Celebrating New Beginnings with The Minor Bird
Something big (115 pages to be exact) is coming to Chatham—the 93rd edition of The Minor Bird. The Minor Bird, Chatham’s undergraduate literary and art magazine, celebrates the work of students across disciplines and creates a space for them to begin as writers and artists.
This year, The Minor Bird is in its third year of celebrating these beginnings with the Simon Matela SOAR Awards for Emerging Writers. These awards were created in memorial of Simon Matela (class of 2020), a creative writing major and Minor Bird executive board member, who passed away unexpectedly in January 2019. “Soar” is the title of Simon’s first publication in Minor Bird, and the story was Simon’s first official publication in Blue Marble Review, an online journal dedicated to the work of young writers.
The 2022 SOAR Awards are being presented to a student who is having their work published for the first time in the sections of poetry, prose and art. We sat down with recipients, Alison Righetti ’25, Maggie Vargo ’25 and McKenna DiRienzo ’22 to talk more about their work as emerging writers and artists.
Prose Recipient: Alison Righetti ‘25
Alison Righetti, English ‘25
(she/her)
Alison is being recognized for her piece, “Sunday Supper”; a personal narrative on family, economic class and the tradition of family dinners. While she wrote creatively in middle school, it wasn’t until her first-year writing course that Dr. Carrie Tippen, Assistant Professor of English and Coordinator of First Year Writing, prompted her to seriously picked up the pen and write the piece.
“I think it’s something I’ve always wanted to put into words. I wanted to be able to use my lived experience to show other people where I’m coming from and share those feelings. While it was an assignment, I was very excited to make that relationship I had with Sunday dinners understood. Dr. Tippen was lovely and encouraging. Hearing that my work was exceptional from someone who has a doctorate and runs the first year writing classes, made me think that maybe this is something I should invest in.”
After workshopping the piece for class and receiving support and encouragement from Dr. Tippen, Alison was inspired to submit her work to The Minor Bird. The experience has given her the encouragement to re-introduce creative writing into her everyday life.
“I’m really excited about the award. I’ve heard talk around campus about Simon, so I am glad to be able to honor him. It’s nice to know that your work is being valued and joins this legacy of new writers at Chatham.”
To fellow writers looking to gain confidence in their work, she recommends figuring out what they want to say, writing that down and submitting it to The Minor Bird.
“It can be daunting to put your work in front of people but I’m excited to celebrate this legacy and the new edition at the upcoming launch. It will all have been worth it to show my friends my work in print.”
Art Recipient: Maggie Vargo ‘25
Maggie Vargo, Media Arts ‘25
(she/her)
Although Maggie has always had a crafting project in the works, it wasn’t until she took a Photoshop course last semester that she decided to seriously pursue her art. Originally a psychology major, she was inspired to switch her major to media arts with a graphic design focus after the course. It was with these Photoshop skills that she created her piece, “Watching Over the Moon,” which went on to win the 2022 Art SOAR Award.
“I really like space and I think that it’s fascinating how vast it is. I think if I was better at math, I would be an astrophysicist or something, but I just really liked the idea of a giant space-being watching over the Earth. It’s just a very fantastical idea that I wanted to show.”
“Watching Over the Moon”
After attending an event hosted by The Minor Bird last fall, she submitted her work for review with no idea that it would be up for an award.
“It’s really cool because I only started doing this kind of artwork a few months ago. I never thought that it was something that would happen for me! I wasn’t even sure it was going to get published, let alone win an award.”
When she’s not making art for class, she’s working on her crafting project of the week, whether that be knitting, drawing, or anything in between. In all that she does, she wishes to encourage beginners from all disciplines to continue to create for the sake of creating.
“You never know where it may go!”
Poetry Recipient: McKenna DiRienzo ‘22
McKenna DiRienzo, Communication with a minor in English ‘22
(she/her)
McKenna DiRienzo has never wanted to be limited in her studies or work. That’s why she decided to study communications and minor in English at Chatham, a combination that she describes as “a wide spectrum of knowledge that combines her love for English and literature.”
It was through this love of literature that she was inspired to write her poem, “Atticus Finch,” which draws inspiration from the Harper Lee novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
“The first time I read the novel, the iconic quote from it stuck with me. ‘Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit em’. But remember, it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.’ My English minor challenges me to think more critically about the literature I consume outside of academics. I find it so fulfilling to be able to use the education I learn in my English courses and apply them outside of the classroom.”
When she’s not reading or writing, she draws inspiration from visiting friends, hiking, finding little bagel and coffeeshops and exploring museums.
“I went through a period where I wasn’t writing at all I felt uninspired and lost. Recently though I have tapped back into that creativity. I feel it’s important to not try and force yourself to pinpoint inspiration. It can come in the most unlikely forms.”
To anyone considering submitting their work to the 2023 edition, she encourages them to do so to connect with others.
“I submitted the last day submissions were open, and only because a friend reminded me to. I really didn’t think I would make it to the point of winning an award for my writing! It means so much to me that people resonate with a poem that I almost forgot to submit. It really is an honor. It doesn’t matter what you think of your writing, it could resonate with someone else on levels you never even thought possible.”
A huge thank you goes out to Simon Matela’s family for allowing us to continue to celebrate his legacy. For those wishing to celebrate the new beginnings that The Minor Bird inspires, join The Minor Bird for the presentation of awards and launch of the 2022 edition in the James Laughlin Music Hall Welker Room from 6-8 pm on Thursday, April 14. All are welcome.