Radical Hospitality – Anthology Reading & Release
Thursday, April 18 | 6-8pm
Galvin Fine Arts, St. Ambrose University, Davenport, IA
After receiving over 60 submissions from across the Quad City area, MWC Press editors have selected 23 works to appear in the Radical Hospitality anthology, which will be published in April 2024. MWC Press will co-host a release event with our partners at Galvin Fine Arts on Thursday, April 18 from 6-8pm. The event will be free and open to the public, and the first 100 people to arrive will receive a free copy of the anthology. The event will feature readings by the contributors, followed by a reception. Copies will also be available for purchase at the event and via the MWC Press online bookstore.
You can read about the contributors and the theme below. If you have questions about the event, please contact Sarah Elgatian: sarah.elgatian@mwcqc.org
RADICAL HOSPITALITY ANTHOLOGY CONTRIBUTORS
Dawson Davenport (he/him) – Dawson Davenport is a enrolled member of the Meskwaki Nation. Dawson is a 2019 graduate of the University of Iowa Art program. Dawson is the founder of Indigenous Art Alliance, a non- profit organization promoting Indigenous Art and artists. Dawson is published in We the Interwoven vol. 2.
Esther Windt (she/her) – Esther Windt is a trans writer who loves writing poems, short stories, and creative nonfiction, and is currently attending Saint Ambrose University. She has her work published in the Half and One magazine, as well as The Atlas 17 and 18, and Quercus Volume 32.
Reyhan Onder (she/her) – Reyhan Onder is a high school student with ambitious goals and big dreams. She loves any opportunity to share her voice with the world around her. She enjoys spending time with her family and connecting with new people.
Joseph Martin (he/him) – Joseph Martin is a physican who loves poetry and literature. While he has written privately for some time, he is recently branched out into public writing. He has an interest in climate change, immigration, and liberation theology and how they are increasingly intertwined today.
Kai Newell (they/them) – Kai is a dynamic author, LGBTQ+ advocate, and a Prevention Specialist at The Project of the Quad Cities. As a nonbinary individual, they bring a unique perspective to both their literary works and advocacy efforts. Through compelling stories that reflect the nuances of life, Kai aims to promote understanding and inclusivity. Beyond the pages, they actively contribute to LGBTQ+ rights, working to create a more supportive community. Kai is dedicated to breaking barriers and fostering positive change in both their writing and professional endeavors.
Adrian Cole (he/they) – Adrian Cole is an artist and poet recently graduated from Illinois State University. Their works have been included in The Altas Vol. 13, 2018-2019 editions of Euphemism, and had work included in CitySpeaks; a collaborative work between local writers and the Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra.
Faith Foley (she/her) – Faith Foley is a current student at St. Ambrose University. Her major is Early Childhood Education; She plans to graduate in 2027. Faith is a published author; she continues to write, along with taking part in other interests such as singing, painting, and hanging out with her pet chickens.
Margie Mejia-Caraballo (she/her) – Margie is a wife, mother, grandmother, sister and a social activist. Margie enjoys gardening and reading. Margie is very active in her community and sits on numerous boards and committees in both Illinois and Iowa.
Claire Dodson (she/they) – Claire Dodson is a speech language pathologist by trade and a poet by vocation. Both (pre)occupations allow them to work with words and aspire towards cohesive, convivial communities in small ways.
Sophia Best (she/her) – Sophia is a current writing student at WIU. In 2023, she won the Iowa Chapbook Prize and published “Pink Bathwater.” She participated in the Midwest Writing Center’s Young Emerging Writers program for three summers and is featured in the 13th, 14th, and 15th editions of the Atlas.
Haven O’Brian (she/her) – Haven O’Brian is an 11-year-old student at Hopewell Elementary. Haven loves reading and writing and is a passionate musician who enjoys playing the violin, piano, and alto saxophone. When not engaging in musical practice, she dedicates her time to volunteering for various causes she deeply cares about.
Daniel Flosi (he/him) – Daniel J. Flosi is the editor of Black Stone / White Stone. He has been published widely. His chapbook, Video Assisted Referees is forthcoming with C22 Press. Drop a line @muckermaffic.
Allie Crisco (she/her) – Allie is a freshman at St. Ambrose University. She has written many pieces over the years, but has recently started sharing them. She tends to write from the heart, quickly scribbling down random phrases whenever they come to mind. Sometimes, those phrases become full pieces, like “Out of the Corner”.
Melissa Conway (they/she) – Melissa Conway is a lover of landlocked states, gas station slushies, and the drive back home. Melissa’s work has been published in “Roads We’ve Taken” from Pearl City Press, “Sundog” from Fruit Salad Co, and more. You can find Melissa playing for the Quad City Rollers or out hiking with their dogs.
