Game of Thrones creator endows first-ever George R.R. Martin Chair in Storytelling

In February, A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin returned to his alma mater at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL to present one of 30 applicants with a new honor: the holder of the George R.R. Martin Chair in Storytelling.

This is according to Martin's Not a Blog, where he talked about meeting winner Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, who now holds the title of "GRRM Professor." As part of her duties in the role, she will "teach both undergraduate and graduate students, organize panels and conferences, and conduct an intensive writing workshop every summer,  to help professional journalists cross over into creative writing," something Martin himself did early in his career. She got a medal for her trouble, and because Martin cannot keep from being a cheeky 'lil guy, he also gave her a little Iron Throne.

Cause it's a Chair. Geddit?

I kid. It's cool that Martin is taking his success as an author and producer and paying it forward. And for those fans who get upset whenever Martin does something other than continue work on The Winds of Winter, the long-in-coming sixth book in his Song of Ice and Fire series, he notes that he was only back in Evanston for "a few hours." Things should be progressing as quickly as they ever have, which is not particularly quickly, but that's a subject for another time.

As for Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan, she's written for publications like The Wall Street Journal, InStyle, and The Baltimore Sun as well as written best-selling novels like Sarong Party Girls. Sounds like a professional worthy of an endowment from George R.R. Martin.

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