Who taught the Columbia writing class where Salinger wrote The Young Folks?

Whit Burnett taught the Columbia writing class in which J. D. Salinger wrote “The Young Folks.”

Burnett was an American writer, editor, and educator best known for founding and editing Story magazine. His Columbia University short-story course in the 1930s and 1940s introduced students to the practical craft of fiction. Salinger studied with him and credited Burnett's teaching with influencing his understanding of the relationship between a writer and readers.

Burnett also played a direct role in Salinger's first publication. He accepted and published “The Young Folks” in Story magazine, where it appeared in the March/April 1940 issue. The story is regarded as Salinger's first published work.

Burnett is sometimes confused with later editors or influential writers connected to Salinger's career, but the teacher associated with this Columbia class was specifically Whit Burnett. His mentorship also explains why the class and Story magazine are closely linked in accounts of Salinger's early career.