Ann Boaden (she/her) – Ann Boaden is professor emerita of English at Augustana College. Her work appears in Another Chicago Magazine, Big Muddy, Blue Unicorn, From SAC, Ginosko, litbreak, The Other Journal, South Dakota Review, Tipton Poetry Journal, Windhover, and many others. Books include Light and Leaven and Fritiof’s Story.
Olivia Smith (she/they) – Olivia is an Augie grad based in the Quad Cities. She seeks to empower the underprivileged through political engagement and activism. Her charm lies in how effortlessly she connects with those around her. Folks who get to know her understand the enthusiasm she brings to each and every project, big or small. Able to find the silver lining in almost any situation, Olivia is a valuable friend and colleague. written by dear friend, Kay.
Daniel Salazar (he/him) – Daniel Salazar from Muscatine IA is a recent graduate from St.Ambrose University with a Bachelors in Secondary History Education. Daniel is currently serving as LULAC State Director of Iowa. Daniel has been an advocate for change and action in his community sponsoring political forums/educational events in the community.
Jacob Duncan (he/him) – Jacob Duncan is a 24-year-old writer from Aledo, Illinois. He recently graduated from Monmouth College in 2022. Currently, he’s working at a family-owned business in Burlington, Iowa while writing a novel in his free time. His largest literary inspirations come from magic-realist authors like Toni Morrison.
Farah Marklevits (she/her) – Farah Marklevits teaches and tutors at Augustana College in Rock Island, IL and lives with her family in Iowa. Her poems have appeared in Smartish Pace, West Branch, Michigan Quarterly Review, and other spaces.
Cirissa Bentley (she/her) – Cirissa Bentley lives in the Quad City area with her husband, son, and two cats. She loves music, words, and Batman comics. Her work has been published in Phizzogs and Squash Blossom, college literary magazines with weird names. She hopes to make the world a better place with her writing.
Philip Goldfarb Styrt (he/him) – Philip Goldfarb Styrt lives in Davenport with his wife, two children, and toothless dog. His poetry combines traditional forms of rhyme and meter with modern concepts and concerns, and has appeared in such venues as Quercus, The Eastern Iowa Review, and carte blanche. In the time he is not writing poetry, he teaches and plays boardgames.
Elena Vallejo (she/her) – Elena Vallejo was born and raised in the Quad Cities and is currently studying Early Childhood Education, Theatre, and Writing at St. Ambrose University. In addition to poetry, Elena writes for the SAU school newspaper, writes for LOVE Girls Magzine, is an editor for SAU’s Quercus, and has done some freelance work. She writes to bring to life the stories living inside her. Elena has previously been published in the 31st edition of Quercus, the Midwest Writing Center’s The Atlas: Volume 16, and the inaugural issue of the Antipoetry Magazine.
Olha Huska (they/them) – Olha Huska is a Junior Music Education Major at St. Ambrose University. Born In Ternopil, Ukraine, Ohla and their family immigrated to the States in November of 2004, and they have lived here ever since. Over the years, Ohla and their family have helped many people immigrate and settle, especially since the war in Ukraine started. They have always believed in helping others even when they don’t know if they can, a Lesson they learned from their mother, and they hope that they will continue to carry and pass this lesson of compassion and action wherever life leads them.
ABOUT THE RADICAL HOSPITALITY PROJECT
St. Ambrose University College of Arts and Sciences, Galvin Fine Arts, and the Midwest Writing Center (MWC) are partnering on a series of events and a publication around the theme of Radical Hospitality. This theme calls people to “welcome the stranger” and to extend “an expansive and committed welcome to all regardless of background, beliefs, or circumstances, and particularly to those who face barriers to belonging. More than politeness, radical hospitality calls for a generous sharing of time, resources, and life together” (more on the theme below).
ABOUT THE THEME “RADICAL HOSPITALITY” (from St. Ambrose University)
The AWSJ 2023 Social Justice Conference will address the theme of “Radical Hospitality” and attend to the growing humanitarian crisis related to immigration and those seeking asylum from various places of harm. We will consider how to dismantle the barriers to belonging faced because of immigration status, recovery journey, or history of incarceration. Through workshops, presentations, and sharing together, we will ask how to practice radical hospitality as individuals, institutions, and communities, and seek out next steps to truly welcome the foreigner, the outcast, and the outsider, into our communities and lives.
Radical hospitality refers to an expansive and committed welcome to all regardless of background, beliefs, or circumstances, and particularly to those who face barriers to belonging. More than politeness, radical hospitality calls for a generous sharing of time, resources, and life together. It includes offering support without judgment and fostering relationships of deep connection. Radical hospitality involves collaboration to combat barriers to inclusion and the creation of paths to access and safety in support of true communal belonging.
Please contact Midwest Writing Center with any questions about the anthology, the release event, etc.: mwc@mwcqc.org | 309 732 7330