In loving memory of Michael “Garren” Tinney ‘01 (L&S English), Donna “Dee Dee” Tinney—Garren’s mother—established the M. Garren Tinney Memorial Fund at UCSB in 2023 to honor the memory of her son and his passion for writing. Each year, the Fund provides numerous opportunities for UCSB undergraduate students focused on the practice of writing as students who also have an interest in pursuing writing-related careers.
In addition to the M. Garren Tinney Writing Fellowships, the fund supports the M. Garren Tinney Travel Awards and three M. Garren Tinney Writing Awards. Each of the Tinney Writing Awards are administered, respectively, by the Writing Program, the Writing & Literature program at the College of Creative Studies (CCS), and UCSB Department of English.
M. “Garren” Tinney came from Oklahoma City to UCSB as an English major and continued his studies at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Garren passed away on December 7, 2019. Garren valued free speech, education, and above all else, using the written word as a means to communicate the many insights he garnered over 41 years as a survivor of grief and student of the human condition. Over the course of his short life, Garren prided himself on his multifaceted occupational pursuits. He worked in politics in Washington, D.C., entertainment in Los Angeles, journalism and public relations in Manhattan, New York, and finally achieved his lifelong dream of becoming a writer in Pasadena, California, completing dozens of short stories, novellas, and novels.