'Game of Thrones' author George R.R. Martin donates $5M to Northwestern University for creative writing studies

CHICAGO (CBS) -- George R.R. Martin is presenting his alma mater with a magical gift to inspire future authors with a $5 million donation.

The "Game of Thrones" author of the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series and the co-executive producer of the GOT series is donating the gift to Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications.

Martin ('70, '71 MS, '21 H) will give $3 million gift to set up establish the George R.R. Martin Summer Intensive Writing Workshop. That'll give those with a career in journalism who want to start a career in creative writing. It'll start in 2024. The program will host six to eight writers and authors every summer "and afford budding fiction writers, screenwriters and playwrights the time, space and guidance to develop their projects."

The remaining $2 million goes toward an endowed professorship, to be named the George R.R. Martin Chair in Storytelling. That person will be in charge of the the George R.R. Martin Summer Intensive Writing Workshop and teach courses from narrative nonfiction to creative writing.

Martin is best known for "A Song of Ice and Fire," the series of fantasy novels adapted by HBO for its Emmy-winning series "Game of Thrones." He's co-executive producer of the series. He's also the author of "Fire & Blood," the basis for HBO's "House of the Dragon," the prequel to "Game of Thrones."

"George R.R. Martin is a prolific and iconic author with an international audience," said Northwestern President Michael H. Schill. "We are so grateful for his generosity to his alma mater, which will inspire and equip the next generation of storytellers at Northwestern."

"The George R.R. Martin Chair in Storytelling and the Summer Intensive Writing Workshop will enable us to recruit, retain and host recognized authors and storytellers for the benefit of Northwestern students and writers from around the country," said Charles Whitaker, dean of Medill. "These initiatives will help aspiring writers across myriad literary genres to make their mark on the world, as George has done."

Martin received a B.S. in journalism from Medill in 1970 and an M.S. from the school in 1971. According to Northwestern, he began writing at a young age, selling monster stories, and performing dramatic readings, to neighborhood kids for pennies. He was a comic book collector in high school and started to write fiction for comic fanzines. His first comic, "The Hero" was published in February 1971.

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