University of Illinois 2015 Creative Writing Award Winners Announced

Congratulations to the winners of the University of Illinois Graduate and Undergraduate Creative Writing Awards for 2015!

Winners of the Graduate Awards are the following:

• Katherine Scott Nelson received the Hobart L. and Mary Kay Peer Fiction Prize for hir story “What the Devil Said.”
• Katherine Kendig received the Josephine M. Bresee Award in Fiction for her story "Three."
• Paul Beilstein was awarded the Hobart L. and Mary Kay Peer Poetry Prize.
• Daniel Porder was awarded the Hobart L. and Mary Kay Memorial Award in Poetry.

The judge for fiction was David Jauss; the judge for poetry was Mark Jarman. More information about the graduate awards, including the judges' comments, may be found at http://creativewriting.english.illinois.edu/graduate/awards/


Winners of the Undergraduate Awards are the following:

• Karolina Zapal received the John L. Rainey Prize, sponsored by Alpha Delta Phi, for her story "Mala Means Little Feminine."
• Derek Hoot received the  Josephine M. Bresee Memorial Award for his story "The Payer."
• Preen Dhillon received the Leah Trelease Prize for her story "Mt. Lucifer."
• Olivia Ingram was awarded the Folger Adam, Jr. Prize for Poetry, sponsored by Alpha Delta Phi.
• Madeline Nevis was awarded the Charles and Susan Shattuck Prize for Poetry.
• Ariel Jones was awarded the Academy of American Poets Prize.

Honorable mentions were given to Alexis Casati and Daniel Zillmer in fiction, and to Noelle Africh, John Milas, and Jessica Sung in poetry.

The judge for fiction was Ryan Kenealy; the judge for poetry was Ryo Yamaguchi. More information about the undergraduate awards, including judges' comments, may be found at 

http://creativewriting.english.illinois.edu/undergraduate/awards/ 

   

Remembering Greg Rodgers

We are heartbroken to share the news that MFA candidate Greg Rodgers passed away last week on December 17. Greg was completing a novel under the mentorship of LeAnne Howe, and he was only months away from earning his graduate degree in fiction. Greg was beloved by all here in Creative Writing; he was an extraordinary colleague and friend, and will be greatly missed.

You can hear Greg read from his work on our podcast page.

A remembrance of Greg is featured at the Native American House web site.

National Endowment for the Arts 2015 Poetry Fellows

We're please to announce that MFA alumni Sara Gelston and Lillian-Yvonne Bertram have each been awarded a 2015 Poetry Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts! Illinois English alum Mark Neely was also honored with a fellowship. Way to go, Illini!

Numéro Cinq Covers Dzanc Release of Philip Graham's books

The folks at Numero Cinq have posted about the recent release by Dzanc Books of Professor Philip Graham's fiction backlist, including his two story collections and his first novel. The article also includes Professor Graham's amazing short story "Light Bulbs"--check it out!

Philip Graham's novel & story collections reissued by Dzanc Books

Professor Philip Graham's first three books have recently been reissued in e-book editions as part of Dzanc Books' rEprint Series. How to Read an Unwritten Language, The Art of the Knock, and Interior Design are all now available for purchase directly from the publisher and through Amazon.

This summer, author Kyle Minor interviewed Philip about these three books and his writing for HTMLgiant's Author Spotlight.
Philip also discussed his work on the Vermont-based podcast Write the Book. 

Illinois alumni book news!

Several U of I creative writing alums have been making waves with new book publications and awards in 2014!

A new story collection by Aaron Burch (MFA '11), Backswing, appeared in February from Queen's Ferry Press.

Matthew Gavin Frank's (BA '98) newest book, Preparing the Ghost: An Essay Concerning the Giant Squid and Its First Photographer (Norton/Liveright), was published in July.

Lara Mann's (MFA '09) first poetry collection has been published as part of Effigies II (Salt Publishing), a collective of debut poetry books by American Indian women poets. Effigies II also appeared in July.

Matthew Minicucci, (MFA '10), received the 2014 Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize, and his debut poetry collection, No Epithets, will be published by Kent State University Press in 2015.


Other forthcoming alumni books include Andrew Ervin's (MFA '08) second book of fiction and first novel, Burning Down George Orwell's House, which will be published by Soho Press in 2015; and Ted Sander's (BA '04, MFA '07) The Box in the Dragonfly, his second book and first for younger readers, forthcoming from HarperCollin's Childrens in 2015.

An Interview with Philip Graham at HTMLGiant

Author Kyle Minor talks with Professor Philip Graham about history and process in this Author Spotlight interview at HTMLGiant. New ebook editions of Professor Graham's story collections The Art of the Knock and Interior Design, and of his novel How to Read an Unwritten Language, will be released this month from Dzanc Books' rEprint Series.