SFUAD Creative Writing major Marina Woollven recently won third place in Playboy Magazine’s annual fiction writing contest. Jackalope presents Woollven’s award-winning story. “How long has it been?” Anna asked. “Since you last saw George?” They were at the pool because they had no place else to be on a Saturday. Anna worked on the weekdays to fill her time but for Marcy, the housewife, every day was a Saturday. Long and empty, begging for the time to be filled. She was glad that for today, she could fill that time by sinking and gliding into deep cool water, instead of vacuuming the same carpet and dusting the same shelves for the fifth time in a week, or sitting on the couch and watching sitcom reruns until she could recite the lines. “Seven months,” Marcy said, slow and firm. She hadn’t trusted herself to say it. Out in the air, did it sound bitter? If it did, Anna didn’t notice, or pretended to not care. “That’s a long time, hun.” It was, wasn’t it? Seven months since George went to ‘find himself,’ as if having a midlife crisis when he had barely finished College. Maybe that was harsh, but he married her and three months later, left her beautiful face with a beautiful house and no one to appreciate either. He wanted to go to Alabama, of all places. Not Ireland. Not England. Not even New York. Fucking Alabama. “Just the boys. Old times. You understand, right?” he had said. She was young. Only twenty-two. She didn’t want to fight when George had given her everything… even everything came from his inheritance instead of his career, like other men. Still, she was grateful. “It’s fine,” she’d told him. The lonely bride even believed it for...

Marina Woollven, a Creative Writing junior from Texas, recently won third place in Playboy Magazine’s annual College Fiction Contest. Playboy has long had a prestigious reputation for publishing short stories by some of the most notable authors of our time, and it is an honor to have Woollven’s work recognized out of the thousands of submissions for the contest. Jackalope Magazine sat down with Marina to discuss her winning story, “Atlas,” and her life as a writer.   Jackalope Magazine: Please tell us a little bit about yourself. Marina Woollven: I’m from San Antonio, Texas. My interests are TV, lots of TV! I’m a huge TV junkie! I like TV series much more than movies but I do love movies. I dabble in photography. Sometimes I draw. I collect dolls, so that’s a thing!   JM: Why did you want to become a writer? MW: I’ve always been fascinated and addicted to storytelling. I just felt that I had things to say. I love to read, and I wanted to put something out there. I’m very grateful I chose this path.   JM: Could you tell us about the story that you won third place with in the Playboy College Writing Competition? MW: It’s called “Atlas”, and essentially it’s a sci-fi piece set in the future and it focuses on this very young housewife named Marcy, and she’s recently married but her husband has just decided to go on a trip for six months. So, she’s getting lonely, and she ends up purchasing a very human-like robot that she calls Atlas, and the story is kind of focusing on the relationship, but really, it’s about the human desire to not feel alone and the different ways in which we fulfill that.   JM: How did it feel when...

What do 10 minutes, an umbrella and six boxes have in common? They are some of the innovative ideas being employed within a new, student-driven campus project being billed as SFUAD’s First Annual 10 Minute Theatre Play Festival. The idea for the 10 Minute Theatre Play began as the brainchild of two SFUAD students, Bissi Ademulegun and Zoe Baillargeon. According to the co-founders, the inspiration for “this shindig,” came from a playwriting class they took last semester. In the class, taught by Dale Dunn and Lynn Goodwin, students were given an assignment to come up with a 10-minute play.  Though they had not yet talked, both had the same reaction: “It’s kind of like Flash Fiction for the stage.” As the idea took hold, they thought, wouldn’t it be great to give other students, campus wide, a chance to to be able to present a 10-minute play of their own work too? “We feel that sometimes departments compartmentalize or students feel they aren’t perhaps given the space and opportunity to truly explore an idea they might have,” Baillargeon says. But with the 10 Minute Theatre, students will get the chance to witness their work go from the page to the stage. Ademulegun and Baillargeon also see this as a great opportunity for creative writers to come on board.  “[Creative Writing Department Co-Chair] Matt Donavan has been incredibly supportive in helping us get the word out, and encouraging writers to get involved and submit original works,” Ademulegun says. But it’s just not about writers. It’s about anyone wanting to work with a group to bring an idea to life. “Often times here on campus, the only chance you get to see work performed is through the Theatre Department….but we want students to know that what...

