Alexandra L. Rowan Memorial Foundation English Writing Internship Program
The Rowan Foundation has made possible five Houston-based internships and two U.S./International internships for University of Houston Creative Writing undergraduate students. These internships fund five students $2,500 for Houston-based internships and two students $5,000 for U.S./International internships.
Interns work with relevant publishing, marketing and other writing-oriented businesses during the summer break. The funds from the Rowan Foundation make the internships equivalent to a typical summer job; students therefore are able to gain valuable professional experience while simultaneously earning money to help cover tuition and other university costs. The internships also provide a valuable addition to their résumé that should increase job prospects post-graduation.
Information on applying to the Rowan Internship Program
Information for Partnering Organizations
Meet the 2024 Rowan Interns:
Jennifer M. Pena Martinez is a rising senior at the University of Houston majoring in Liberal Studies with
concentrations in philosophy, English, and Mexican-American studies. She is interested
in all things Chicane/x and her literary interests and pursuits reflect her passion
for her culture. When she’s not reading or writing poetry, Jennifer prefers to spend
her time at coffee shops with loved ones chatting her days away or tucked into bed
enjoying a good television show. Post-undergrad, she has big dreams of pursuing an
MA in literature/English or an MFA in Poetry close to home or somewhere cold.
Internship: Defunkt Literary Magazine
Ivy Hansen is a rising junior at the University of Houston majoring in English Literature with
a minor in Chinese Studies. In her free time, Ivy loves boxing, stalking local coffee
shops, and starting new hobbies. After graduation, she plans to pursue a career in
social media and hopes to share her passion for creative writing by teaching at the
junior high level.
Internship: Bloomsday Literary
Anisah Khan is a Pakistani-American writer, researcher, and artist born in Houston and raised
in Spring, TX. She is a rising senior majoring in English while pursuing minors in
Psychology and the interdisciplinary program Law, Values, and Policy. At Glass Mountain,
Anisah serves as Managing Editor. Her piece, Narrating the Spectrum, was selected
as the 2023 Non-Fiction winner in The Alexandra L. Rowan Memorial Foundation Writing
Competition. She will be an incoming student at The Hobby School of Public Affairs’
Civic Houston Internship Program engaging in Public Policy. In her free time, Anisah
likes to explore local literary events in Houston and create acrylic paintings.
Internship: Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center Blaffer Art Museum Associate Curator Erika Mei Chua
Holum
Jalin Paten is a Junior at UH majoring in English: Applied Linguistics with a minor in Spanish.
After graduating, he hopes to pursue a career in educational publishing. In his free
time, he enjoys swimming, watching movies, and eating crab rangoons.
Internship: Writers in the Schools (WITS)
Sophie Nguyen is a writer from the University of Houston studying English and political science.
Her research interests are Asian American literature and the law, with an emphasis
on queer and refugee narratives. She hails from Nha Trang, Vietnam but is a Texan
at heart.
Internship: Asian American Arts Alliance
Imaan Faisal is a rising UH senior studying creative writing and digital media. She obsesses over
poetry and storytelling, and her own work explores themes related to gender and her
Desi cultural identity. Her potential post-grad plans include pursuing an MFA as well
as a career in the publishing industry. She spends her free time consuming indie games
and matcha lattes.
Internship: Gulf Coast Literary Magazine
Kelsey Middleton Is pursuing a double major in English Literature and Public Relations with a minor
in Global Research and Engagement. Passionate about storytelling, Kelsey is inspired
by 20th century African-American and Afro Caribbean literature, focusing on Black
identities. With a keen interest in media relations and digital humanities, Kelsey
aims to amplify the suppressed narratives of people of color and aspires to be a novelist.
In her downtime, Kelsey enjoys rollerskating, watching movies and anime, and tackling
escape rooms. After graduation, Kelsey plans to write public academic research and
pursue a Ph.D. in English Literature.
Internship: Writespace
Kristina Markovska is a rising sophomore double majoring in psychology and human development. She has
been a huge fan of poetry since reading Where the Sidewalk Ends in elementary school.
She plans to combine her passions and research language development in children. Her
favorite poem is the most recent one she’s read.
Internship: San Diego Writers Ink
Krishna Lathish is a junior majoring in English Literature with minors in India Studies and Phronesis.
Her favorite book is White Oleander by Janet Fitch. She enjoys finding new restaurants,
going to the beach, and getting way faster at naming every country.
Internship: Writers in the Schools (WITS)
The First actual "Section" - Read Me?
2023 Rowan Writing Competition
2023 Fiction Winner:
Talia Servin is a senior majoring in English with a concentration in Creative Writing and a Film
Studies minor. When she is not devoting her time to classwork, she enjoys drawing,
journaling, playing the piano, and making video diaries. Raised in Iowa and away from
light pollution, she spent lots of time stargazing and making memories with friends.
She likes to incorporate elements of her own life into her writing (for spice), and
she is excited to see where her degree takes her!
