Spring 2007 The Coast Line Newsletter of the Department of Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington The Year of Scholarships It’s been a banner year in UNCW’s Department of Creative Writing — with an impressive array of student, alumni, and faculty books and publications, an active program of community involvement, and an engaging roster of guest authors, as well as the @ department’s first named scholarship. Our writers continue to change the world around them — through the power of words. The Jesse Rice-Evans North Carolina Sorosis Award Creative Writing Scholarship ach year, the North he Creative Writing Department thanks ECarolina Sorosis, a Tdonors Mark Griffis and Dave Robertson women’s civic organization, for creating the department’s first scholarship, honors a writer by giving named in honor of Jesse Rice-Evans. a $500 scholarship in that Still in her teenage years, not yet a high school writer’s name to one of graduate, UNCW’s undergraduate Jesse was students chosen by creative selected writing faculty members. to attend This year, Christine York the North received the award, named Carolina in honor of Wilmington Governor’s author Celia Rivenbark. Scholarship recipient Christine York (left) with author Celia Rivenbark School. She York is also the recipient of is a true hu- the Chancellor’s Achievement Award four out of the manitarian, five semesters she has been enrolled for at UNCW, and often taking continued on page 14 risks speak- Left to right: Mark Griffis, Dr. John Rice, Jesse Rice-Evans, ing out and Marla Rice-Evans, Dave Robertson CHANGING OF THE GUARD: continuing A new chair for the CRW Department to stand for what is good in our world. Her dedication and perseverance serve as inspiration for this endow- he Department of Creative Writing held its first election ment. Tof a new chair in January of 2007. Two members of the This $2,200 scholarship will be awarded to a rising faculty, Wendy Brenner and Philip Gerard, agreed to stand for senior in the Department of Creative Writing for the the office and prepared written statements of their vision of the department’s future. They each met with the faculty, MFA first time in 2007. The scholarship will be used to pro- students, and CAS Dean David Cordle, as well as with current vide financial support up to the cost of tuition, fees chair Phil Furia. and books as funding permits. In order to be eligible, After a secret ballot, the department recommended that the recipient must be registered for twelve or more Philip Gerard be named chair, and Dean Cordle concurred credit hours. Because it is a merit scholarship, it is also with that recommendation. In his message to the department, Dean Cordle described Gerard as continued on page 11 continued on page 14 Student News Congratulations to the student whose creative work shows tributed significantly to the morale, following UNCW students outstanding promise, was awarded community spirit, and excellence in both the MFA and BFA to Hillary Wentworth. of the MFA program. This year it programs for their recent was warded by faculty and student publications and presentations. The Robert H. Byington Leader- nomination to Hannah Abrams. ship Fellowship honors the out- Kristin Cole presented a paper at standing leadership and pioneering The Lavonne Adams Award, cre- the National Council of Teachers of work of Dr. Robert H. Byington in ated by MFA students, is awarded English in November 2006. establishing the Creative Writing by student nomination and vote. It is designated for a graduating MFA Ashley Hudson was a finalist in the student who, throughout his or Washington Square Review 2006 Po- her enrollment in the program, has etry Contest judged by Nick Flynn. shown an all-around dedication to She also won the Columbia Journal’s @ the MFA program, his or her work, and the creative writing community. 2007 Poetry Contest, judged by Since June 2006, the following Matthea Harvey, and will be pub- The recipient should have contrib- students have been featured uted to the academic and social lished in the July 2007 edition of in Wilma!, Wilmington’s the journal. health of the program, as well as the magazine for women, in their writing community at large. This “On the Cusp” series: Miriam Parker’s short story “Made year this award went to Emily Gor- man-Fancy. for TV Movie of My Life” was Megan Sheperd published in the December issue of Jennifer Rose Fourteen Hills. The Furia Award is funded by Lau- Stevie Kohler rie Patterson of UNCW’s Comput- Hannah Abrams Sumanth Prabhaker’s essay “A er Science Department. The recipi- Janie Miller ent of the award is an MFA student Hard Truth About Waste Manage- Simona Chitescu ment” has been published online at who, through coursework, MFA Lauren Hodges exam, and/or thesis, demonstrates identitytheory.com and was chosen Jen Weathers