Ecotone Again a Finalist for Literary "Firecracker Award"

Ecotone, our literary magazine dedicated to reimagining place, is once again a finalist in the annual Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) Firecracker Awards for Independently Published Literature. More >

Creative Writing Faculty Supports Racial and Social Justice

The faculty of the Department of Creative Writing at UNC Wilmington issues a statement of solidarity with the social justice movement for racial equality. More >

Lindsay Lake (MFA '21) Named to City of Wilmington's Clean Energy Task Force

MFA student Lindsay Lake has been named a member of the City of Wilmington’s new citizen-based Clean Energy Task Force—the team will research and evaluate best practices and provide policy recommendations to the city council for consideration in the development of a Clean Energy Policy. More >

Celebrating Our Graduates

The UNCW campus and community celebrates our soon-to-be alumni with a special collection of "We Are the Class of 2020" highlights, including a feature video of our own Creative Writing graduate, Bo Miller (BFA '20). More >

Those Crafty Creative Writers

During the coronavirus shutdown, UNC Wilmington's creative writing majors just kept creating. And creating. And creating. More >

Rachel Castro to Teach English in Ecuador on Fulbright

Rachel Castro (MFA '17) will travel to Ecuador next year as part of the Fulbright-funded English Teaching Assistant Program. ETAs help teach the language in their country of placement while serving as cultural ambassadors for America. More >

Seahawks Are Keeping Their #WingsUp

While teaching and learning from home, we've collected images, anecdotes and words of wisdom that have helped the Seahawk Spirit remain strong with students, faculty, and staff. More >

Rachel Taube Wins 2020 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize

Rachel Ranie Taube (MFA ’20) won the 2020 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize from the NC Writers Network for her short story “The Gentle Clack of a Fox’s Teeth,” chosen by final judge Randall Kenan. More >

photo credit Amrinder Grewal.
April 29, 2012. Skagit Valley, WA

Creative Nonfiction Faculty Sayantani Dasgupta Reviews and Interviews South Asian Writers

Earlier this year, writer and UNCW professor Sayantani Dasgupta began the Twelve Authors Interview Project: an initiative that uplifts South Asian writers and cultures, receiving an outpouring of support from students and colleagues, and internationally on social media. More >

Visiting Assistant Professor Melody Moezzi Book Launch Reading at the University of North Carolina Wilmington Mar. 2

Melody Moezzi, visiting assistant professor in the Department of Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, will read to celebrate the release of her latest book, The Rumi Prescription at 7 p.m., Monday, March 2 in Kenan Hall 1111. More >

Ben Hoffman (MFA '13) Receives $25,000 NEA Grant

Ben Hoffman (MFA ’13) received a 2020 National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship of $25,000. Biannually, the NEA chooses only 36 Creative Writing Fellowships for prose from approximately 1,700 eligible applications.
More >

Ecotone Named Finalist for the 2020 ASME Award for Fiction

Our faculty- and student-produced literary journal Ecotone is one of five finalists in fiction for the 2020 'Ellies'—the top awards for magazines in the U.S. More >

Visiting Writer Kim Barnes to Read at the University of North Carolina Wilmington Feb. 20

Kim Barnes, visiting writer in the Department of Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, will read at 7 p.m., Thursday, February 20, in Kenan Hall 1111. More >

Ricki Nelson (BFA '20) Named 2020 UNCW Homecoming Queen

A senior graduating with a double major in Creative Writing and Film Studies, and a Certificate in Publishing, Ricki Nelson can add her creative and artistic bid—and subsequent win—for Homecoming Queen to a long list of achievements. More >

Ecotone & Lookout Awarded NEA Grant

For the fifth consecutive year, the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded $10,000 to UNCW's literary magazine Ecotone and in-house imprint Lookout Books. More >

Landing a Job in Literary Publishing: A Conversation with Cassie Mannes-Murray

We interviewed MFA student Cassie Mannes-Murray about becoming a literary agent while still in the MFA program. More >

Rebekkah Leigh LaBlue (BFA '19) Featured in We Are UNCW

Graduating senior and Lookout intern Rebekkah Leigh LaBlue navigates her love of writing and science at UNCW. More >

