly fellow believers.
Her path as a writer was shaped significantly by her time at Faulkner.
“Faulkner was a refiner’s fire for me,” Chason said. “I came in believing I was the best at everything I set my hand to and left knowing I was often not the best at everything, and that was such a gift.”
Chason credits the English Department and the Great Books Honors College with challenging her to grow while supporting her through the process.
“They made me a better writer by loving me through the worst of my ideas and creations and pushing me into success,” she said.
Among the professors who had the greatest influence on Chason were Jon Wright, Cindy Walker, Andrew Jacobs and Josh Fullman. She said each professor gave her opportunities to grow personally and professionally while offering encouragement, detailed feedback and mentorship that extended far beyond the classroom.
“They encouraged some of my best ideas, refined my writing in meticulous detail and they led me to be a smarter, better, more loving Christian,” Chason said.
For Chason, the connection between her education and her faith was especially meaningful.
One of her earliest lectures with Wright became a defining moment in her faith journey. Wright gave each student a Ferrero Rocher chocolate and read part of Julian of Norwich’s Revelations of Divine Love.
Looking back, Chason recognizes the significance of that moment and the way it shaped her understanding of faith and writing. She connected Julian of Norwich’s message to her own writing and ministry: God made the world, He loves it and He sustains it.
That message has continued to shape the way Chason interacts with others. She has had opportunities to share it with grieving men and women as well as teen girls in Bible classes and at youth rallies.
“To have it appeared to me in an English Lit lecture at Faulkner is so special,” she said.
Chason said the relationships she formed with her professors have continued well beyond graduation. They have become mentors and trusted friends to whom she turns with questions about her writing, faith and life.
“Had it not been for my professors, I wouldn’t have half of the mentors in my life that I do, men and women I trust with my writing and my top-shelf questions and even my faith fears,” she said.
Her connection with her professors has remained so strong that Fullman was the first person outside her family to learn that Chason had given birth to her daughter.
“To say I trust these people with my life would be the grossest understatement,” Chason said.
Today, as Chason continues to write for audiences of all ages and speak openly about faith, childhood and grief, she carries with her the lessons and relationships formed during her years at Faulkner.