for Best American Fantasy 2007. the greatest historical understanding Miriam Parker of their genre. This year the award Daniel Terry went to Cynthia Ramsey. BFA student pub- “On the Cusp” is funded by a lished his poem “Hymn to Ophelia” grant from the George Link The Gerard Fellowship is given in the national undergraduate liter- Foundation. ary journal The Albion Review. to an incoming graduate student working toward an MFA and is Congratulations to the follow- based on merit. The award is funded ing MFA students, recipients by Charles Green III. This year’s of this year’s departmental recipient was Jason Mott. awards. Program and is funded by Philip Gerard. It is awarded at the start of the thesis year to an MFA student The Shannon A. Morton Fellow- of outstanding creative achievement ship, a graduate merit scholarship, who has demonstrated unusual awarded by faculty nomination, generosity of spirit toward faculty, designated for a second year MFA staff, and peers and who has con- 2 The Coast Line • Spring 2007 Faculty News Lavonne Adams has been invited Barbara Brannon contributed tumn House Book of Contemporary to be an Artist-in-Residence at articles to several recent issues of Poetry (Autumn House); Never Be- the Harwood Wilmington Maga- fore: Poems of First Experience (Four Museum of Art zine. Her book, Way Books); Blues for Bill: Tributes in Taos, New The Ferries of North to William Matthews (University of Mexico, to work Carolina: Traveling Akron Press); The Giant Book of Po- on her collection the State’s Nauti- etry (Level4Press); Mississippi Review of poems based cal Highways, was (online); and the Southern Review. on the paint- published in spring Clyde Edgerton’s Solo: My ings of Georgia of 2007. Adventures in the Air won the 2006 O’Keeffe. She Wendy Brenner’s essay “Love Regan Old North also coordinated a team-taught, and Death in the Cape Fear State Award for interdisciplinary version of “CRW Serpentarium” Nonfiction. The 202: Explorations in the Creative appears in the New York Times Process.” The course features guest anthology Best described Solo as lecturers by faculty in Creative American Maga- a “spare, heartfelt Writing, Studio Art, Art History, zine Writing 2006. celebration of Music, Drama and Film Studies, Her essay in Ox- the flying life.” with workshop sections taught by ford American was Jonathan Yardley, graduate teaching assistants in Cre- one of five final- reviewing Solo in the Washington ative Writing. ists, along with an essay by adjunct Post, called the book an “engaging Tim Bass’s short story “Magen- faculty member John Jeremiah memoir . amiable in its account ta Chickens” has Sullivan, for the 2005 National of how one learns to fly.” Clyde is been published in Magazine Award in Feature Writing only the second writer, after Tim Aries magazine. selected by the American Society of McLaurin, to receive both the Fic- He also developed Magazine Editors. She published tion and Nonfiction awards from a new course, new nonfiction and fiction in Ox- the Literary and Historical Associa- Writing for Digi- ford American and Fairy Tale Review. tion. Clyde Edgerton and Philip tal Media, which Her short short story has also been Gerard were featured writers in an will be part of the published in Esquire’s online “nap- article emphasizing North Carolina’s digital arts minor kin fiction archive”— stories written rich literary history published in in Computer Science that begins on Esquire cocktail napkins—and the January 2007 Wrightsville Beach next fall. can be found at http://www.esquire. Magazine. Karen Bender’s short story com/napkinproject. Phil Furia published America’s “Theft” has been published in the Mark Cox’s work has recently Songs: The Stories Behind the Songs of Harvard Review appeared in Under the Rock Um- Broadway, Holly- and will also be brella: Contemporary American Poets wood, and Tin Pan included in Best from 1951–1977 Alley (co-author, American Mystery (Mercer University Michael Lasser; Stories 2006. “Re- Press); Homage to Routledge). He fund,” published in Vallejo (Green- was interviewed Ploughshares, will house Review on Bob Edwards reappear in Push- Press); Manthol- Weekend and other cart Prize 2007. ogy: Poems of the national radio programs. He also Male Experience wrote and emceed musical tributes (University of Iowa Press); The Au- to the Gershwins at Charleston’s The Coast Line • Spring 2007 Alumni Publications Anne Barnhill (MFA, 2001) has 2006) nonfiction book and MFA placed her memoir, At Home in the thesis about women in combat will Alumni Readings Land of Oz, with London publisher be published by Stackpole Books in Jessica Kingsley. The book will be 2007. Kirsten’s extensive research Eli Hastings (MFA, 2004) is the published in the U.K., Australia, for this book also led to her article author of Falling Room (2006), the and the U.S.