“The road to hell is paved with leeks and potatoes.” —Julie Powell   From sort-of-actress and desk-job employee to author and amateur cook, Julie Powell set a pathway for 21st century bloggers and launched a writing career. From blog, to memoir, to movie—Powell’s ambitious Julie and Julia project, cooking Julia Child’s 524 recipes over 365 days, warranted national attention and her second memoir Cleaving, A Story of Marriage, Meat and Obsession  (2009) ignited mixed opinions. Unlike some negative criticism from her book Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen (largely from those who didn’t understand that Powell was a writer rather than a professional cook), Powell’s 2009 novel Cleaving was met with some “eyerolls and raised eyebrows,” Jennie Yabroof from Newsweek writes. Allison McCarthy from GlobalComment.com, however, defends the author’s subject of marriage, sex and the metaphors of meat, writing that “much of the criticism Power has received…relies on all-too-familiar sexist tropes of female authors as mentally unstable and unworthy of serious consideration. Apparently, women aren’t supposed to publicly express the same adulterous desires that prolific male writer often describe, at least not without being savaged by critics.” Despite the conflicting responses to her memoirs, Powell continues in her “engaging and humorous” voice, tackling next the art of fiction writing with her husband. Powell has appeared on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” CBS’s “The Early Show,” “The Martha Stewart Show” and “Food Network’s Iron Chef America.” Her writing has been published in Bon Appétit, Food and Wine, Harper’s Bazaar, The New York Times, and the Washington Post. In an interview with the Jackalope, Powell describes her writing pleasures, her current projects and her upcoming visit to SFUAD Sept. 15-17 (Powell will read and sign books in O’Shaughnessy Performance Space at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 16).   Jackalope Magazine: What craft of writing do you most enjoy or do...

Mark Feigenbutz is a junior in the Creative Writing Department who has been studying abroad in London for the fall and spring semesters. He is a comedian of sorts.

With the evening opening and closing with music from Laser Cats, the readings of all literary award winners were beautifully bookended at the Glyph Gala 2014.

This Tuesday, April 29, SFUAD’s annual publication, Glyph, will be unveiled. After 400 pages of submissions, the literary journal has been narrowed down to 41 pieces. Submissions of writing were sent in from multiple departments, and features a mix of wonderful poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction.

Creative Writing Department Co-Chair Dana Levin, discusses the Muse Times Two writing contest winners.

SFUAD Creative Writing seniors discuss their upcoming senior readings.

The first open mic of the semester provided a fresh take—with words and music.

On Feb. 12, Lannan Foundation hosted a reading at The Lensic Performing Arts Center with short story author and “genius grant” winner George Saunders (Tenth of December, CivilWarLand in Bad Decline and Pastoralia) followed by a Q&A, conducted New York Times Deputy Editor Joel Lovell. With animated voice and comedic timing, Saunders’ reading of “Victory Lap” demonstrated his quirky yet humanizing styles, while the conversation that followed brought out the perks and surprises of the author’s past. “I think is was one of the best Lannan evenings that I’ve seen,” says Creative Writing Department Co-Chair Matt Donovan. “The conversations in those types of events aren’t always focused on elements of craft and I really appreciated the ways in which they made it accessible.” Rather than didactic responses, for example, Saunders provided Lovell, who is a previous acquaintance, with entertaining and lax conversation. Donovan describes also an appreciation of the writer’s reading performance. A talented use of vocals, especially when changing from the POV of a little girl practicing ballet to a middle aged raper, kept the audience members on the edge of their seats, while Saunders’ witty pacing took the edge off of an otherwise dark story. Laugh. Gape. Laugh more. Stare in utter shock. Laugh. “He was entertaining, he was funny, he was poignant and he called me a badass,” says R.A. Ademulegun, Creative Writing student, who waited for Saunders’ autograph after the reading. “He gave me great pointers. You know, ‘a table is a table,’” Ademulegun says, quoting Saunders from his Q&A when he expressed an impatience for flowery language. “We’re always trying to impress people with our work,” Ademulegun concludes. “Our readers are just ordinary people.” Following the reading, Lovell, who wrote a cover story on Tenth of December for The New York Times,...

Albuquerque Poet Laureate Hakim Bellamy visited SFUAD Nov. 19 to give a public performance, as well as a workshop for Creative Writing students.

LA Times book critic David Ulin is loathe to give advice. Or so he said, during a Q&A during his visit to the Santa Fe University of Art and Design last week. However, the entirety of Ulin’s visit to SFUAD was an inadvertent how-to course for writers. First and foremost, says Ulin, “Writing is a practice, not a religion!” Ulin learned this by pursuing a job that challenges his writing skills daily. Ulin’s job and his personal writing are a part of the same world: Writing criticism is a “writerly practice,” and he works each day to craft reviews that are “also satisfying reading experiences.” That said, writing on a deadline, another aspect of Ulin’s job, “removes the preciousness” from the work. With a new story due every day, it is imperative for a writer to be able to crank words out and let them go as soon as the final draft goes to the editor. This is coming from a man who worked on a novel for nearly thirty years before he scrapped it, though he could have worked on it until he was eighty. “It’s important to remember that all writers are a part of a conversation,” says Ulin, “and if nobody ever sees your work, you’re not really taking part.” Which leads to another recommendation: Get your work out there. Ulin is a private writer. He never reads works in progress at public readings. Yet that is exactly what he did in O’Shaughnessy last week. “I keep sharing this piece at readings,” he said, “as if to light a fire under my ass to finish it.” Having a fire under the ass is important for getting work done, and one way to help keep it lit is to say “yes” to...

