QU CREATIVE WRITING

Yawp! Visiting Writer’s Series

Fall 2012-present

This series is free and open to the public. We generally host six professional writers per academic year. The series is promoted on campus and to the larger community through John Morgan in Public Relations. Many of the events are scheduled in the afternoon in an effort to bring together a mix of QU faculty, students, and staff. These events often dovetail with content in QU Creative Writing courses, so many of the student spectators are already familiar with the work of the featured poet, author, or producer. This intersection between public performance and the classroom experience is one of the things that makes a series like this so crucial to the development of the EN Department and the Creative Writing Program.

2010-21
Kyle Liang, Leila Chatti, Reginald Dwayne Betts

2019-20
Diannely Antigua, Ann Heppermann (canceled), Christina Kallery, Jessica Treat, Jessica Greenbaum, Student/Faculty Reading

2018-19
Andrew Leland, Hala Alyan, Student/Faculty Reading, Mika Taylor, Javer Zamora, Kyle Liang, Jason Koo

2017-18
CT Poetry Circuit Winners, Natalie Eilbert, Chen Chen, Rosebud Ben-Oni, Darrel Alejandro Holnes, Bessy Reyna, Roselee Blooston, Ethan Rutherford

2016-17
Randall Horton (canceled), Paulo Valesio, Debora Kuan. Ellen Litman, Sampson Starkweather

2015-16
Martin Espada, Justice Barry Schaller (canceled), Hanif Willis-Abdurraqib, Joe Richman, Aracelis Girmay, Christine Kinealy, John A. Walsh

2014-15
Patrick Rosal, Desmond Egan, Jeanne LeVasseur, Jericho Brown, Tim Parrish, Tarfia Faizullah

2013-14
Jason Koo, Wally Lamb, Roger Reeves, Kaye McDonough, Desmond Egan, Catie Talarski, Catherine Ladnier, Paul Janensch, Nick Sturm, Jenny Zhang

2012-13
Marilyn Nelson, Anne Hays, John Murillo, Vivian Shipley, Desmond Egan, Jason Koo, Kathy Czepiel, Jonathan Mitchell, Jason Bredle

2011
Taylor Mali

Montage Student Writer’s Series

Spring 2011-present

Each installment of this series includes an open mic and feature slots for Quinnipiac student writers, musicians, artists, etc. The series was curated and hosted by Ken Cormier from Spring 2011-Spring 2016, including 8-10 installments per academic year, with 16-20 student features and many other student performers in the Open Mic, Poetry Slam, and Story Slam events. The name of the series was changed from Quinnipiac Writer’s Series to Montage Writer’s Series in Fall 2012 to link it with our Montage student literary journal, thereby increasing awareness about the journal and establishing a coherent center to the literary “scene” here on campus. We average 30- 50 or more attendees per installment. This series provides many aspiring student writers their first experience sharing creative work outside of the classroom, and their efforts are obviously inspiring to student audience members, who are often astonished at the quality of the work being presented. In Fall 2016, the series was taken over by editors of Montage, and they host two to three Open Mic events per semester.

Donald Hall Poetry Prize
Fall 2011-present

All QU undergraduates are invited to submit up to five pages of poetry to compete for cash prizes. The award is funded by CAS. We promote the call for submissions to the campus community, and a committee of faculty (from English and other disciplines) judge the work and announce awards. These awards are vital to the literary culture on campus as they recognize outstanding creative work and inspire students to see their writing in the context of a larger, campus-wide community. Ideally, this kind of experience can inspire students to begin submitting their work to venues outside of QU.

Prize Winners

2021 (27 submissions)

First: Tyler Maron
Second: Erin Mullane
Third (tie): Cora Fuhrmann
Third (tie): Timothy Powers

2020 (11 submissions)

First: Joelle Gray
Second: Tyler Maron
Third: Sophie Rodgers
HM: Wesley Clapp
HM: Jennifer Rondinelli

2019 (23 submissions)

First: Sarah Marek
Second: Shaylah Zorn
Third: Michael Fernandez
HM: Avery Kidd
HM: Kelly Banach
HM: Anna Ciaccarella

2018 (31 submissions)

First: Nhung An
Second: Rosalie Persiani
Third (tie): Haley Cohen
Third (tie): Amanda Teti
HM: Greta Stroebel
HM: Michael Fernandez

2017 (26 submissions)

First: Marissa Landino
Second: Kyle Liang
Third: Isabella Purcell
HM: Nhung An
HM: Olivia Hilton
HM: Rosalie Persiani

2016 (49 submissions)

First: Jen Fremd
Second: Stephen Krom
Third: Michael Pitre
HM: Kyle Liang
HM: Kevin Pollard

2015 (26 submissions)

First: Jessica Wharton
Second: Rachel Corso
Third: Jessica Simpson
HM: Kara Fortier
HM: Lovanda Brown

2014 (51 submissions)

First: Tanner Celestin
Second: Julia Perkins
Third: Rachel Corso
HM: Alexander Danieli
HM: Clare Michalak

2013 (41 submissions)

First: Justin Goldsmith
Second: Danielle Susi
Third: Tanner Celestin
HM: Anthony DiMartino
HM: Joe Virgillito

2012 (35 submissions)

First: Samantha Austin
Second: Eric Esposito
Third: Chris Gillotte
HM: Jeoffrey Bispham

Wilder Fiction Prize
Fall 2013-present

All QU undergraduates are invited to submit a work of short fiction to compete for cash prizes. The award is funded by CAS. We promote the call for submissions to the campus community, and a committee of faculty (from English and other disciplines) judge the work and announce awards. These awards are vital to the literary culture on campus as they recognize outstanding creative work and inspire students to see their writing in the context of a larger, campus-wide community. Ideally, this kind of experience can inspire students to begin submitting their work to venues outside of QU.

Prize Winners

2021 (29 submissions)

First: Tess Adams
Second: Emily DePaola
Third: Josephine Buckley
HM: Kaitlyn Bendick
HM: Elizabeth Mazany

2020 (27 submissions)

First: Matthew Stayner
Second: Sophie Rodgers
Third (tie): Haniya Ahmed
Third (tie): Mahlet Sugebo

2019 (26 submissions)

First: Nhung An
Second (tie): Hassan Alshiyoukh
Second (tie): Michael Fernandez
Third: Nina Leopold
HM: Tess Adams

2018 (44 submissions)

First: Nathaniel Walsky
Second: Greta Stroebel
Third (tie): Kayla Linn
Third (tie): Kiana Arevalo
HM: Nhung An
HM: Mackenzie Fenn

2017 (34 submissions)

First: Trisana Spence
Second: Stephen Krom
Third: Hannah Cotter
HM: John Acker 

2016 (26 submissions)

First: Kevin Pollard
Second: Chelsey Tahan
Third: Taylor Hoblitzell

2015 (34 submissions)

First: Lauren Manna
Second: Rachel Corso
Third: Alan Johnson
HM: Naomi Lamire
HM: Cayla Logan
HM: Jon Hammer

2014 (34 submissions)

First: Kara Fortier
Second: Alexander Danieli
Third: Alyssa Dunn
HM: Domingo Perez