Four recent Loras College graduates had poems selected for publication in plain china: National Anthology of the Best Undergraduate Writing. It is the second year in a row Loras students’ work has been selected for the publication.
Jacob Butlett (’17), Caroline Breitbach (’19), Cassandra Busch (’17), and Jeff Budz (’19) all have poems that appear in the latest plain china. The publication is based at Virginia Commonwealth University, and has been selecting and publishing the best undergraduate creative writing in the United States for the past ten years.
Drew Brashaw (’16) and Anna Girgenti (’18) had pieces printed in 2017-18 edition of the publication.
“I and my creative writing colleagues Kevin Koch and William Jablonsky couldn’t be more proud of our students, and of our extraordinary undergraduate creative writing program,” James Pollock, professor of English and creative writing, said. “This was another banner year for the creative writing majors at Loras College.”
Other students whose work was selected for plain china this year were from Princeton University, Columbia University, Rice University, Duke University, UCLA, the University of Notre Dame, and Emory University, among others. Loras College students have had more pieces published in plain china in the last six issues than from any other undergraduate creative writing program in the United States.
In addition, four students and recent graduates, including Sarah Mueller (’19), Meghan Peterman (’19), Butlett and Girgenti all published stories, poems, or essays in various other national literary journals. Mueller was awarded the Rechenmacher Award for Creativity this year by Loras College. A collection of Girgenti’s poems was awarded an Iowa Chapbook Prize from the University of Iowa in 2018.
Earlier this year four Loras creative writing students and recent graduates had their work honored in the Delta Epsilon Sigma National Undergraduate Writing Competition. Girgenti’s poem “American Family Portrait” tied for first place in poetry, Breitbach’s short story “Drop-Offs” won first place in fiction; Brennan Pivnicka‘s (’18) essay “On Not Shooting a Coyote” won honorable mention in creative nonfiction; and Maria Teets‘ (’18) essay “Intertextual/Feminist Approach to Eavan Boland’s The Pomegranate” won honorable mention in the scholarly essay category.