UNCW Department of Creative Writing to Present 20th Annual Writers’ Week

UNCW’s Department of Creative Writing will host its 20th annual Writers’ Week Nov. 4-8. This week traditionally connects students, faculty and members of the community to discuss the art of creative writing and current issues of the profession. The event also brings esteemed writers and publishing professionals as featured speakers. More >

Department to Host Tribute to Phil Furia Nov. 4

As part of Writers' Week, on Monday November 4, UNCW’s Creative Writing Department will hold a tribute for Phil Furia, a beloved professor who passed away last spring. More >

Philip Gerard Wins Highest Civilian Honor in North Carolina

Philip Gerard is honored with a North Carolina Award, recognized for significant contributions to the state and nation in the field of Literature. More >

Johannes Lichtman (MFA '12) and Carson Vaughan (MFA '14) to Read From Their Debut Books

Lookout Books Author Clare Beams Wins Bard Fiction Prize

Lookout Books author Clare Beams has received the 2020 Bard Fiction Prize for her debut collection of short stories, We Show What We Have Learned. More >

Visiting Writer Meg Day to Read at the University of North Carolina Wilmington Sept. 26

Meg Day, visiting writer in the Department of Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, will read at 7 p.m., Thursday, September 26, in Kenan Hall 1111. More >

Ashleigh Bryant Phillips Wins 2019 C. Michael Curtis Short Story Book Prize

Ashleigh Bryant Phillips (MFA '17) has won the 2019 C. Michael Curtis Short Story Book Prize for her collection, Sleepovers. The Curtis Prize is awarded to an emerging Southern writer, and Phillips will receive $10,000 and publication by Hub City Press of her short story collection. More >

Nikki Kroushl (BFA '19) Featured in We Are UNCW

Graduating senior Nikki Kroushl “just fell in love” with UNCW the moment she toured the campus as a prospective student, but our nationally recognized Department of Creative Writing was the big draw. More >

Creative Writing Mourns Loss of Jacqueline Winter Thomas (MFA '17)

Gifted poet and treasured alumna Jacqueline Winter Thomas (MFA '17) crossed to the other side of the river in April 2019. More > 

Remembering the Impact of UNCW's Dr. Phil Furia

—by Gwenyfar Rohler for Encore

Creative Writing Mourns Loss of Phil Furia

The UNCW Creative Writing family mourns the loss of our beloved colleague, longtime faculty member and friend, Dr. Phil Furia. More >

Carson Vaughan (MFA '14) Publishes Debut Book

The Department of Creative Writing is delighted to share the news that alumnus Carson Vaughan‘s debut book, ZOO NEBRASKA: The Dismantling of an American Dream, has been published with Little A. More >

A Reading & Book Launch with Melissa Crowe

Melissa Crowe, poet in the Department of Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, will read at 7 p.m., Thursday, February 21, in Kenan Hall 1111. Crowe will read in honor of her debut book of poems, Dear Terror, Dear Splendor. More >

A Night with Spoken Word Poet, Joseph LMS Green

Joseph Green is a motivational speaker, workshop facilitator, professional storyteller and award-winning poet, and a person in long-term recovery. More >

The Writing Life at Carolina Beach State Park

David Gessner and the students in his graduate class “The Writing Life” took a field trip to Carolina Beach State Park to discuss their writing processes. More >

Visiting Writer Taylor Brown to Read at the University of North Carolina Wilmington Feb. 7

Taylor Brown, visiting writer in the Department of Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, will read at 7 p.m., Thursday, February 7, in Kenan Hall 1111. More >

An Evening with MacArthur Fellow Donald Antrim

In a rare public appearance, writer Donald Antrim will give a reading from his work on Wednesday, February 6 at 7 p.m. in King Hall 101. A MacArthur Fellow, Antrim's 'tightly crafted works of fiction and nonfiction are marked by a contrast between elegant, concise language and the disorienting chaos in which his characters find themselves.' More >

Poet, writer, & Ecotone contributor Anna Maria Hong to Hold Q&A and Read at the University of North Carolina Wilmington Feb. 4

