{"id":232875,"date":"2026-04-15T15:51:08","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T15:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/232875\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T15:51:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T15:51:08","slug":"unf-creative-writing-series-welcomes-author-sandra-simonds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/232875\/","title":{"rendered":"UNF Creative Writing Series welcomes author Sandra Simonds"},"content":{"rendered":"

The University of North Florida hosted Sandra Simonds, an award-winning author and poet, for an event focused on book architecture and publishing on April 14.<\/p>\n

Word by Word is a series sponsored by the UNF English Department that brings writers and creators to UNF every year for free, public events.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Simonds said visual and linguistic patterns, forms, and shapes are used to create book architecture. She explored the transition from writing individual poems to examining ordering and pacing, and how these choices guide a reader\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n

At the event, Simonds read from her latest book, \u201cBurning Oracle,\u201d followed by a question-and-answer session and a book signing.<\/p>\n

In the final section of \u201cBurning Oracle\u201d, a self-cento is used. Simonds said the narrator writes a poem using lines from throughout the book.<\/p>\n

Audrey Deetz, a UNF history major, said, \u201cI thought Word by Word was insightful. [It]\u00a0allowed students to learn how to reach the impossible end goal of writing a book,\u201d Deetz said.<\/p>\n

Simonds has written nine poetry collections, including \u201cBurning Oracle,\u201d published in 2026, and \u201cTriptychs.\u201d Her work explores capitalism, class, ecology, and gender through experimental approaches to genre and form, according to her personal website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"WomanPhoto by Ana Brown<\/p>\n

As a poet, critic, and creative nonfiction writer, she has been published in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Best American Poetry, American Poetry Review, and Chicago Review.<\/p>\n

Simonds earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in psychology and English from the University of California, Los Angeles. She also earned an MFA from the University of Montana and a PhD in creative writing from Florida State University.<\/p>\n

According to Wesleyan University Press, \u201cBurning Oracle<\/a>\u201d is part of the Wesleyan Poetry Series. It is a visionary, book-length poem told from the fractures of a world on fire where myth, memory, and contemporary life collide.<\/p>\n

Jessica Stark<\/a>, assistant professor of English and creative writing coordinator at UNF, organized the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis event was a vital opportunity to hear about the creative process and related practicalities, joys, and frustrations from an experienced practitioner,\u201d Stark said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe English Department has had plenty of readings and featured authors over the years, but this year the Word by Word series highlights specific elements of craft and publishing,\u201d said Stark.<\/p>\n

\u201cA large portion of the English department\u2019s undergraduate and graduate students are interested in publishing their own creative writing. Ultimately, I hope this event made creative writing more tangible and approachable for both UNF students and the wider community of Jacksonville creatives,\u201d Stark said.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The University of North Florida hosted Sandra Simonds, an award-winning author and poet, for an event focused on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":232876,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[116,118,117],"class_list":["post-232875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville","tag-jacksonville-headlines","tag-jacksonville-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232875\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/232876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}