GS Class of 2018

Ama Codjoe ’01, a poet whose works include Bluest Nude and Blood of the Air; Mia Chung ’10 MFA, a playwright whose works include Catch as Catch Can, Double Take and This Exquisite Corpse; and Emma Whippermann ’18 MFA, author of Joan of Arkansas and Pleasure as a Series of Objects are recipients of the 2023 Whiting Awards, which are given annually to ten emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama.

UMass Press published Jesse Kohn’s ’18 MFA debut novel, the book of webs, recipient of the 2022 Juniper Prize for Fiction on March 31. The book of webs is constructed out of misremembered fragments, conflicting histories, and secrets whispered in the darkness. Jesse is a writer and musician from Santa Fe and is completing a PhD in creative writing at the University of Utah. His work has appeared in Conjunctions, Sleepingfish, BOMB, The Rumpus, the Brooklyn Rail, and elsewhere.

Janine Melvin married her high school sweetheart, Nick Quarantillo, on their 11th anniversary, November 16, 2019. The celebration took place at Oakmont Country Club in Pittsburgh, PA, and was attended by: Lawrence (Jay) Davis Jr. ’15; Ade Oyalowo ’18 ScM, ’21 PhD; Maegan Sloggett; Erica Kahn ’16 ScM; Meghan Wenzel; Kelsey Hom ’15; Jessica Cherness ’15; and Margot Harris ’15.