UNCW College of Arts & Sciences: Creative Writing

You are here: CRW Home > MFA


	Books by UNCW's Creative Writing students and alumni

	At Home in the Land of Oz: Autism, My Sister, and Me Anne Barnhill Painting a vivid picture of growing up in small-town America during the 1960's, Barnhill describes her sister's and her own painful childhood experiences with compassion and honesty. Today she is accepting of her sister's autism and the impact, both painful and positive, it has had on both their lives. This bittersweet memoir will resonate with families affected by autism and other developmental disorders and will appeal to everyone interested in the condition. Anne Barnhill lives in Dunn, North Carolina; she has published hundreds of features and reviews in a variety of newspapers and magazines. Published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2007

	Every Time I Talk to Liston Brian Devido "The novel, which proceeds in satisfying vignettes...tends to share the virtues of Fletcher, its likable and observant narrator." "...DeVido's writing shows quiet purpose in every move, carrying its insider knowledge with easy confidence." —Carlo Rotella, The New York Times Book Review Brian DeVido is a former Virginia Golden Gloves heavyweight champion and two-time finalist. His boxing fiction has appeared in Words of Wisdom and Aethlon: The Journal of Sports Literature, and he has been a sportswriter for the San Antonio Express News and the Roanoke Times. He currently lives in Washington, D.C. Published by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC, 2004

	Gossip of the Starlings Nina de Gramont "Gramont's debut novel is the kind of smart and riveting read that fans of a certain kind of campus drama—think Donna Tartt's Secret History—will devour. Set at the fictional Esther Percy academy in Massachusetts, it's the story of a doomed friendship between two dangerous girls: Skye, a senator's daughter with charisma and boundary-testing impulses to spare, and the quieter Catherine, a serious equestrian with weaknesses for cocaine and Skye's volatile charms. There's romance, betrayal, a gorgeous scholarship boy and a spot-on rendering of the queasy regret you sometimes feel when friends from separate orbits meet." —People Magazine "Exquisite. Nina de Gramont's prose seems wrought from gold filaments. The story lifts off the page and hovers around you as you read. Real people and real feelings in a performance that is full-bodied and—more impressively—full of real soul. I won't forget this book." —Luis Urrea, author of The Hummingbird's Daughter Published by Algonquin Books, 2008

	Of Cats and Men Nina de Gramont “Acute perceptions and an intelligent voice are evident throughout De Gramont’s collection. You need not be a cat-lover to appreciate it.” —Newsday “An utterly pleasurable discovery. . .the sort one enjoys in the fiction of Carol Shields, Pam Houston, Melissa Bank.” —The Washington Post Book World Published by Dial Press, 2001

	Falling Room Eli Hastings "In Falling Room, Eli Hastings moves beyond mere anger to write with a passion that fuses pain and tenderness, anger and sympathy. I emerged out the other side of this immensely readable book bruised but full of wild hope.” —Sebastian Matthews, author of In My Father’s Footsteps Hastings, a 2004 graduate of nonfiction, has taught creative nonfiction and English courses at UNCW. His work has appeared in many journals, including Cimarron Review, The Seattle Review, and the Tulane Review. He has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and won the Alligator Juniper nonfiction contest. His story “Out of the Blue” is in pre-production as a short feature film by Westbound Films. Published by Bison Books, 2006

	Band of Sisters Kirsten Holmstedt "Band of Sisters is one of the few truly revealing books written about our military in the past decade--and one of the most fascinating to read. This overdue account of the combat actions of the women who wore our country's uniform in recent wars reads as swiftly as a thriller, but the thrills here come from the real sacrifices and valor of America's fighting women. Author Kirsten Holmstedt earns a salute for honoring these all-American heroes." —Ralph Peters, author of Never Quit The Fight and Wars Of Blood And Faith Kirsten A. Holmstedt graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism and from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2006 with a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Nonfiction Writing. Over the past twenty years, Ms. Holmstedt has written for newspapers, business, academia, and magazines. She has won awards for her writing at the regional and national levels. Published by Stackpole Books, 2007

