Two Plork Prize Winners Named by MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts Faculty
June 7, 2023
Contact: Office of Advancement and External Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
Sarah Berger (pictured, right) and Felicity Fox, both 2023 graduates of The University of Baltimore's MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts, have been chosen by the MFA faculty as this year's Plork Prize co-winners. Berger and Fox "demonstrated key elements of what we in the MFA CWPA call 'plorking'—playing, working, creating with abandon, helping others with joy. The plork ethic is the heart of our program," says Betsy Boyd, assistant professor and program director.
Berger, who writes fiction, worked closely with Professors Jane Delury, Lauren Smedley and Boyd during her thesis year.
"Sarah is such a delight to work with—a multidisciplinary diva, an incomparable wordsmith and highly intuitive story writer, a trained singer, a maker of crafts that inspire laughter and compliments, she brings originality to everyday life and every new class session," Boyd says. "She's also kind and spirited in her support of others. Her story collection, The Magic Tampon Machine and Other Stories, is as unforgettable as its title, in design and deeply human substance."
Berger is a classical singer, writer, teacher, and maker, and a graduate of Oberlin College and the Peabody Conservatory. She teaches in the undergraduate writing program at The University of Baltimore. Her forthcoming novel explores the lives of music students in 1965. Berger's writing and other projects can be found at www.orangesloth.com.
Fox, a creative nonfiction writer, worked closely with Professors Steven Leyva, Marion Winik, and Bryonna Sieck during her thesis year.
"From the tips of her multicolored hair to the bottom of her enormous heart, Felicity is a born plorker," says Professor Winik. "Though she is an incredibly hard and focused worker, there is always a twinkle in her eye: that very spirit of playfulness and unconventionality that is so key to plork. As for the spirit of community, the work she did to help her group and one classmate in particular was done with total generosity and positivity. Her thesis memoir, all in our heads, expresses her experience and vision with consummate artistry."
Fox is a native Floridian and 2007 graduate of Florida State University with a dual Bachelor of Arts in music and creative writing. After spending the first half of her professional life as a paralegal for law firms across central Florida and Maryland, she broke into her dream career as a writer-editor for the federal government, where she's been since 2015. She is also a freelance editor with more than 15 years' experience. More information about Fox's writing and other projects can be found at www.prismafox.press.
As Plork Prize co-winners, Fox and Berger will each receive a $250 stipend.
"We wish them our hearty congratulations and happy plorking for life!" says Boyd.
Learn more about The University of Baltimore's MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing Arts.