Dear all,
We have reached the end of the semester! I hope everyone takes the time to celebrate their personal/professional milestones, especially amidst our end-of-the-semester deadlines. We should applaud ourselves for all that we have accomplished as a community this semester, too, particularly in terms of our changes in governance and democratic participation! Thank you, everyone, and we will chat again in the fall.
Achievements
Current faculty
Professor Irene Clark‘s article, “Where Have You Been? where are You Going? Reconsidering Literacy Narratives in the Context of Neuroscience Research,” has been published in the Spring, 2024 issue of WPA, Writing Program Administration (Vol 17.2). It is now available online for members. Here’s the link to the journal web page:
CSUN alumni:
Alvaro Castillo, Mexican American CSUN alumnus, Creative Writing major, past founding member of the Dream Center, past Intern with the Educational Opportunity Office, and past Academic Advisor for Matadors Rising, was hired as Marketing Specialist at UCLA in the Department of Student Development.
Sophia Hejran, Afghan American CSUN alumna, Creative Writing major, past member of Northridge Creative Writing Circle & Sigma Tau Delta, is a graduate of San Diego State University with an MFA in Creative Writing (Fiction).
Khashayar J. Khabushani, Iranian American queer CSUN alumnus, Creative Writing minor, Philosophy Major, past winner of the Outstanding Graduating Student Award, is a debut author with an award-winning novel, I Will Greet the Sun Again, published by Hogarth Press & Penguin Random House, the winner of the American Library Association’s Alex Award, finalist for the California Book Award & the Lambda Literary Award, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year, soon to be translated into five languages and published throughout Europe & the UK.
Dr. August “Auggie” Hu Samie, Iranian American queer CSUN alumnus, Creative Writing major, past winner of the Wolfson Award and past President of Sigma Tau Delta, is in his second year as Assistant Professor of Ethnic Studies & Asian American Studies at Ohlone College and was celebrated in April as faculty of the month, and he serves as Director of the Genders, Sexualities & Ethnicities Lecture Series, which featured two CSUN alumni, Kar Johnson, nonbinary queer Event Director of Green Apple Books, San Francisco’s leading bookstore, and Khashayar J. Khabushani, Iranian American queer author of a celebrated debut novel.
Douglas Weissman, Jewish American CSUN alumnus, Creative Writing major, is the author of a second novel, Girl in the Ashes, just released in April in hardcover by Willow River Press to advance praise by Artisan Review & Los Angeles Times Book Review. His book launch was held at the Village Peddler bookstore in Simi Valley.
Current students & graduating seniors:
Emma Carroll, Filipina American CSUN student, Creative Writing major, Northridge Creative Writing Circle & Sigma Tau Delta member, Kappa Kappa Gamma & Phi Kappa Phi member, is the summa cum laude Dean’s Scholar for the College of Humanities.
Kalan Cordell, African American queer CSUN student, Creative Writing major, Vice President of Sigma Tau Delta, is the author of nine short stories published in national literary magazines including Sword & Kettle Press, Poe Boy Publishing, and Beyond Queer Words. He’s also been elected to serve as President of Sigma Tau Delta in his senior year, 2024-2025.
Morgan Darian, returning CSUN student, Creative Writing major, Northridge Creative Writing Circle & Sigma Tau Delta member, is the founder & editor of a new regional literary magazine, Valley by Valley. The first issue was just published, and she’s now accepting submissions for the second issue.
Brenda Gutierrez, Chicana first-generation CSUN student, Creative Writing major, Northridge Creative Writing Circle & Sigma Tau Delta member, has been waitlisted by three Master of Fine Arts Programs in Creative Writing (Fiction) including University of California Riverside, University of Baltimore Maryland, and Arizona State University.
Francesca Nardi, Italian American nonbinary queer CSUN student, Creative Writing major, past President of Sigma Tau Delta, is the author of two short stories published in national literary magazines, including Blue World Literary Journal, and they’re on the editorial staff for The Scarlet Review, to be published in print and to be circulated for sale by Sigma Tau Delta at the end of the Spring term.
Jessica Smith, African American nonbinary queer CSUN student, Creative Writing major, Vice President of Northridge Creative Writing Circle & Sigma Tau Delta member, is the winner of the CSUN Outstanding Graduating Senior Award. They’ve been accepted into four Master of Fine Arts Programs in Creative Writing (Fiction) including University of San Francisco, California State University San Jose, and California State University Long Beach, they also were waitlisted at Rutgers University, and they’ll begin graduate studies at San Francisco State University in Fall 2024 with a Brainard Scholarship.
René Zadoorian, Armenian American queer CSUN student, Creative Writing major, past Public Relations officer of Sigma Tau Delta, is the author of seven short stories published in national literary magazines, including Periwinkle Review, WIREWORM, and Qafiyah Review, and he’s a staff reader for Fahmidan Journal. a publisher with a focus on writing by people of color.
Student organizations:
Northridge Creative Writing Circle hosted four nationally acclaimed authors, including two CSUN alumni, one a Jewish American novelist, Douglas Weissman, and one a Xixanx trans poet, Moncho Alvarado, for featured readings & talks, and also partnered with Poetry Club & Sigma Tau Delta to host several open mics at regional bookstores.
The Northridge Review released both a Fall 2023 & Spring 2024 issue at book launch events on campus with 100 attending in person and 50 attending via Zoom, and sold out the Fall 2023 double issue.
Sigma Tau Delta created its first literary magazine, The Scarlet Review, open both to creative & critical writing, and received nearly 200 submissions, including by students in the UK & Canada. The Scarlet Review will be released at the end of the Spring term.