	Molly Nancy J. Jones "A beautifully crafted first novel that explores the deep passions of youthful friendship and the dark entrapment of the innocent by a misbegotten love. A moving book, written with rare grace." —Philip Gerard, author of Cape Fear Rising "Molly is an evocative coming-of-age story between two young girls, one the narrator, the other, Molly, an imagined Lolita. What the story says about friendship, loyalty, the strangeness of young girls is both compelling and disturbing." —Susan Richards Shreve, author of Plum & Jaggers Published by Crown, 2000

	Imposters Shawna Kenney Millions trekking from the near and far ends of the Earth to Los Angeles every year head straight to the heart of Hollywood, with vain hopes for a close encounter of the celebrity kind. And despite the mid-90’s billion-dollar facelift of the "Entertainment District," many are still shocked by Tinseltown’s lackluster façade, finding the Walk of Fame’s slabs of cement displaying imprints of Groucho Marx’s cigar, Betty Grable’s legs, John Wayne’s fist, and R2D2’s feet a little disappointing. But have no fear: entrepreneurial souls live here, so visitors can still go home with one-of-a-kind portraits of themselves with their favorite superhero or movie character. Never mind that some consider these street performers to be panhandlers, or that local businesses have described them as a nuisance. Everyone who comes to Hollywood feels like they really could be somebody. In the meantime, it might just pay better to be somebody else. Published by Mark Batty Pub, 2007

	I Was A Teenage Dominatrix Shawna Kenney "Lighthearted but fascinating...her spunk and enthusiasm leave a clear, fiery impression on her readers." —Bust Magazine "Kenney's potboiler approaches its prurient subject matter w/ a refreshing post-feminist Gen X practicality." —New Times Los Angeles Shawna Kenney authored the award-winning memoir, I Was a Teenage Dominatrix (Last Gasp), which has been translated abroad and optioned for film. She has written for Juxtapoz, Swindle Magazine, Transworld Skateboarding, Alternative Press, The Florida Review, the LA Weekly, and Herbivore, among others. Her latest essays appear in anthologies Without a Net: The Female Experience of Growing Up Working Class (Seal Press) and Let Fury Have the Hour: The Punk Rock Politics of Joe Strummer (Avalon Publishing Group). Published by Last Gasp of San Francisco, 1999, 2002

	Goat: A Memoir Brad Land "The spring's most promising memoir." —Entertainment Weekly "An incredible memoir–riveting and relentless, shocking, brutal, just savagely good. And yet. Beautiful and brave." —Augusten Burroughs, author of Running with Scissors "Brad Land's talent as a writer is his ability to be completely vulnerable on the page, yet command absolute control over his language. " —Terry Tempest Williams Published by Random House, Inc. 2004, 2005

	Pilgrims Upon the Earth: A Novel Brad Land "Brad Land dials up a dazzling teenage wasteland. Sure, the scenery can be harrowing -displacement, violence, drugs, etc.- but the author paints a beautiful nightmare. Land’s kaleidoscopic minimalism echoes that of two of his idols: Denis Johnson and Cormac McCarthy. Although the structure is sparse, the lyrical sensibility is copious." —UpstateToday.com "Land does a fine job of evoking the trapped quality of adolescence, its oppressive air of alienation and despair. But as the title of his novel suggests, he's after something larger, a more profound statement about humanity -- how we are all lost, adrift in the universe with no compass other than our instincts, our own subjective sense of wrong and right." —Los Angeles Times Published by Random House, 2007

	Lifeguarding Catherine McCall Catherine McCall has done regular commentary for regional public radio, and her writing has been published in the New York Times, Louisville Courier-Journal, Wilmington Star-News, and The North Carolina Literary Review. In addition to writing, she is a psychiatrist in private practice. Published by Harmony Books, 2006

	Pyres Derek Nikitas "Nikitas' stellar first novel isn't just one of the best genre debuts of the year, it's one of the best releases—period." —Chicago Tribune "This is a polished first novel. ...A heartbreaking coming-of-age story and a gripping psychological thriller." —Booklist "I've long been an admirer of Derek Nikitas's unusually engaging, subtly rendered short fiction....Any subject Derek handles, channeled through the lens of his unique sensibility, is likely to be of unusual worth and interest." —Joyce Carol Oates Derek Nikitas earned his MFA in Creative Writing from UNCW in 2000. He is currently pursuing a PhD in English from Georgia State University, and has published stories in The Ontario Review, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, and other magazines. Published by St. Martin's Minotaur, 2007

