Category: Profile
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Botanically-inspired Love: A Night with Poet Ross Gay
On February 19, 2026, the University of Detroit Mercy’s English Department hosted the final virtual installment of its fourth Triptych season. The guest of honor was Ross Gay, a poet described by host Stacy Gnall as contemporary poetry’s “consummate connoisseur” and “town crier” of delights. Gay joined the call from the driver’s seat of his…
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Poetry Reading by Cate Marvin Inspires Students to Take Risks in Their Writing
On January 15th, the University of Detroit Mercy hosted its first Triptych Visiting Authors series reading of 2026 via Zoom. This reading featured Cate Marvin, poet and Professor of English at the College of Staten Island, City University of New York, who also teaches poetry writing in the Stonecoast M.F.A. Program at the University of…
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If You Know Too Much of What You’re Going To Say, Then You’re Not Discovering Anything: A Virtual Poetry Reading with Joanna Fuhrman
On October 1, 2025, the University of Detroit Mercy hosted a virtual poetry reading featuring Joanna Fuhrman, poet and Assistant Teaching Professor in Creative Writing at Rutgers University. A graduate of the University of Washington’s MFA program, where she received both the Academy of American Poets Prize and the Joan Grayson Award, Fuhrman’s distinctive style…
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Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet Brandon Som Visits Detroit Mercy as part of Triptych Visiting Author Series
On Thursday, January 16th, Pulitzer Prize winner Brandon Som spoke with UDM students via Zoom after reading from his book Tripas, a collection of poems largely dedicated to Som’s maternal grandmother. In Tripas, Som uses images of circuitry to describe the long hours his grandmother spent on the factory line. The cover of the book…
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Duality in Being: A Review of Farnaz Fatemi’s Triptych Reading
by Olivia Vitale (‘24) As both the school year and my time here at the university come to a close, I am grateful to have been able to attend the final event in the 2024 Triptych virtual author series. I found myself captivated by the work that Fatemi shared with those in attendance at the…
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Inspired by Myth: A Review of Donika Kelly’s Triptych Virtual Visiting Author Series Event
by Kristin Murphy (’23) I am beyond grateful to know that a space exists where my mind can be captivated and relaxed at the same time. This space is Triptych, the University of Detroit Mercy’s virtual visiting author series. The Triptych series began when I was a senior at Detroit Mercy, but it has remained…
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Portrait of a Graduating Senior: Grace Kowalski
Grace Kowalski, English major with a Concentration in Professional Writing, Leadership minor Next steps: Gracie is pursuing her MBA at University of Detroit Mercy. What is one class you took or book you read that you will remember when you are 70? Why? One class that I will always remember was Diverse Voices in Literature.…
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Portrait of a Graduating Senior: Zoey Oatis
Zoey Oatis, Health Services Administration major and Professional Writing minor Zoey is currently pursuing a M.S. in Information Assurance at the University of Detroit Mercy If you could go back in time, what would you tell your high school self about how they should approach college? I would tell myself that college is a journey. “You…
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Portrait of a Graduating Senior: Jasmina Cunmulaj
Jasmina Cunmulaj, Double Major in Developmental Psychology and English Literature Next step for Jasmina: Masters of Public Health at the University of Michigan School of Public Health What is your best Detroit Mercy memory? Becoming a Teaching Assistant for Professor [Nick] Rombes Creative Writing Class was one of my best memories. I loved getting to…
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Portrait of a Graduating Senior: Mary Kate McNally
Mary Kate McNally, Honors English and History Major, Women’s and Gender Studies Minor What is your best Detroit Mercy memory? My best memory at Detroit Mercy was attending the Civil Rights travel course. The summer before my junior year I spent a week traveling around the South visiting different Civil Rights landmarks. I do not…
Between the Pages 