Jason Mott is no stranger to hard work. He supported himself through earning his BFA in Fiction and MFA in Poetry by UNCW by working at Bed Bath & Beyond and Walmart, and after went on to work...
Anna Ford, Assistant Culture Editor
• April 26, 2023
Founded in 1971, Atlantis: A Creative Magazine is UNCW’s premier undergraduate literary magazine. Focused on celebrating undergraduate writers from public or private community colleges and four-year universities in North Carolina, Atlantis is run by dedicated students and sponsored by UNCW’s Student Media Board. As sophomore Nitya Budamagunta takes the reins as Editor-in-Chief for the 2023-2024 school year, many exciting possibilities lie ahead for the innovative literary magazine.
Universities all throughout the US offer a literary magazine to exclusively their student body as an opportunity for students to get their work published. Up until now, UNCW was not one of those universities. Second Story Journal is a UNCW literary magazine created, operated by and originally, exclusively open to Honors students. Current Editor-in-Chief Abigail Celoria and other staff have worked to change that and have opened the magazine to include all undergraduate student submissions.
This October, WILMA Magazine announced the 35 finalists selected for the WILMA’s 2022 Women to Watch Awards, which included four current UNCW faculty. One of those four finalists iwas Sayantani Dasgupta, an Assistant Professor in UNCW’s Creative Writing Department. At the awards ceremony on Oct. 21, she was announced as the winner under the arts category.
Nov. 7, 2022 kicks off the first day of UNCW’s 2022 Writers’ Week. This weeklong event is hosted annually by the Department of Creative Writing and is open to all students, staff and the general public.
Seabreeze: A Literary Diaspora celebrated the release of its second issue on Feb. 23, with its first issue published the previous year. With two issues and a full staff, Seabreeze joins the ranks of UNCW’s creative magazines. The publication was founded in 2019 by graduating student Lauran Jones. A literary arts enthusiast who was looking to increase diversity in the arts on campus, Jones leaves a legacy in Seabreeze.
In an ever-growing climate for feminism, UNCW creative writing Assistant Professor Sayantani Dasgupta’s book “Women Who Misbehave” is the perfect read. Dasgupta is an accomplished writer in the department, as she is the author of “Fire Girl: Essays on India, America & the In-Between" as well as “The House of Nails: Memories of a New Delhi Childhood,” along with many other short stories and essays. She will be reading from her book of rebellions at the Cameron Art Museum this Sunday, April 10th, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m, providing an opportunity to enjoy her heartfelt work.
The Cameron Art Museum is home to many beautiful exhibits and interactive events all year round. This weekend, they will be a host to not only new visual artists, but poets as well. On April 1, a handful of UNCW creative writing students, both in the BFA and MFA programs, will be a part of a live exhibit, showcasing their talents in poetry and paying homage to the theme “State of the Art.”
Less than three weeks after the novel’s publication, “The Christie Affair” claimed the number five spot on the New York Times’ best seller list of hardcover fiction. Reese’s Book Club selected it as their pick for February, which, along with an effective marketing campaign, elevated the book’s buzz upon release. The Seahawk selected it for our February pick as well, not only for its incredible mystery, but the author behind it. A professor with UNCW’s own creative writing department, Nina de Gramont’s latest book became an overnight success. This is made sweeter by her dedication to the novel throughout its lengthy writing process.
Caroline Straubel, Culture Editor
• February 5, 2022
The Seahawk book club is back with our February book of the month! Our selection for this month is “The Christie Affair” by UNCW professor of creative writing Nina de Gramont.
A graduate of the Master of Fine Arts at UNCW in 2006, de Gramont’s latest novel follows a fictionalized account of the life, marriage and mystery surrounding prominent novelist Agatha Christie. The novel centers around Christie’s eleven-day disappearance in 1926, told through the lens of her husband’s mistress Nan O’Dea.
Holly’s Typewriter Poetry extends beyond its small business label. The foundation of art is an exchange of ideas and emotions between its creator and the spectators. In Walker’s business model, though, the spectators are welcomed into the creation. Her poetry is something she shares with her customers, gifting them an expression of their own emotions, experiences, or simple fantasies. It is one of the most refreshing ways of doing business in a culture often more focused on consumerism than connection.
Caroline Straubel, Culture Editor
• November 1, 2021
The UNCW Department of Creative Writing is hosting the annual Writers’ Week on Monday, Nov. 1 through Friday, Nov. 5. Students interested in learning about different aspects of the writing community, ranging from an interview with a literary management agent, to learning about printing and participating in a discussion with well-known authors are encouraged to join in the week’s events.