	Oyster Flats Dawn Evans Radford Dawn Evans Radford holds master’s degrees in Creative Writing and English from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. She was the recipient of the prestigious Sherwood Anderson Award in 1993. Published and recognized in a variety of genres including poetry, short story, essay and scholarly research, she has taught in educational, literary, community and professional settings. Her poetry has been translated to Russian and published internationally. Ms. Radford lives on the Florida Panhandle where she is currently at work on a second novel. Published by Pottersville Press, 2007

	Boys of the Battleship North Carolina Cindy Horrell Ramsey In this book, Ramsey tells the story of the battleship through the eyes of the men who served her. After doing research about the ship at the National Archives in 2000, Ramsey spent six days helping the staff of the memorial compile a living-history archive of personal interviews conducted with the surviving crewmembers when they attended the ship's annual reunion. She became fascinated with the stories these men told. For the next few years, she continued talking to the men to flesh out their stories. The result is this narrative about one of the most decorated American battleships in World War II, as seen through the eyes of the young sailors who matured into men while manning this floating fortress. Published by John F. Blair, 2007

	Flirting with Ridicule & You Should Get That Looked At S. Craig Renfroe, Jr. "Reading the poetry of S. Craig Renfroe, Jr. will do things to you. Before too long, you'll be smiling and despite your best attempts at self control, laughing. This voyage into the land of the ridiculous begins with a dedication that is worthy of quoting..." —Terry Lowenstein S. Craig Renfroe, Jr. is a professor at Queens University and a frequent open-mic participant at Jackson's Java in Charlotte. Works published by the Main Sreet Rag.

	Not Anything Carmen Rodrigues Not Anything is a powerful debut novel about a girl living a not-so-glamorous life in a city that’s all about glamour. "Any girl who's ever fumbled her way through changing friendships, first love and real loss will find a friend in Susie Shannon." — Melissa Walker, author of Violet on the Runway Published by Berkley Trade, 2008

	The House on Dream Street Dana Sachs The House On Dream Street is both the story of a country on the cusp of change and of a woman learning to know her own heart. Utne Reader selection of good reads, "Passionate, perceptive." Born in Memphis, TN, Dana Sachs is a freelance journalist. She has written for magazines and newspapers, including Mother Jones, The San Francisco Chronicle, and The Philadelpia Inquirer. She has translated Vietnamese novels into English and co-directed the award-winning documentary, Vietnam Which Way Is East. A graduate of Wesleyan University and the MFA program at UNC Wilmington, she now teaches journalism and Vietnamese literature and lives in Wilmington. Published by Seal Press, 2003

	If You Lived Here Dana Sachs At forty-two, Shelley Marino desperately wants a child. Though she and her older husband, Martin, have tried during the course of their marriage, their only hope now is adoption. Martin, who has seen his share of heartbreak, can't reconcile what Shelley wants with what he knows about the world, and as the father of two grown children from a previous marriage, he is not sure he can bear the emotional challenge of fatherhood again. To love is to risk loss and Martin suddenly decides that is a gamble he can't afford to take. "A highly touted debut." —Library Journal Published by William Morrow, 2007

	Capturing the Dead Daniel Nathan Terry Stevens Poetry Manuscript Winner "The language of this stunningly accomplished debut collection is more haunting than the images of the dead in war that it captures. The formal control; the Civil War iconography; the dates, time, and locations are apparitions behind the emotion at the center of these poems. Don't be fooled by the look back into history; these poems are relevant today and resonate with us. Terry's images will burn on your retina like film developing in a dark room and we will remember these poems like we remember the fallen figures it commemorates. Indeed, holding Capturing the Dead in my hands, I echo the words of the poet: 'I cannot look at you and igonore this/light....'" —A. Van Jordan (author of M-A-C-N-O-L-I-A and Quantum Lyrics) Published by the National Federation of State Poetry Societies Press, 2007

Forthcoming:

Robert Lurie
No Certainty Attached

Nina de Gramont
The Secret Inside, Atheneum

Jay Varner
Burn, Algonquin Books

Maintained by E. Smith ( )
Copyright Notice | Feedback