Meet Some of the Faces Behind NewLit

It’s not enough to simply measure our impact by numbers alone. We believe in stories and their ability to transform lives. Meet some of our NewLit All Stars and learn more about how we make an impact.

Where Are They Now?

We’re grateful to see the progress in the careers of our Fellows as well.

Bonetti-Bell Fellows 

“I'm continuing to prepare for my comprehensive exams for Berkeley's English PhD. I've been at work on assembling the manuscript of what I hope will be my first book of poetry. I'm also grateful for some recent academic publications, including an article in the Journal of D. H. Lawrence Studies and the Routledge Companion to Literature and Social Justice."

— Andy King, ‘23, ’24

“I’m currently teaching at Claremont McKenna and taking an Assistant Professorship at University of Vermont.” 

—Noah Warren, ‘20, ‘22

“I was a teacher before my PhD experience, so it gave me a way to connect to my former self. But it was also devastating to see students attempt to learn under such oppressive conditions at the McKinley jail. I found that putting a Langston Hughes poem in front of them was not enough; that I would have to find a way to offer them the chance to tap into their experience through language. It challenged me as a teacher. I still think about it all the time.”

—Alex Ullman, ‘22

Jack Hazard Fellows 

“I have published a novel that I worked on during the fellowship (Weft, published by Madrona Books), and I have another novel forthcoming from What Books Press (The Manuscripts). I've since moved out of California. I'm now teaching at the University of Iowa.”

—Kevin Allardice, ‘22

“The Fresno State’s Master of Fine Arts Program in creative writing awarded me the 2023 Philip Levine Prize for Poetry, which includes a $2,000 award and publication of my poetry collection, S is For.”

—William Archilla, ‘23

“Since I completed my fellowship, I revised my novel, The Everlasting Goddamned Winter, and accepted an offer of representation from Trident Media Group. The novel is currently out on submission, as is my second book of poems, and two essays that will form part of a book-length collection I'm working on.”

—Adam O. Davis, ‘22

“I completed the piece that I began with support from JHF; it'll be in the June issue of Harper's. I also just recently received support from the Pulitzer Center to report my next piece in Arkansas. And I'm still working at the same high school!”

—Emily Harnett, ‘23

“I finished my manuscript in progress in February and i've been doing some edits, soliciting feedback and researching agents to query.”

—t’ai freedom ford, ‘23

“My manuscript of the novel I was working on during the fellowship is done and I'm trying to sell it. I also sold the poetry manuscript I was working on during the fellowship "True Believer" and it is slated for publication with Dzanc Books in March, 2025. I also recently won the Toledo Art Museum's Ekphrastic Poetry Contest and will have my poem on display in the art museum next to the painting on which it is based.”

—Jeff Kass, ‘23

“I have been teaching and writing. Since winning the fellowship I have published three essays from my book and am actively looking for an agent.”

—Ariana Kelly, ‘23

“Because of the fellowship, I witnessed other inspiring New Literary Projects, such as attending the Joyce Carol Oates prize winners’ gatherings. I feel grateful to be part of an immensely talented community of writers. [I’m] still teaching during the year and writing in the summer.”

—Sheila Madary, ‘22

“I've continued to work on the novel that I was this past summer. The fellowship afforded me crucial childcare then, and I was able to make a lot of headway during those months. Though not at the same rate, I've managed to continue writing on a daily basis throughout the school year, and am planning on soliciting agent representation this coming summer. Without the fellowship I can confidently say that I wouldn't be soliciting agents until this coming fall, at the earliest.”

—Tyson Morgan, ‘23

“After I finished the fellowship in August 2022, I put my novel aside for a few months and wrote/published a few short stories.  For the past few months, I have been gradually working at revising the novel.  I've done two broad rereads/revisions, and now I am going chapter by chapter for language edits, style edits, as well as building tension/mood.  My goal is to do what I can by the end of 2024 and then submit the manuscript to agents/publishers.”

—Mehnaz Sahibzada, ‘22

“I have continued to teach high school! Still writing when I can, as well -- pretty well all the things that were true for me before remain true now.”

—Andy Spear, ‘22

“I was awarded a GM Future Fiction Collective Scholarship for Science Fiction/Fantasy to attend Aspen Summer Words Conference. I also won Teacher of the Year in Long Beach Unified School District for the upcoming 2024-25 school year and in the running for Los Angeles County, California, and national teacher of the year (to be announced fall 2024).” —Ky-Phong Tran, ‘23

Memoir Workshop, with Joyce Carol Oates and Joe Di Prisco at the Lafayette Library (2019)

“I was in the class with Joyce Carol Oates in 2019 and greatly enjoyed meeting you. Since then, I've launched a podcast about parenting kids with ADHD - Constant Chaos - and working on a memoir about raising two kids with ADHD.  There are many how-to books but very few about the actual experience. From the podcast, I have learned how valuable it is for parents to know that they are not alone.”

—Rachel Blatt, workshop attendee

“The Joyce Carol Oates and Joe Di Prisco workshop continues to be a highlight of my writing life. To have Joyce Carol Oates read my work and offer specific feedback gave me the confidence to complete a full draft of my memoir…This year, the memoir I shared in the Joyce Carol Oates workshop inspired my new podcast Bipolar She. Stories from my memoir became conversation pieces on the podcast with my goal of bringing more awareness to living with mental illness. Through my stories and those of guests, I've set out to feature authentic and raw portraits of those coping with different mental health challenges. At some point this memoir will take book from again, but for now it's inspired an audio show. (bipolarshe.com)

—Janine Noel, workshop attendee

“Getting into the memoir workshop with Joyce Carol Oates was the inspiration I needed to take the next step in my writing journey. I started with 30 pages that Joyce and the class critiqued and am now working on a full manuscript that I hope to publish soon. I would never have had the courage to do this without Joyce's encouragement and the funding of the workshop by the New Literary Project.”

— Shanti Ariker, participant