Creative Writing Undergrad Lands Spot in National Literary Magazine

The Santa Clara Review, published since 1869, is a treasure in world of literary magazines – and with the debut of the Winter 2012 issue, one Roger Williams University creative writing major can count herself among the youngest of poets to find a place in the publication.

A poem by Chelsea Silva ’14 – titled “My Mother Finally Speaks About Her Younger Brother’s Decapitated Fiancé” – is published on Page 33 of the issue. Silva’s poem was the first in a collection of works she submitted to Assistant Professor of Creative Writing Renee Soto as a final project for last semester’s Writers Reading Poetry seminar.

According to Soto, the RWU creative writing program has a strong tradition of its student writers publishing in national literary magazines. The students compete with peers across the country for the few spots available for poems at the national level. Some works are published in undergraduate journals; others, such as Silva’s, are published in journals that feature pieces by not only emerging writers, but renowned contemporary poets as well.

So, how about Silva’s subject matter? It details the story of a 30-year-old family secret about the tragic death of her uncle’s fiancé. Although Silva’s mother asked her to leave the poem out of the collection that she gifted her grandmother for Christmas, her family is proud of her accomplishment, Silva says.

“Every family has their weird stories,” she explains.

To read Chelsea’s poem, click here for the full Winter 2012 issue of The Santa Clara Review.