Student And Alumni Accomplishments

CU Denver poetry alumna Anna Leigh Knowles is a finalist for the Colorado Book Award in Poetry!

CU Denver’s Creative Writing Program is proud to announce the winners of the 2025 Lit Fest Creative Writing Scholarships. The scholarships are offered by CU Denver’s Department of English and Office of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities; applicants are evaluated by a committee of Creative Writing faculty. The winning students...

One of our Creative Writing and Copper Nickel alums, Nini Berndt, is publishing her debut novel. There Are Reasons for This is coming out with Tin House in June.

The 2024 Rex Burns Award for best graduate essay went to Shannon Anglemire, for "CRT in DCSD: Addressing the Extent to Which CRT is Present in the Douglas County School District Equity Policy". Congratulations Shannon!

The 2024 Richard T. Dillon Award was awarded to Lexi Cipriani, which recognizes undergraduate excellence in the English Dept. Professor Dillon (1933-2015) taught in the Department from 1969-1999. His love of teaching, travelling all over the world, and linking literature to opera music endeared him to his students and colleagues...

Fernanda Cabrera, Asma Al-Masyabi, and Isaac Dolores were awarded the 2023-2024 the Michael S. Gorniak Award in Creative Writing. Michael Stewart Gorniak was an ebullient spirit and a tireless writer, always searching for new ways to express himself, improve his art, and to help others. Michael worked for the UCD...

Asma Al-Masyabi has won the 2023 Emerging Poet Award from the Ruth Weiss Foundation for her poem “The Future I Feed My Brother.” The award comes with a $1,500 grant. The Ruth Weiss Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to create opportunities to support poetic artists through...

Doran Seff was awarded the Richard T. Dillon Scholarship award for 2023, which recognizes undergraduate excellence in the English Department. Lexi Cipriani was awarded as the follow-up runner for the Dillion Scholarship. Professor Dillon (1933-2015) taught in the Department from 1969-1999. His love of teaching, travelling all over the world,...

Kendall Mallon's series of podcasts were chosen as the winner of the 2023 Rex Burns Award for best graduate essay of the year!

Fernanda Cabrera, Kinzey Gill, and Yesenia Olivas-Jimenez were awarded the 2023 Michael S. Gorniak Scholarship. Michael Stewart Gorniak was an ebullient spirit and a tireless writer, always searching for new ways to express himself, improve his art, and to help others. Michael worked for the UCD Student Newspaper and in...