On June 13th, 2023, the School of Writing, Literature, and Film gathered to celebrate our graduating MA and MFA students, graduating undergraduates in Creative Writing, English, Film, Writing, Applied Journalism, and Scientific, Technical, Professional Communication, and our 2023 scholarship and award recipients.

Our 2023 scholarship and award winners

Photo by Blake Brown

Scholarship winners:

Presented by members of the Scholarship Committee: Jennifer Richter, Sindya Bhanoo, Gilad Elbom, Jillian St. Jacques, and Lucia Stone

Sigurd H. Peterson Memorial Scholarship, 4-year: Ava Wittman

Sigurd H. Peterson Memorial Scholarship, 1-year: Liam Murphy, Flora Snowden

Mary Holaday Murray Scholarship: Daphne Komut, Alexandra Wood

Bernard Malamud Memorial Scholarship: Jay Schoepflin

Raleigh Clare Dickinson Scholarship: Katherine Burges

Irwin C. Harris Legacy Scholarship: Alexander Banks

Eric Gakstatter Family Journalism Scholarship: Emma Coke, Cailan Menius-Rash

Goldstein Journalism Scholarship: Ashley Estevan, Karissa Kyker, Katelyn Livermore, Zeva Rosenbaum

Award winners:

Graduate Essay Award: Selene Ross

For “The Foley of Fiction”

Schwartz Essay Award: Kali Trueblood

For “The Political Context of Book Banning in the United States: Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic”

Smith-Norris Essay Award: Natalie Donato

For “Salutations Cetaceans”

Elroy Bode Creative Nonfiction Award:

Isa Roberts, Mohammed Al Omar, Matthew Chapman, and Jeremy Schaffer

For “Some 3.11 FISH”

WIC Culture of Writing Award, English: Adriana Gutierrez

For “The Viewer and the Spectacle: How the ‘Sensitive Monster’ is Born in The Moonstone”

WIC Culture of Writing Award, Creative Writing: Austin Thornton

For “Evidence on the Matter of My Parents; Exhibit B:”

CLA Outstanding Senior Award: Anna Brandt

The Provost’s Literary Prize

PROSE: Lillian Hayden
For “Harold and Harold”

POETRY: Flora Snowden
For “Interstate Exit 675: Thanksgiving”

The Lisa Ede Award: Olivia Rowland

Graduate Creative Writing Awards

FICTION: “Nice Girls” by Selene Ross

Honorable Mention: “Do you remember that time, in the toolshed?” by Miranda Kross  

POETRY: "Show Me Something from Missouri" by Daniel Weiner

Honorable Mention: “blessed are the meek” by Anna Gayle

NONFICTION: “Some Broke Magnificently” by Nola Iwasaki

Honorable Mention: “Owl Story” by Katie Cusumano

Weaver Award

Flora Snowden

Honorable Mention: Jay Schoepflin, Layne Bolen

Anna Brandt receives the CLA Outstanding Senior award

Photo by Blake Brown


Selene Ross holds her certificate for the Graduate Essay Award

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Daniel Weiner receives the Creative Writing Award for Poetry

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Photo by Blake Brown

Students eat and mingle at the 2023 SWLF Celebrates event

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Emma Coke receives the Eric Gakstatter Family Journalism Scholarship

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Mohammed Al Omar receives the Elroy Bode Creative Nonfiction Award

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Friends and family of students gather to celebrate 

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SWLF director Tim Jensen gives a speech

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Lillian Hayden receives The Provost's Literary Prize for Prose

Photo by Blake Brown