Written by: Hannah Murray Winner of the 2026 Aetna Prize for Creative Nonfiction The sun hangs high in the sky when our car escapes narrowly between gods closing stone hands. A speedy Red Ford slips between mountainous fingers, car darting in, out, and over the seven rock ridges that encircle…
Ashes, Ashes
Written by: Paige Annecchino Prose Winner of the 2026 The Edward R. and Frances Schreiber Collins Literary Prizes The club was too loud, the way things are loud when they’re trying to distract you from yourself. The bass didn’t just shake the floor—it shook decisions loose. It encouraged the sort of thoughts that had consequences the next morning. High ceilings disappeared into…
There is Art in (Almost) Everything
Written by: Edwige Edouard There’s art almost everywhere you look. That song you’re listening to? It sounds like a masterpiece to you, but it could sound like nails on a chalkboard to someone else. Graffiti tags all over that abandoned building that has yet to be destroyed? Some might glance…
LRRewind: Eco-futurism
(Intro music) “Hello everyone, welcome to another episode of Long River Rewind! My name is Kiara Korten and today we will be exploring the intersection of climate, creativity, and culture. What is eco-futurism and how does fiction shape our consciousness?… let’s dive in! (Transition music) “Over the summer, my mom and I went on a movie binge of the alien vs predator franchise. We got caught up…
LRRewind: Examining African American Literature with Professor Shawn Salvant
Elijah: Hello everyone, Elijah here with another episode of Long River Rewind, where we will be focusing on African American literature in today’s episode. I have the pleasure of speaking with Professor Salvant. Professor Salvant, could you introduce yourself for us please? Shawn Salvant: Good afternoon everyone. I am…
LRRewind: Analyzing The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer with Professor Pheobe Godfrey
00:00:13 Kiara Today we are here with Professor Godfrey. Thank you so much for coming on today. And could you introduce yourself to us? 00:00:18 Pheobe Godfrey Us. Yes, thank you so much, Kiara, for having me. My name is Phoebe Godfrey. I’m an environmental sociologist here at UCONN in…
Mary Oliver: Animal Symbolism and Lessons in Belonging
Written by: Ryan Krishna Mary Oliver spent many years of her life exploring the forests, lakes, and salt marshes of New England. For Oliver, animals were never simply background decoration; they were moral companions that guided the lives of the individuals they came into contact with. These animals often represent…
Layers of the Punisher
Written by: Ronnie Prado On September 16, 1979, a group of small-time New Jersey musicians released a song that would usher a whole new era of music into mainstream American culture. The group was called The Sugar Hill Gang, and the song “Rappers Delight” was the first of its kind…
The Dread of Being Read at Writing Workshops
Written by: Fernanda Ieffet I think I speak for everyone in the world when I say that each one of us has experienced the most terrifying of nightmares when we were younger: going to school naked. I can still remember vividly (and trust me I have tried hard to forget…
Emotional Maximalism and the Art of Deftness in Hera Lindsay Bird’s Love Poems
Written by: Charlotte Ungar In a poetry landscape often dominated by academic opacity or over-wrought lyricism, Hera Lindsay Bird’s work arrives with an emotional immediacy that will make you rethink the requirements to make a poem matter—not through formal precision or metaphorical restraint, but through the sheer force of unfiltered…
