Spotlight
Michael Sarnowski (MFA ’09) Releases Debut Book with LSU Press
Jun. 10, 2025—Michael Sarnowski (MFA ’09) has released his debut book, A New Way of Seeing: Distance and Traumatic Memory in the Poetry of World War II. Grab a copy at your local bookstore today or visit the Vanderbilt Bookstore! A New Way of Seeing considers the poetry of five writers—Louis Simpson, Keith Douglas, Richard Hugo,...
Assistant Professor Lydi Conklin Releases Novel, Songs of No Provenance, with Catapult
Jun. 3, 2025—Creative Writing Assistant Professor Lydi Conklin has released their debut novel, Songs of No Provenance. Grab a copy at your local bookstore today or visit the Vanderbilt Bookstore! Songs of No Provenance tells the story of Joan Vole, an indie folk singer forever teetering on the edge of fame, who flees New York after...
Lara Hughes (MFA ‘22) Wins 2025 PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers
May. 29, 2025—Creative Writing MFA Alum Lara Hughes (’22) was recently awarded the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers. Twelve debut writers were chosen for originality, craft, and pushing the boundaries of the genre. Their exceptional short stories will be published by Catapult in the annual anthology Best Debut Short Stories: The PEN America Dau...
Merrill Moore Prize: Winners Announced
May. 12, 2025—2025 Merrill Moore Prize Winners Announced Three recent Department of English graduates have been awarded the 2025 Merrill Moore Prize. This distinction is voted on by Vanderbilt’s creative writing faculty and conferred by the English Department. The award is presented to a graduating senior who is selected based on “literary promise and the psychological...
Creative Writing MFA Alum Max McDonough Wins St. Lawrence Book Award with Debut Poetry Collection
Apr. 22, 2025—MFA Alum Max McDonough (’17) recently won the St. Lawrence Book Award with his debut poetry collection, Python with a Dog Inside It (Black Lawrence Press). Congratulations, Max! Set on the marshlands of working-class southern New Jersey, Python with a Dog Inside It traces the tangled story of two gay brothers as they endeavor to...
2025 Academy of American Poets College Prize: Winner and Honorable Mentions Announced
Apr. 18, 2025—2025 Academy of American Poets College Prize Winner and Honorable Mentions Congratulations to this year’s winner of the 2025 Academy of American Poets Prize Contest, Kinsale Drake, and to the students receiving honorable mentions for their work, Lana Reeves and Christiana Castillo. Winner: Kinsale Drake, GS, MFA, for “Ram’s Head, Blue Morning Glory,...
Creative Writing MFA Alum Rita Bullwinkel Wins 2025 Award in Literature from The American Academy of Arts and Letters
Mar. 14, 2025—On March 6, The Academy of Arts & Letters announced that Creative Writing MFA Alum Rita Bullwinkel (’16) is the recipient of the Addison M. Metcalf Award of $10,000. This award honors “a young writer of great promise.” The literature awards will be presented at Arts and Letters’s annual Ceremonial in May 2025. Congratulations, Rita!...
Major Jackson Featured in Premiere Episode of Vanderbilt’s New Podcast
Mar. 13, 2025—Director of Creative Writing and Professor Major Jackson has been featured in the premiere episode of Vanderbilt’s new Quantum Potential podcast. Check out the story and the episode here.
March 20, 7 PM – Fiction Reading with Adam Ross
Mar. 3, 2025—On Thursday, March 20, Fiction Author Adam Ross will visit Vanderbilt for a book signing and a reading of his latest novel Playworld. The book signing begins at 6:30, followed by the reading at 7pm. Adam Ross is the author of the short story collection Ladies and Gentlemen, and the novels Playworld and Mr. Peanut, which was selected as...
Sixth-Year Ph.D. Student Luke Vines Shines in Inside Higher Ed
Feb. 27, 2025—Current sixth-year Ph.D. student Luke Vines was recently published in Inside Higher Education. Check out his article on the virtues of slow reading here.