Anna Maria Hong, poet, writer, and Ecotone contributor, will hold a Q&A at 12:30 p.m. on Monday February 4 at the Randall Library Auditorium, room 2147, and will read later that evening at 7 p.m., in Kenan Hall 1111. More >

The Run-On Sentences Spirit Away at UNCW Homecoming 5K

The Department of Creative Writing gave a strong showing at the CAS Homecoming 5K and 1 Mile Run on Saturday, February 2; awarded—for the second year in a row!—the team with the most UNCW spirit. More >

Creative Writing Mourns Loss of Anne Clinard Barnhill (MFA '01)

Historical fiction writer Anne Clinard Barnhill (MFA '01) lost a long battle with cancer in January 2019. She was the author of a memoir, three novels, a short story collection, and a poetry chapbook. More >

Living on the Edge in the Age of Climate Change:
An Evening with Bill McKibben of 350.org

The community is invited to hear renown author and environmentalist Bill McKibben speak about the science regarding climate change, Hurricane Florence and its local impact, and a discussion on storm-experience writing. More >

Writing the Book: Annual Writers’ Week Celebrates Guest Authors of Ecotone Essay Collection

Writing enthusiasts are invited to the UNCW Department of Creative Writing’s annual celebration of the written word. From Oct. 29 to Nov. 2, a variety of authors and literary professionals will be on campus for readings, panel discussions and more for the 19th annual Writers’ Week. More >

Nickole Brown and Jessica Jacobs to Read at the University of North Carolina Wilmington Oct. 25.

Nickole Brown and Jessica Jacobs, Visiting Writers at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, will read at 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 25 in Kenan Hall 1111. More >

UNCW Welcomes Assistant Professor of Creative Nonfiction Sayantani Dasgupta 

Sayantani Dasgupta has been named Assistant Professor of Creative Nonfiction, starting in the fall semester of 2018. An acclaimed essayist and short story writer, Dasgupta is the author of Fire Girl: Essays on India, America & the In-Between, which was a finalist for the 2016 Foreword Indie Book of the Year Award, and The House of Nails: Memories of a New Delhi Childhood. More >

Ecotone Named Finalist for Community of Literary Magazines and Presses Firecracker Awards

Ecotone, our literary magazine dedicated to reimagining place, is a finalist in this year’s Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) Firecracker Awards for Independently and Self-Published Literature. More >

Mark Cox Releases New Poetry Book, "Readiness: Prose Poems"

UNCW Creative Writing Professor Mark Cox has published his fifth book of poetry, Readiness: Prose Poems. More >

Clyde Edgerton Collaborates on Church Cookbook, "Memories, Molasses and More"

Winter Park Baptist Church and Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church release Memories, Molasses and More, featuring submitted recipes from members of both congregations and colorful stories about growing up in yesteryear and the kind of food that was on the table. More > (pdf)

Clyde Edgerton a Featured Author at Chattanooga State Community College’s Writers@Work Program

Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing Clyde Edgerton will be a featured author when Chattanooga State Community College presents its annual Writers@ Work program, beginning Monday, April 2. More >

Ecotone and Lookout Books to Receive Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts

To help support their upcoming initiatives, the National Endowment for the Arts has awarded Ecotone and Lookout Books an Art Works grant for 2018. More >

An evening of stories with Philip Gerard at the University of North Carolina Wilmington Feb. 15.

Philip Gerard, professor and Chautauqua co-editor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, will read from his new story collection, Things We Do When No One is Watching, at 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 15 in Kenan Hall 1111. More >

Run-On Sentences Dominate at UNCW Homecoming 5K!

The Department of Creative Writing gave a strong showing at the 3rd Annual CAS Homecoming 5K and 1 Mile Run on Saturday, February 10. All UNCW students, faculty, staff and alumni were invited to participate. The Run-On Sentences were awarded the team with the most UNCW spirit. More >

Visiting Writer Patricia Smith to Read Poetry at the University of North Carolina Wilmington Feb. 8.

