Ex Libris

Latest Posts Under: Alumni News

by Ex Libris on October 15, 2026

MA Alum Dylan Weir Reading 10/21

Dylan Weir, an MA Alum of DePaul, will read from his first book, Public House, on October 21st at 6:30 PM in ALH Room 314. Weir is a poet, whose work has appeared in Best New Poets, Narrative, and New England Review. According to Trio House Press, “Public House maps the delirious landscapes of addiction. In poem after poem, Dylan Weir chronicles the mix of memory and mythology concocted between last call and first light. Between oblivion and sobriety. Between the pull of the bottle and the harder seductions of hope.”

by Ex Libris on October 12, 2026

MFA Student Esther Choy Featured at CPL Awards Dinner

Tomorrow, MFA student Esther Choy will be featured as one of 35 guest authors at the Chicago Public Library Foundations Award Dinner. Choy is the author of two books: Let the Story Do the Work: The Art of Storytelling for Business Success, and Winning Without Persuasion: A New Framework for Leading with Curiosity and Story Discovery. Congradulations Esther!

by Ex Libris on September 16, 2026

MAWP Alum Anna Sortino Throws First Pitch at Cubs Game

Anna Sortino, 2019 graduate of DePaul’s MAWP program and a lifelong Cubs fan, threw out the first pitch at a Cubs game this week. Her novels center on disabled characters living their lives and falling in love and have earned national recognition. Sortino’s books have won an ALA Schneider Family Book Award Honor, the Yellowhammer Young Adult Book Award, and the Garden State Teen Book Award, and have earned starred reviews from the likes of Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and many others. Released last may, Sortino’s latest book titled Stops Along the Way, is described by… Read Article →

by Ex Libris on March 9, 2026

Author Event: Becky Wills (BA ’16) Celebrates Launch of New Novel, “Stun”

Becky Wills, a 2016 graduate of the English Department, is celebrating the release of her new book Stun: A Novel in Pieces via Tortoise Books at Uncommon Ground on Wednesday, April 1 at 6 p.m. Wills received a BA from DePaul University, an MFA from The New School, and a PhD from University of Surrey, where she teaches creative writing.

by Ex Libris on February 17, 2026

Alumni Authors Chat with Anna Sortino

Last month, ahead of the Blue Demon Challenge, alumna Anna Sortino (MAWP ’19) visited DePaul for a Q&A with graduates in the MFA and MAWP program. The visit was recorded for the Blue Demon Challenge, where Anna discussed her time at DePaul, what led her to writing in the YA genre, any advice she has for current students in the program, and so much more. Check out the full video below, and if you missed the interview we did with Anna last month as part of her visit, you can read it here.

by Ex Libris on January 26, 2026

Alumna Spotlight: Anna Sortino

After Anna Sortino graduated from DePaul’s MAWP program in 2019, she applied for a publishing mentorship program called Pitch Wars (which is now defunct) and was picked by renowned YA author Aiden Thomas. At the time, the program was encouraging authors to write stories inspired by their own lives and identities, which ultimately pushed Sortino to write stories centered with disabled characters living their lives and falling in love. She has published two YA books—Give Me A Sign (2023 via Penguin Random House) and On The Bright Side (2024 via Penguin Random House)—with another set… Read Article →

by Ex Libris on January 14, 2026

“Borders as Fictions,” an Essay by Libby Kalmbach Clark

Libby Kalmbach Clark, an alumna of the MAWP program at DePaul University, published her essay Borders as Fiction in Witness, a magazine of the Black Mountain Institute. Libby is a nonfiction writer and a legal representative at the National Immigrant Justice Center. Her work has appeared in Electric Literature, Ascent, and the Prairie Schooner blog. She lives and works in Chicago. For more information, visit her website here.

by Ex Libris on January 8, 2026

Author Visit With Alumna Anna Sortino (MAWP ’19)

Join Rebecca Johns-Trissler’s Novels II class on Thursday, January 15th at 6 p.m. in room 301 ALH for an author visit by Anna Sortino (MAWP ’19). Anna is the author of three YA novels published by Penguin Teen: Give Me a Sign (2023), On the Bright Side (2024), and Stops Along the Way (forthcoming in May 2026), which have been honored by starred reviews from such places as Kirkus and Publishers Weekly and “Best Book of the Year” from more places. She is also working on an adult title next. Please note that this event… Read Article →

by Kendall Polidori on October 31, 2025

Alumna Spotlight: Avery Cunningham

Last year, Avery Cunningham (MAWP ‘16) released her debut novel The Mayor of Maxwell Street via Disney/Hyperion. “The year is 1921, and America is burning. A fire of vice and virtue rages on every shore, and Chicago is its beating heart,” the book states. The novel follows a Black debutante who hires a low-level speakeasy manager to uncover the head of an underground crime syndicate, against the backdrop of Prohibition-era Chicago.  We chatted with Cunningham about the extensive historical research the book required, what inspired her to write the story, her experience in editorial for… Read Article →

by Kendall Polidori on October 14, 2025

Alumna Spotlight: Caroline Macon Fleischer

In 2022, Caroline Macon Fleischer (MFA ‘20) released her debut novel The Roommate, a work she started as a graduate student at DePaul for her MFA thesis. Fleischer is a writer, editor, and theatremaker, and teaches creative writing at Loyola University. Her second novel, A Play About A Curse, is set for release on October 21, 2025, via CLASH Books. We sat down to chat about the upcoming release and its key inspirations, writing processes, her time at DePaul and background in theatre, and what advice she has for students.  This interview has been edited for clarity… Read Article →

by Ex Libris on October 2, 2025

Alumna Book Signing This Sunday!

On Sunday, October 5, Avery Cunningham (MAWP ’16) will be at the Maxwell Street Market from 12-1 p.m. for a discussion around the history of Chicago’s Maxwell Street Market, and the role it plays in her debut novel The Mayor of Maxwell Street (Disney/Hyperion 2024). Books will be available to purchase from Da Book Joint, and Avery will be signing books on site!

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