The Wisconsin Book Festival hosted the 2023-24 Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellows Wednesday evening, in collaboration with the University of Wisconsin’s Institute for Creative Writing.
The Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellows are a group of writers who are provided resources and community while working on their first book of poetry and fiction, according to the UW Creative Writing website. Not only is UW’s environment intended to improve the fellows’ writing skills, but it also provides them opportunities to develop as instructors, the website says.
UW creative writing professor Amy Quan Barry introduced the presenters, touching on the institute’s history — beginning with its founding in 1986 — and how it has developed numerous authors of acclaim.
The 2023-24 Ronald Wallace Poetry Fellow Elijah Bean presented first, reading from several poems, many of which concern ideas of home and reflection on the past. Bean’s poems are linked to memories such as a cramped living room, lawnmowers, dogs and writing alongside someone close to death and aware of their own mortality.
Following Bean was 2023-24 Carol Houck Smith Fiction Fellow Gothataone Moeng, who read an excerpt from the middle of the first chapter of her upcoming novel. Moeng’s work centered deeply around the meaning of human conversation and explored themes such as why people are drawn to certain others, becoming less ignorant of the world and the idea of possessing a great gift.
The 2023-24 Jay C. and Ruth Halls Poetry Fellow Sadia Hassan presented next, with works heavily focused on the utilization of art as advocacy, and how poems can be written to represent one’s beliefs. The poems Hassan read involved themes such as dreaming, speaking out amongst a crowd and how to best confront the self-obsession that so heavily impacts American society.
Next was Ada Zhang, the 2023-24 James C. McCreight Fiction Fellow, who read from a larger project in progress. Zhang’s work, which revolved around the life of a Chinese congregation moving into Texas and its subsequent role as a safe haven for immigrants, concerned the themes of religion, familial history and matching one’s identity with their family.
Lastly, 2023-24 Hoffman-Halls Emerging Artist Fellow in Poetry Mandy Moe Pwint Tu read from two poems and an excerpt from her novel’s prologue. All three concerned the international student experience, from feeling like an outsider to managing the familial struggle across oceans.
All five of the Creative Writing Fellows showcased their unique styles of writing that earned their positions and will continue to develop their work in Wisconsin and beyond.