Patricia Smith, visiting writer at the University of North Carolina Wilmington, will read at 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 8 in Kenan Hall 1111. More >

UNCW Welcomes Visiting Professor of Poetry Patricia Smith

The UNCW Department of Creative Writing welcomes Patricia Smith as Visiting Professor of Poetry for the spring semester of 2018. More >

Writer-in-Residence Jason Mott to Read Fiction at the University of North Carolina Wilmington Jan. 25.

Jason Mott, 2016-2019 writer-in-residence for the University of North Carolina Wilmington, will read at 7 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 25 in Kenan Hall 1111. More >

Creative Writing Alumni and Students Form Athenian Press

Athenian Press & Workshops—founded by MFA candidate Daisuke Shen, BFA and publishing alumna Lori Wilson, and Queens University MFA alumna Kelly Rae Williams—aims to champion marginalized voices by publishing women and femme writers. More >

Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Nonfiction Melody Moezzi to Give Peace Talk 

Writer, attorney, and Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Nonfiction Melody Moezzi will offer a talk titled “Jihad for Peace” in Kenan Hall 1111 on Thursday, November 9 at 7 p.m.; Moezzi will discuss her experiences fighting Islamophobia, sexism, and xenophobia within a global context. More >

Poet Ross Gay to Give Buckner Keynote Reading on November 2

The Department of Creative Writing at UNCW is delighted to host award-winning poet Ross Gay, who will serve as the Buckner Keynote Reader for Writers’ Week 2017. Gay will read at 7 p.m. on Thursday, November 2, in Dobo Hall 103. More >

Visiting Publishing Professional Miriam Parker to Speak at UNCW on October 26

Miriam Parker has worked in book publishing for more than seventeen years and is currently the associate publisher of Ecco. As part of our ongoing affiliation with
HarperCollins, she is returning to UNCW, where she received her MFA, to teach a graduate course in publishing. On October 26, she will give a free public talk entitled “Seven Things You Can Do to Make Your Book Publicity and Marketing Team Love You” about all the things that authors can do themselves to help their book publication be a success. More >

Creative Writing to Welcome Distinguished Authors, Alumni and Guests for Annual Writers’ Week, Oct. 30-Nov. 3, 2017

Writing enthusiasts are invited to the UNCW Department of Creative Writing’s annual celebration of the written word. From Oct. 30 to Nov. 3, a variety of authors and literary professionals will be on campus for readings, panel discussions and more for the 18th annual Writers’ Week. More >

UNCW Professor Mark Cox and Stuart Dischell to Read at the University of North Carolina Wilmington Oct. 12.

Mark Cox, professor for the University of North Carolina Wilmington, and Stuart Dischell, professor for the University of North Carolina Greensboro, will read at 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 12 in Kenan Hall 1111. More >

Johannes Lichtman (MFA '12) to Publish Novel with Simon & Schuster

The Department of Creative Writing is delighted to share the news that alumnus Johannes Lichtman‘s debut novel, Such Good Work, is slated for publication by Simon & Schuster. More >

UNCW Pub Lab Director Nominated for WILMA Magazine’s annual “Women to Watch” Awards

The Department of Creative Writing at UNCW is delighted to announce that WILMA Magazine will honor Emily Louise Smith, Senior Lecturer and Publishing Laboratory Director, at its 2017 “Women to Watch” Awards. More >

Shawna Kenney to Speak at the University of North Carolina Wilmington Sep. 20.

"Writing for the Web"—In this brave new world of content creation, listicles and search engine optimization, where does creative writing fit in? How does one cut a 5,000-word personal essay down to a 650-word bite-sized blog piece? And why should they? When will we learn to “never read the comments?” While traditional print publishing putters along, publishing on the Internet can benefit today’s writer in a myriad of ways. This discussion covers the journey from the art of the pitch to publication and on through promotion and payday. More >

Christina Clark (MFA '16) Wins James Applewhite Poetry Competition, Kathleen Jones (MFA '14) Honorable Mention

UNCW creative writing alumnae Christina Clark (’16 MFA) and Kathleen Jones (’14 MFA) were both recognized during the North Carolina Literary Review’s (NCLR) James Applewhite Poetry Competition. More >

Benjamin Rachlin to Read at the University of North Carolina Wilmington Sept. 14.

