Grad Landings – Luisana Duarte Armendáriz ’26 (Ph.D.) to UTEP
Luisana Duarte Armendáriz, ’26 (Ph.D.) has accepted a job as an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Luisana will also be serving as Interim Director for their First Year Composition program. Luisana’s committee members included Profs. Victoria Smith (Chair), Peter Constantine, and Cathryn Mercier (Simmons University).
Dr. Amanda Greenwell ’20 (Ph.D.) Wins Children’s Literature Association Book Award
Dr. Amanda Greenwell, ’20 (Ph.D.), an Associate Professor of English at Central Connecticut State University, was named this year’s winner of the Children’s Literature Association’s Book Award for her recent publication The Child Gaze: Narrating Resistance in American Literature. Dr. Greenwell was featured on Fox 61 for her work associated with this award, which was […]
Where Are They Now
Several alumni of the Department’s Creative Writing Program reported updates in their careers since completing their degrees: Tim Stobierski ‘11(CLAS) has recently had poems published or on the way in Poetry Ireland, Chicago Quarterly Review, Baltimore Review, Midwest Quarterly, Chestnut Review, Crab Creek Review, &change, EOAGH, Chiron Review, Gathering of the Tribes Magazine, and elsewhere. He’d served as one of the judges for the 2025 Thom Gunn Award for Gay Poetry, presented by The […]
Luisana Duarte Armendariz ’26 (PhD), featured in UConn Today
Luisana Duarte Armendariz ’26 (PhD), a Graduate Assistant for the Creative Writing Program, was featured in UConn Today. The article highlights how her journey ties into her dissertation. Congratulations, Luisana!
Chelsea Dodds ‘10 (CLAS) releases “Nothing Good Will Get Away”
Chelsea Dodds’s ‘10 (CLAS) debut poetry chapbook, Nothing Good Will Get Away, is set to be published May of 2026 from Finishing Line Press. Congratulations, Chelsea!
Mike Pontacoloni ‘09 (CLAS), ’11 (MA) releases poetry chapbook and wins award
Mike Pontacoloni ‘09 (CLAS), ’11 (MA) who has had many successes in the past few years has added another to his collection. Mike’s poetry chapbook, “Anadromous Fish of the Farmington River”, won the 2025 Quarterly West Chapbook Prize and will be published later this year. Congratulations, Mike!
m.mick powell, ‘15 (BA) releases “Dead Girl Cameo”
m. mick powell, ‘15 (BA) has released a new book of poems, Dead Girl Cameo, which was published by Penguin Random House in August of 2025. Congratulations, Mick!
Miller Oberman ‘17 (PhD) featured as Poet of the Day
Miller Oberman ‘17 (PhD) was highlighted as the Poet of The Day at the national Poetry Daily site on July 19th. The featured poem, “Theory”, featured is from Miller’s second book, “Impossible Things”, now available for purchase on Duke UP. Congratulations, Miller!
Emmanuel Oppong-Yeboah ‘15 (CLAS) to be Boston’s next Poet Laureate
Emmanuel Oppong-Yeboah ‘15 (CLAS) has been chosen to be the fourth Boston Poet Laureate and will assume the role for four years. Their goal is to continue to build on the work of previous poets laureate and to encourage people to be more engaged in poetry. Congratulations, Emmanuel!
Will Hines ’92 (CLAS) featured in UConn Magazine
Will Hines, ’92 (CLAS), was recently featured in UConn Magazine for his successful career as a character actor and a respected improv teacher in venues like the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater.