Celebrating our 21st Emerging Writers Festival
March 29-31, 2023
Each spring, the English Department at Franklin & Marshall College hosts its annual Emerging Writers Festival, dedicated to championing the work of writers early in their careers. Since its inception in 2002, the Festival has been a collaborative effort between students and faculty, bringing people together across the campus community and beyond for readings, workshops, and the opportunity to mix, formally and informally, with some of the country’s most exciting new literary talents. Generously supported by Edna Hausman P'85 and Richard D. Hausman '50, P'85 and the Philadelphia Alumni Writers House, the Emerging Writers Festival is a marquee event in F&M’s literary year.
2023 Schedule of Events
In-person and virtual options will be offered. Check back for more information about how to watch the craft talks and readings via Zoom.
READINGS will begin at 7:30 pm in the Green Room Theatre.
Wednesday, March 29
-
Tyler Barton
-
Angelique Stevens
-
Edgar Kunz
Thursday, March 30
-
Paige Towers
-
Su Cho
CRAFT TALKS will begin at the times listed below and will be held in the Philadelphia Alumni Writers House
Thursday, March 30
10:00 am: Tyler Barton
Join Zoom Meeting
https://fandm.zoom.us/j/98781372387
1:00 pm: Edgar Kunz
Join Zoom Meeting
https://fandm.zoom.us/j/93731909384
2:30 pm: Angelique Stevens
Join Zoom Meeting
https://fandm.zoom.us/j/95378887545
Friday, March 31
9:30 am: Paige Towers
Join Zoom Meeting
https://fandm.zoom.us/j/91404959861
11:00 am: Su Cho
Join Zoom Meeting
https://fandm.zoom.us/j/99149945969
Closing events will be held in the Philadelphia Alumni Writers House
Friday, March 31
12:30 pm PANEL DISCUSSION with all five emerging writers.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://fandm.zoom.us/j/91268599269
A BYE BYE BBQ celebrating the end of the festival will begin immediately after the conclusion of the panel. All are welcome!
2023 Emerging Writers
Tyler Barton
Fiction
Tyler Barton is an artist and author of Eternal Night at the Nature Museum (Sarabande, 2021) and The Quiet Part Loud (Split/Lip, 20219). His stories have appeared in Kenyon Review, Iowa Review, Subtropics, and have been twice selected as "Distinguished" by Best American Short Stories. Tyler lives in the high peaks of upstate New York where he works for the Adirondack Center for Writing and teaches workshops to the incarcerated elderly at Adirondack Correctional Facility. With Erin Dorney, he co-curates the ongoing literary arts installation, "The Hidden Museum," now on view at Susquehanna Museum of Art.
Learn more at tsbarton.com
Photo credit: Lina Seijo
Su Cho
Poetry
Su Cho is a poet, essayist, and the author of The Symmetry of Fish (Penguin Books 2022) which won the 2021 National Poetry Series. She has served as the editor-in-chief of Indiana Review, Cream City Review, and served as guest editor for Poetry magazine. Her work has been featured in Poetry, Gulf Coast, and New England Review; the 2021 Best American and Best New Poets anthologies; and elsewhere. A finalist for the 2020 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Poetry Fellowship, a recipient of a National Society of Arts and Letters Award, and a two-time Pushcart nominee, she is an assistant professor of creative writing at Clemson University.
Learn more at suchowrites.com
Photo credit: CJ Scruton
Edgar Kunz
Poetry
Edgar Kunz is the author of Tap Out (Mariner, 2019), a New York Times New & Noteworthy pick, and Fixer, forthcoming from Ecco in 2023. He has received fellowships and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, MacDowell, Vanderbilt University, and Stanford University, where he was a Wallace Stegner Fellow. His poems have appeared widely, including in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Poetry, Ploughshares, and American Poetry Review. He lives in Baltimore and teaches at Goucher College.
Learn more at edgarkunz.com
Photo credit: Ariana Mygatt
Paige Towers
Nonfiction
Paige Towers is a creative and freelance writer based in Bellingham, WA. She has a BA in political science from the University of Iowa and an MFA in nonfiction writing from Emerson College. Her first book, The Sound of Undoing: A Memoir in Essays, is forthcoming from the University of Nebraska Press in March 2023. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Guardian, McSweeney’s, The Harvard Review, North American Review, Indiana Review, Cream City Review, Seneca Review, The Baltimore Review, Midwestern Gothic, Hyperallergic, The Billfold, Bustle and many other publications. She is originally from Iowa City.
Learn more at paigetowers.com
Photo credit: Samit Kumar Datta
Angelique Stevens
Nonfiction
Angelique Stevens lives in Upstate New York where she teaches creative writing, literature of genocide, and race literatures. Her nonfiction has been published or is forthcoming in Granta, LitHub, The New England Review, and a number of anthologies. Her essay “Ghost Bread,” which won the Prism International Creative Nonfiction Contest, was chosen for Best American Essays 2022. She holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from Bennington College and an MA from SUNY Brockport in Literature. Her other honors include an alumni fellowship from Bennington College’s MFA Program; fellowships from Bread Loaf, Tin House, Kenyon Review, and Sewanee Writers Workshops; a fellowship to the inaugural cohort of the Periplus Mentorship Collective; a teaching fellowship to the Lighthouse Book Project, and a fellowship to the Hedgebrook Writers in Residence. She is currently writing a memoir about her experiences growing up in New York State. She finds her inspiration in wandering—being in places that push the boundaries of comfort, experience, knowledge, and hunger.
Learn more at angeliquecstevens.com
Photo credit: Jasna Bogdanovska
2023 Student Planning Committee Members
Shannon Boodhoo '23
English-Creative Writing and German Language & Culture Double Major
Women's, Gender & Sexuality Studies Minor
As a senior anticipating my graduation, being on the EWF planning committee offers me a personalized experience as to what events and activities I can expect in my near future. It makes me really excited for the relationships we will form with all the cool writers we have this year, and I can't wait for the EWF to arrive.
Kiersten Busch '23
English Literature Major
Spanish Minor
I am really excited to be on the EWF planning committee because of the opportunity to work closely with my fellow committee members to bring one of F&M’s most well-known events to life. EWF was something that attracted me to the college when I was looking to apply, and to now be part of the process of planning the entire festival is an honor! I am also looking forward to working closely with all of the lovely and inspiring writers that have been chosen to be featured this year.
Mariel Paces Carter '23
English Literature Major
Music Performance Minor
I feel so proud and excited serving on the committee this year! Having worked at Writers House since my first semester, I have witnessed many EWF happenings and always dreamed about helping. It is so special to watch how the Festival brings the campus community together every spring. I love the English Department here at F&M and am honored to support its biggest event of the year!
Norah Clifford '23
English - Creative Writing Major
Music Performance Minor
I am very excited to be a part of the Emerging Writer's Festival Planning Committee for 2023! I look forward to meeting our emerging writers and the unique opportunity to shadow one of them during the festival. Surrounded by a community of fellow students and faculty who celebrate literature and creativity, I cannot wait to learn more about what it is to be a working writer and gather inspiration and knowledge from our visiting writers, my fellow committee members, and the F&M community that comes to enjoy the festival.
Megan Cunningham '23
Special Studies Major
The Emerging Writers Festival has always played an integral role in my F&M career. I remember attending EWF events my freshman year, wondering “where am I” and “what’s the EWF?” Little did I know, three years and full circle later I would be serving on the EWF Planning Committee! It’s truly an honor and I hope to give the students of F&M those same EWF memories I cherish so fondly.
Zyaira James '23
English - Creative Writing Major
Environmental Studies Minor
I am very honored to be apart of Emerging Writer’s Festival. For as all long as I can remember, writing have always been my passion. I have always been a writer. To be nominated for the planning committee means everything to me. I am ready for this opportunity. I’m truly excited to meet the authors and learn from them. I am excited to work along with fellow seniors and English professors.
Emily Nic Kozell '23
English - Creative Writing Major
German Language & Culture Minor
Being on the EWF committee to me means that I will be able to work closely with talented writers of all genres, and in turn help organize an event that allows them to share their knowledge with the students of Franklin & Marshall. As a writer myself, I look forward to all I can learn from these writers.
Nick Sebastian '23
English - Creative Writing and
BFB: Animal Behavior Double Major
The Emerging Writers Festival is such a unique experience that I am so grateful to be a part of. I have attended the event every year, and the fact that this time, I get to actually make it come to fruition is amazing. I can’t wait to meet some talented new writers and soak up every ounce of knowledge I can get, especially as an aspiring writer myself.
Olivia Lockey '23
English - Literature and Government Double Major
I am excited to be a part of the Emerging Writers Festival planning committee! Writing is a way to bridge gaps and connect worlds. I cannot wait to help bring together the F&M community to appreciate the magic of words and the wonderful writers who we have the honor of hosting!
Idris/Izzy Mansaray '23
English - Creative Writing and Film
Double Major
For me, being on the committee for the Emerging Writer's Festival means opening up my artistic bubble and developing a community with those around me. As a writer, it's all too easy to stare at your computer screen in a dark, isolated bedroom at 1 am, hoping words will appear. Though, it's talking about craft with others that brings a bit more warmth to my writing experience. It's what makes the entire process that much more exhilarating, when you've been discussing writing characters with other writers and the energy in the room refuses to die down cause you're all just so excited about discussing the complex lives of the fake people you've created on the page. As a senior student, I want to make sure I help cultivate as many experiences as that with the community here before I graduate. It's delightful that I have the opportunity to do so by being on this committee!
Emerging Writers Festival Alumni
EWF 1 / 2002
Steven Raleigh Byler, Fiction
www.stephenbyler.net
Meghan Daum, Nonfiction
www.meghandaum.com
Julie Otsuka, Fiction
www.julieotsuka.com
Christine Perrin, Poetry
Joe Wenderoth, Poetry
EWF 2 / 2003
Brock Clarke, Fiction
brockclarke.com
Miranda Field, Poetry
www.mirandafield.com
Major Jackson, Poetry
Sebastian Matthews, Nonfiction
Susan Steinberg, Fiction
EWF 3 / 2004
Jeffery Renard Allen, Fiction
www.jefferyrenardallen.com
Erin Belieu, Poetry
Ted Genoways, Poetry
tedgenoways.com
Peter Orner, Fiction
www.peterorner.net
Vendela Vida, Nonfiction
EWF 4 / 2005
Samina Ali, Fiction
Gabe Hudson, Fiction
gabehudson.com
Brad Land, Nonfiction
Sabrina Orah Mark, Poetry
Jon Pineda, Poetry
www.jonpineda.com
EWF 5 / 2006
Catherine Barnett, Poetry
Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Poetry
Alix Ohlin, Fiction
www.alixohlin.com
Lewis Robinson, Fiction
www.lewisrobinson.com
Sean Wilsey, Nonfiction
EWF 6 / 2007
Cynthia Cruz, Poetry
www.cynthiacruzblog.blogspot.com
Lauren Groff, Fiction
www.laurengroff.com
Amaud Johnson, Poetry
Jay Kirk, Nonfiction
Kevin Moffett, Fiction
EWF 7 / 2008
Remica Bingham, Poetry
remicalbingham.blogspot.com
Rachel DeWoskin, Nonfiction
www.racheldewoskin.com
Ilya Kaminsky, Poetry
www.ilyakaminsky.com
Emily Rapp, Nonfiction
Jess Row, Fiction
www.jessrow.com
EWF 8 / 2009
Jaed Coffin, Nonfiction
K.A. Hays, Poetry
Shane McCrae, Poetry
Dash Shaw, Graphic Fiction
www.dashshaw.com
Laura van den Berg, Fiction
www.lauravandenberg.com
EWF 9 / 2010
Jericho Brown, Poetry
www.jerichobrown.com
Beth Bachmann, Poetry
www.bethbachmann.com
Elna Baker, Nonfiction
elnabaker.com
Lydia Peelle, Fiction
Philipp Meyer, Fiction
philippmeyer.net
EWF 10 / 2011
Elyse Fenton, Poetry
elysefenton.com
Alex Taylor, Fiction
Grace Krilanovich, Fiction
Jason Fagone, Nonfiction
www.jasonfagone.com
Henry Wolfe, Songwriting
www.henrywolfe.com
EWF 11/2012
Rebecca Makkai, Fiction
www.rebeccamakkai.com
Christine Hemp, Poetry
www.christinehemp.com
Jamaal May, Poetry
www.jamaalmay.com
Megan Mayhew Bergman, Fiction
www.mayhewbergman.com
Anna Moench, Playwriting
www.annamoench.com
EWF 12 / 2013
Jeffrey Pethybridge, Poetry
www.jeffreypethybridge.net
Louise Krug, Nonfiction
www.louise-krug.com
Paul Bogard, Nonfiction
www.paul-bogard.com
Azareen Van Der Vliet Oloomi, Fiction
www.azareenvandervlietoloomi.com
Caitlin Horrocks, Fiction
www.caitlinhorrocks.com
EWF 13 / 2014
Claire Vaye Watkins, Fiction
www.clairevayewatkins.com
Christopher Merkner, Fiction
www.christophermerkner.com
Amy Leach, Nonfiction
Greg Wrenn, Poetry
www.gregwrenn.com
Caryl Pagel, Poetry
EWF 14 / 2015
Arna Bontemps Hemenway, Fiction
www.arnabontempshemenway.com
Ansel Elkins, Poetry
www.anselelkins.net
Sampson Starkweather, Poetry
Kristin Dombek, Nonfiction
www.kristindombek.com
Chisa Hutchinson, Playwriting
www.chisahutchinson.com
EWF 15/2016
Kerry Howley. Nonfiction
kerryhowley.com
Robin Coste Lewis, Poetry
Julia Pierpont, Fiction
www.juliapierpont.com
Suzanne Scanlon, Fiction/Nonfiction
Phillip B. Williams, Poetry
EWF 16/2017
Garnett Cadogan, Nonfiction
Franny Choi, Poetry
www.frannychoi.com
Indra Das '08, Fiction
www.indradas.com
Meghan Kenny, Fiction
www.meghankenny.co
Kristen Radtke, Graphic Fiction
www.kristenradtke.com
EWF 17/2018
Raymond Antrobus, Poetry
www.raymondantrobus.com
Mandy Berman '09, Fiction
www.mandyberman.com
Tessa Fontaine, Nonfiction
www.tessafontaine.com
Sarah Gerard, Fiction and Nonfiction
sarah-gerard.com
Chinaka Hodge, Poetry and Playwriting
chinakahodge.com
EWF 18/2019
Derrick Austin, Poetry
derricklynnaustin.wixsite.com/authorpage
Elizabeth Byrne '07, YA Fiction
elizabethbyrne.net
Jeannie Vanasco, Nonfiction
www.jeannievanasco.com
Tillie Walden, Graphic Novel
tilliewalden.com
Weike Wang, Fiction
www.weikewangwrites.com
EWF 19/2021
Tiana Clark, Poetry
www.tianaclark.com
T Kira Madden, Fiction
www.tkiramadden.com
Meghan O'Gieblyn, Fiction
www.meghanogieblyn.com
Martin Riker, Nonfiction
www.martinriker.com
Vanessa Angélica Villarreal, Poet
vanessaangelicavillarreal.com
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