Benjamin Rachlin is the author of Ghost of the Innocent Man (Little, Brown & Company), a powerful account of Willie J. Grimes’ wrongful imprisonment and his long road to justice. It was recently named one of Publishers Weekly’s Top 10 History Books of the Fall. More >

Creative Writing Faculty Condemns Charlottesville Assault

The Creative Writing Department faculty of UNC Wilmington unequivocally condemns the assault by members of white supremacist hate groups on the campus of the University of Virginia and the city of Charlottesville. More >

UNCW Alumni and Faculty Contribute to Archiving of Historic Black-Owned Newspaper

Professors David Gessner and Clyde Edgerton and recent MFA graduate Griffin Limerick joined distinguished visiting writer John Jeremiah Sullivan and students from two local schools in helping to preserve copies of the Wilmington Daily Record, nearly all of which were burned by white supremacists in 1898. More >

Jessica Thummel (MFA ’12) Publishes Debut Novel

Thummel’s novel, The Cure for Lonely, was the winner of the 2016 Dundee International Book Prize for emerging novelists. It is the coming-of-age story of a young transgender man who moves from Kansas to San Francisco during the 1980s HIV epidemic.

UNCW Hosts Annual Young Writers Workshop

High school students from across the country gathered last week for UNCW’s annual Young Writers Workshop. Organized and operated by the Department of Creative Writing, the five-day camp provides attendees the opportunity to study with faculty members and graduate students in the department’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program. More >

UNCW Students Attend Chautauqua Writers’ Festival

Four creative writing students attended the 14^th annual festival, which took place June 15–18 at the namesake institution in Chautauqua, New York. More >

UNCW Welcomes Visiting Professor of Creative Nonfiction Melody Moezzi

Melody Moezzi has been named Visiting Professor of Creative Nonfiction for the 2017–2018 academic year. Moezzi is a writer, speaker, activist, attorney, and award-winning author whose first book, War on Error: Real Stories of American Muslims, earned her a Georgia Author of the Year Award. More >

Ecotone Releases Spring/Summer Issue

The magazine’s latest issue features new fiction by Ron Rash and Halina Duraj, essays by Linda Hogan and Anya Groner, poems by Marilyn Nelson and Hailey Leithauser, and more. More >

Literary Imprint Lookout Books Featured On Cover of UNCW Magazine

The publication’s spring/summer issue features a comprehensive look at the university’s unique in-house book publishing imprint, including a preview of its new partnership with HarperCollins. More >

UNCW Students Land Coveted Publishing Jobs and Internships

Among the publishing houses employing UNCW students are Milkweed Editions, MacMillan, Sarabande Books, and Hub City Press. More >

Lookout Publisher and Author Featured on TK Podcast

A recent episode of author James Scott’s TK Podcast featured both Lookout publisher and UNCW faculty member Emily Louise Smith and Lookout author Clare Beams. More >

Beth Staples promoted to Lookout editor, Ecotone senior editor

Creative writing department faculty member Beth Staples has been promoted to editor of Lookout Books and senior editor of Ecotone. In a joint announcement, Lookout founder and Ecotone publisher Emily Louise Smith says, “Beth has proven herself a perceptive and accomplished editor . . . ” More >

UNCW Poets Featured on WHQR’s Communique

The program’s recent poetry spotlight included readings by faculty member and Lookout publisher Emily Louise Smith, recent MFA graduate Ashleigh Bryant Phillips, current MFA student Aurora Shimshak, and faculty member and Ecotone editor Anna Lena Phillips Bell, who also discussed her debut collection, Ornament. More >

Lookout Welcomes New Publishing Assistant

Caitlin Taylor, a third year fiction candidate in UNCW’s MFA program, has been named graduate Publishing Assistant for Lookout Books. Taylor is the fiction editor for Ecotone and is currently a summer intern at the independent press Milkweed Editions in Minneapolis, where she hopes to strengthen her acquisition and marketing skills. More >

