Matt Donovan to Pen Collection of Essays

Santa Fe, NM

Santa Fe University of Art and Design (SFUAD) announced today that Matt Donovan, the co-chair of the university's Creative Writing and Literature Department, will have his collection of essays, "A Cloud of Unusual Size and Shape: Essays on Ruin and Redemption" published by Trinity University Press in 2016. The nonfiction book is a collection of essays, many of which were written during Donovan's year as a 2012 Fellow in Literature at the American Academy in Rome. Each year, the Rome Prize, as it is known, is awarded to approximately 30 artists and scholars from around the world who represent the highest standard of excellence.

"Matt exemplifies what SFUAD most cherishes in its highly talented faculty," says Debra Tervala, Interim Provost at SFUAD. "His ability to translate his experience at the American Academy in Rome into such an outstanding collection of essays underscores his desire as both a teacher and a writer to bring that experience to others. We are so very fortunate to have someone of this caliber among our faculty."

This past April, Donovan was also recognized by Tupelo Press as winner of the 2015 Snowbound Chapbook Award, a national poetry competition. The poetry entries were judged anonymously by renowned writer Lia Purpura, the author of seven collections of essays, poems and translations.

As the award recipient, Donovan's Ten Burnt Lakes' chapbook will be designed, published and distributed nationally by Tupelo Press. Tupelo Press is an independent, literary press devoted to discovering and publishing works of poetry, literary fiction, and creative nonfiction by emerging and established writers.

"I'm truly honored that renowned writer, Lia Purpura, has selected my collection of poems for the national Snowbound Chapbook Award ," says Donovan. "As a writer, her work has been so important and influential to me. I'm also thrilled to have the collection published by Tupelo Press, which produces such beautiful books, and is such a stellar independent press."

In addition to winning the 2015 Snowbound Chapbook Award and a 2012 Rome Prize in Literature, Donovan is also the recipient of a Whiting Award, a Pushcart Prize, a Literature Fellowship from the NEA, and a Lannan Writing Residency Fellowship. He is the author of Vellum (Mariner, 2007), which won the 2006 Bakeless Prize in Poetry as well as the 2008 Larry Levis Reading Prize from Virginia Commonwealth University. His poems have appeared in numerous journals, including AGNI, American Poetry Review, Gettysburg Review, Kenyon Review, and Poetry, and his nonfiction has appeared in journals such as AGNI, Blackbird, Black Warrior Review, Kenyon Review, Seneca Review, Threepenny Review, and Virginia Quarterly Review.

For more information about the SFUAD Creative Writing and Literature Department, its faculty and student accomplishments, visit santafeuniversity.edu.

About SFUAD's Creative Writing and Literature Department:

The Creative Writing and Literature Department at Santa Fe University of Art and Design enables students to learn from and grow along with a core of published, award-winning authors. Dedicated students polish their literary skills and discover the right forms for their unique voice, while taking advantage of numerous opportunities to conduct public readings, work collaboratively, and inspire and be inspired by their peers. Annually, the Creative Writing and Literature Department publishes a student-edited and student-produced literary journal, Glyph, featuring some of the university's best writing in creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry and screenwriting.

About Santa Fe University of Art and Design:

Santa Fe University of Art and Design is an accredited institution located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, one of the world's leading centers for art and design. The university offers degrees in arts management, contemporary music, creative writing, digital arts, graphic design, film, performing arts, photography and studio art. Faculty members are practicing artists who teach students in small groups, following a unique interdisciplinary curriculum that combines hands-on experience with core theory and prepares graduates to become well-rounded, creative, problem-solving professionals. SFUAD is a member of the Laureate International Universities network - a global network of more than 80 campus-based and online universities in 29 countries. SFUAD boasts an international student body and opportunities to study abroad, encouraging students to develop a global perspective on the arts. Santa Fe University of Art and Design is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission.

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