Meet the Inklings

Pictured above: Front row (left to right): Michael Mortenson, Courtney Mortenson (and their son), Marlene and Marv (hosts), Tessa and Bryan Samuelsen (and their son). Back row: Bayleigh Cragun, Rebecca Russavage, Abram Moats, Candice Boren

What do you get when you mix BYU alumni from marketing, sociology, political science, mechanical engineering and English literature who all happen to be avid writers? You get Inklings, a group of five former Honors students whose passion for writing has brought them together in truly unexpected ways.

In 2020 as they were preparing for graduation, Candice Boren, Bayleigh Cragun and Bryan Samuelsen were teaching assistants for HONRS 320, The Great Questions Essay course. One day during office hours, Samuelsen and Cragun reminisced on the days when they spent more time writing, and they entertained the idea of starting a writing group. Enlisting Boren’s participation, they decided to make the vision a reality.

Cragun had worked with Michael Mortenson when they were both teaching assistants for HONRS 120 in the past, and she knew that he also loved writing. She encouraged him to join the group, and he gladly accepted. Thinking they were reaching out to someone else, the group mistakenly invited Rebecca Russavage to join. “It was the perfect mistake, because Rebecca is such a great member of our group,” Samuelsen said. “All five of us are fundamentally important to the group.”

Thus, the Inklings was born, their name inspired by a writing group that C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien had once been a part of. Every week, a different member submits their writing for the rest of the group to read in advance. Upon meeting, they receive feedback on their work. The Inklings write everything from sci-fi to haikus, and from fantasy to nonfiction. Russavage, who loves writing personal essays said, “This is the testing ground for all of the soap boxes that I’ve developed over the past few years. The brain trust of people is something very precious to me.”

It has now been five years since the group first convened. Since then, each of them graduated with University Honors from BYU and have encountered a variety of changing life circumstances -- such as marriage, new jobs, moving and children. What are these alumni up to? Here’s a glimpse:

Boren graduated with her BA in English and completed an MA in Publishing at Emerson College. She is now a book designer and editor, as well as an apprentice optician in New York.

Cragun graduated in Sociology and will complete her MFA in Dance as Social Justice this May at the University of Texas at Austin where she is an assistant dance instructor.

Mortenson graduated in Mechanical Engineering and completed his MS in Physics here at BYU. He is a data scientist for Mission Support and Test Services, and recently published his second collection of sci-fi haiku poetry, The Sci-Fi Haiku: Epoch 2.

Russavage graduated with degrees in Political Science and Sociology, and is now a Program Officer at Center for International Private Enterprise, which supports entrepreneurs globally as they start up and scale up businesses.

Samuelsen graduated with a degree in Marketing and is now a Senior Brand Associate for General Mills. He is currently pursuing his MBA at the University of Minnesota - Carlson School of Management.

Even with their varied careers, busy families, and being scattered across the US, the Inklings have adapted over time and meet virtually every week. In 2023, the Inklings members traveled from all across the country for a writing retreat (pictured above), their first time holding the writing group in person since graduation. They are eagerly planning another retreat for this August!

Because of the busyness of life, the friends will often have meetings that resemble a book club more than a writing group. But no matter what their meetings look like, they always end up chit-chatting and catching up on each other’s lives. “It kind of clicked in my head how great of a group this is,” Boren said. “I’ve never had another group critique my work more, but in such a positive way.” This unlikely group of BYU Honors students formed an unexpectedly connected network of lasting friendships, collaboration, and feedback.

Despite their differences, the Inklings all have two things in common—a love for writing, and an abiding gratitude for the Honors Program. “When you join the Honors Program, you have the opportunity to do it casually or to invest in it,” Cragun said. “And if you choose to invest in the Honors Program…you will be forever changed…it will give you so much energy back for the rest of your life.”