David Gessner to Celebrate Launch of New Book

Author and chair of UNCW’s Department of Creative Writing will launch his new book, Ultimate Glory: Frisbee, Obsession and My Wild Youth, with a party at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 6, at Wrightsville Beach Brewery. Pomegranate Books will co-host. More >

Young Writers Workshop Brings Aspiring Writers to UNCW

The Young Writers Workshop (YWW) is an annual five-day camp that brings together up to 45 high school students to study the craft of writing on the UNC Wilmington campus. The workshop is organized and operated by UNCW's Department of Creative Writing, and camp participants have the opportunity to study with published, working writers-faculty members and graduate students in the department's Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program. More >

Creative Writing Faculty Members Publish Poetry Collections

Former President of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam said that “poetry comes from the highest happiness or the deepest sorrow.” New collections by UNCW creative writing faculty members Mark Cox and Anna Lena Phillips Bell explore both.
More >

Lookout Title a Finalist for Young Lions Fiction Award

Clare Beams’s We Show What We Have Learned has been named as a finalist for The New York Public Library’s Young Lions Fiction Award. The story collection was published in fall 2016 by Lookout Books, the literary book imprint of the UNCW Department of Creative Writing. It was released to coincide with Beams’s visit to campus for the annual Writers’ Week celebration last November. More >

UNCW’s Creative Writing Department to Host Reading with Author Virginia Holman

Award-winning writer Virginia Holman will read excerpts of her work during a Feb. 16 presentation at Kenan Hall on the UNCW campus. Holman, a lecturer in the Department of Creative Writing, is the author of Rescuing Patty Hearst, a memoir of her mother's untreated schizophrenia. It was a Barnes & Noble “Discover Great New Writers” selection, and received the Outstanding Literature Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness. More >

Clyde Edgerton Inducted into N.C. Literary Hall of Fame

Clyde Edgerton, a distinguished professor of creative writing at UNCW, was inducted  into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame on October 16, along with award-winning mystery novel writer Margaret Maron and three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Carl Sandburg. More >

National Endowment for the Arts Awards UNCW’s Ecotone Magazine and Lookout Books $10,000 Grant

Ecotone, UNCW’s literary magazine, and Lookout Books, the Department of Creative Writing’s literary book imprint, have received a $10,000 Art Works grant from the National Endowment of the Arts. The grant will support the publication of Ecotone, a magazine that seeks to reimagine place, including work from future Lookout Books authors. More >

New Partnership with HarperCollins Publishers

UNCW has recently developed an affiliation with HarperCollins, the world’s second-largest English-language publisher, to provide opportunities for BFA and MFA students that are typically available only to students in NYC-based publishing programs. The mentoring program will pair individual students in two advanced book practicum courses (BFA and MFA) with senior publishing professionals at HarperCollins. More >

UNC Wilmington Gives Voice to Young Writing Talent

Diverse: Issues in Higher Education
The University of North Carolina Wilmington’s creative writing department and publishing laboratory enhanced their innovative programs by forging a partnership with HarperCollins Publishers, which gives students access to crucial publishing industry information and individuals. More >

Annual Writers’ Week Celebrates the Written Word Oct. 31-Nov. 4, 2016

The UNCW Department of Creative Writing will once again welcome a slate of distinguished authors, editors, alumni and guests for its annual Writers’ Week, Oct. 31-Nov 4. Students, faculty, staff and community members with an interest in literature, writing and the publishing process are invited to join in the workshops, panel discussions and readings, free of charge. Sessions will cover a range of genres, including fiction, nonfiction and poetry, and aspects of the craft of writing and publishing. More >

Creative Writing Department Names Jason Mott New Writer-in-Residence

JULY 2016—Best-selling author Jason Mott is returning to his alma mater as the new writer-in-residence in the Department of Creative Writing, the university announced today. Mott is the author whose first book, The Returned, was published in 13 languages and became a New York Times bestseller and a TV series, “Resurrection,” on ABC. “Jason Mott is not just a rising literary superstar, but also a proven and versatile teacher of both poetry and fiction,” said David Gessner, chair of the Department of Creative Writing. More >