“Be prolific and competent,” says Santa Fe New Mexican education reporter Robert Nott about working as a journalist, or just about being a person in general. This, he explains, will take you far. The New Mexican hired Nott as an administrative assistant  because he could type 100 words a minute. Nott also had a history of working in the theater, which prompted the arts and culture editor  to assign him a theater review. Nott wrote the story, the editor told him he was a natural born writer, and he has been a reporter since. This story makes working as a journalist—even being hired as a journalist—sound embarrassingly easy, but keeping at it requires Nott’s considerable energy and focus. Nott is busy, not just as a journalist, but working on his own creative projects on the side; he has three, almost four books out, and regularly writes and directs plays. In all of his work, Nott believes in the importance of a sense of humor; he is a creative person who loves learning; and Nott is a constant advocate of exactitude, accuracy and efficiency. When it comes to his journalism, sometimes he has to “amuse myself into a story,” by writing a crazy opening for an article just to get interested and “keep it fresh,” so to speak.“If you’re able to laugh at things,” says Nott, “the days just keep getting funnier and funnier.” This appreciation for each day being a fun—or funny—new adventure is a part of what keeps Nott in journalism. “I could go back to bartending, or be doing something different,” says Nott, “and still have time to be directing a play at the Santa Fe Playhouse, or helping to start up a newspaper at a middle school, because I’m creative and I...

  It was 8:15 p.m. on Sept. 16, and writers—mostly freshmen—were trickling into Benildus 101 for the Student Writers Association(SWA). Junior Adriel Contreras, current co-head of SWA, was drawing the SWA logo on the white board. Senior Katie Johnson, also co-head, was organizing her materials together. It was about five minutes past their starting time when everyone was settled. Johnson apologized to Contreras, and erased his logo in order to write the opening exercise. It’s been four months into Johnson and Contreras’s first year running SWA—a task that not many writers were excited to tackle. “What I didn’t realize was how much work SWA is,” said Contreras. “I’m an RA, I’ve been working in the mail room. It’s been challenging juggling everything.” Johnson asked the group to toss some words at her and the collection of writers were only happy to oblige. Pineapple, golden, obscene, ragamuffin, clout, juggernaut, panarama, and ostracices were some of the choice words among them. After compiling a list of 20 or so words, Johnson instructed the group to write a poem or flash fiction for the next 20 minutes using all or as many of the words that they could. “SWA is good for creative writing students to just be seen on campus. It’s very easy for writers to stay locked up in their room and not be appreciated for their work,” said Johnson in explaining SWA’s unofficial mission statement. “It’s wonderful to use SWA for writers to have an on campus prescence.” Contreras shared that sentiment and continued on the importance of collaboration. “It’s important to have a community of writers to really establish itself,” said Contreras. “When you write, it’s so singular, it’s your own process. It’s important to get other people’s perspectives.” Next, Contreras and Johnson...

By Nick Martinez An interview with Matt Donovan, co-chair for the Creative Writing Department with Dana Levin, in which Donovan discusses his return to chairing duties for the Fall 2013 semester....

In Spring, 2013, students from the Jackalope pre-cursor class Collaborations toured several exhibits at Site Santa Fe, producing writing and photography that was then published by SITE as a gallery guide. View the guide online here. Photography student Sandra Schonenstein also created an audio visual piece interview with SITE intern Diana Padilla: And photography student Shayla Blatchford also created an audio visual piece with Linda Mary Montano, whose show, “Always Creative,” was part of the SITE...

During the Spring of 2013, SFUAD writing and photography students worked with and published a variety of articles in The Santa Fe Reporter newspaper as part of the coursework leading up to Jackalope magazine. How to Spy a Turquoise Lie by Charlotte Martinez/ photos by Shayla Blatchford Skies the Limit by Brandon Ghigliotty/ photos by Michelle Rutt Silly Rabbit by Nick Beckman/ photos by Amanda Tyler An Alternative Space by Mark Feigenbutz/ photos by Tim Kassiotis The Personal Touch by Arianna Sullivan/ photos by Luke Montavon Trash Talkin’ by Natalie Abel The Bright Outdoors by Clara Hittel/ photos by...

By Nick Beckman/Photography by Tim Kassiotus With a pleasant introduction by his brother Matt, Greg Donovan had already set the tone for his Jan. 18 lecture before he even began speaking; “Video Game Marketing 101 (kind of…)” read his Powerpoint slide which was being projected across the beautiful cinematic screen inside of SFUAD’s own Garson Studios. Matt Donovan, co-chair of the Creative Writing and Literature Department opened for his brother with a bit of nostalgia: A story of the two when they were young, experiencing the new video game craze also referred to as “Space Invaders.” The two were mesmerized and undoubtedly changed creatively by the game, both of them seeking out careers in the arts later in life. Matt went on to become a successful writer and Greg to produce the very thing that brought them both together, video games. Greg began his presentation by letting his audience know the casual tone of the lecture. “I use some terms and phrases that are common in the industry” Donovan explained, “ so please ask questions if you don’t know what I’m saying.” Donovan, a former Yilm school student, claims that he began working on the sets of short Yilms and eventually landed himself a marketing job for a gaming company. Here, he says, he found that his passion was for the production of the games themselves. So, after a year or so he moved to Volition, the company he is currently with and has produced Saints Row 1-3 and is currently working on the 4th. Volition is a video game developer based out of Illinois and has also produced titles like Red Faction and The Punisher. The game itself is a delightful mix of colorful characters, ranging from bumbling gang members to over the...