Read the Winning Fiction Entry, “Every Light, A Life ” by Talia Servin
“The author deftly balances a myriad of tones -- sorrow, humor, banality, profundity
-- which reflects the true nature of grief and life itself, not to mention being key
to survival. A very fine piece”
–Antonya Nelson, Fiction Judge
Honorable Mentions in Fiction:
- Allison Bomgardner’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes”
- Deborah Jacob’s “Bluebeard’s Gambit”
- Anisah Khan’s “Concealed Affections”
- Joseph Schwalbach’s “Breaking”
Readers for Fiction: Pritha Bhattacharyya, Daniel Kennedy and Biz Rasich
2023 Non-fiction Winner:
Anisah Khan is a Pakistani-American writer born in Houston and raised in Spring, TX. She is a
junior majoring in English with minors in Psychology and the interdisciplinary program
Law, Values, and Policy. At Glass Mountain, she serves as an associate poetry editor, and like all writers, she was first a
dedicated reader. Currently, her research interests lie in post-colonial and South
Asian literature. Her art focuses on uniting her American upbringing with her Pakistani
roots. Outside the literary world, Anisah explores artistry through performing Viola
concertos, acrylic painting, and filling photo albums with Polaroid photos.
Read the Winning Entry “Narrating the Spectrum” by Anisah Khan
"Narrating the Spectrum’ allows us, the readers, to slowly become aware of the situation,
seemingly simultaneously as the narrator becomes aware. It begins in mystery—I couldn’t
get over how Ibrahim escaped the house out of the window and landed in the bushes—and
continues with lots of humor, interesting turns of phrase, and insights. Not only
does it chronicle a specific event, but it is also a story about trying to understand
what it is to be someone else, which is both impossible and the whole reason we go
to art."
–Nick Flynn, Non-fiction Judge
Honorable Mentions in Non-fiction:
- Alissa Boxleitner’s “On Moten’s Blackness”
- Imaan Faisal’s “The Adult Fetus and Its Psychopomp”
- Natalie Nguyen’s “Terminal D is My Favorite Route”
- Isabel Pitts’ “On Delivering Kittens”
Readers for Non-fiction: Aaron Neptune, Adrian Pachuca and Aishwarya Sahi
2023 Poetry Winner:
Raul Rosa is a junior at the University of Houston majoring in English Literature and minoring
in Sociology. He is passionate about education and believes in school equity. He enjoys
watching movies, reading, and playing video games. He recommends Welcome to the Monkey
House by Kurt Vonnegut.
Read the winning entry “Worms” by Raul Rosa
“What strikes me most about ‘Worms,’ is its steady pacing and patience in order to
create an alternate reality. This poem does so much of what I love that poetry can
do. It connects us to the earth. It uses figurative language, odd metaphor and unlikely
associations to do that. I leave the poem imagining a different reality than before
I read it. In this case, one in which I have - all this time - been full of little
organisms I had no idea were there. And to understand my destiny, I should, quite
literally, check my gut. What an odd and excellent poem.”
–francine j. harris, Poetry Judge
Honorable Mentions in Poetry:
- Xavier Daugherty’s “An Iyaric Self Portrait”
- Michelle Garcia's "The Running Stitch"
- Lucas Leger's "burrow of bones"
- Sofia Trousselle’s "hand-me-down
Readers for Non-fiction: Aaron Neptune, Adrian Pachuca and Aishwarya Sahi
2022 Rowan Writing Competition
2022 Fiction Winner:
Nicholai Caterina is a sophomore at the University of Houston, majoring in English-Creative Writing.
He is an associate editor for UH's literary magazine, Glass Mountain. Born in New Jersey and raised near Galveston, he is a fan of gastropods, good soup,
and the 76ers. He is excited to continue pursuing his degree.
Read the Winning Fiction Entry, “Seawolf’s Garden” by Nicholai Caterina
“It is a beautifully written poetic piece about the relationship of a couple that
lasts beyond the woman's death, about the love that the man expresses by watering
his wife's garden after she is gone. The images were wonderful and gave the reader
powerful flashes of insight into the characters and their backstory. Great images
and poetic rhythm.”
–Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Fiction Judge
Honorable Mentions in Fiction:
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- Shiza Aslam's "The Welling Woman"
- Courtney Calhoun's "A Maternal Death"
- Angela Pickering's "The Archives"
- Tiffany Zhang's "Far"
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- Pritha Bhattacharyya, Katerina Ivanov and Aaron Neptune
2022 Non-fiction Winner:
Binh Tang is an English-Creative Writing senior at the University of Houston with a minor in
Film Studies. He was born and raised in Vietnam and moved to Houston as an international
student in 2016. Growing up in an environment where the phantom of war still torments
people, he spends most of his time writing and reading stories about socioeconomic
and human development disparities. As a writer, he believes in the power of language
and its unexpectedness when challenged. He likes to experiment with forms and structures.
He is especially interested in classical studies. When not writing or reading, he
can be found feeding squirrels on campus while listening to music by under-recognized
female classical composers.
Read the Winning Entry “The Painting of My Brother” by Binh Tang
“Drawing on a memory from childhood, ‘The Painting of My Brother’ describes a family, a moment of hardship solidified by realization, and the appreciation for a shade tree. The child watches the mother and sees her quiet determination of continuing on, taking note, and offering council. The tree sees, and dies, while a painting we never see becomes this essay. Artful writing in the best way possible.”
–Audrey Colombe, Non-fiction Judge
Honorable Mentions in Non-fiction:
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- Nicholai Caterina's "Coffeemaker"
- Claire Guzik's "The Space in Blank Verse"
- Jeremy Johnson's "When Rivers Run Below Oceans"
- Naveera Majid's "Magical Realism in Haroun and the Sea of Stories"
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Readers for Non-fiction: Jacob Harris, Maria Hiers and Aishwarya Sahi
2022 Poetry Winner:
Nicholai Caterina is a sophomore at the University of Houston, majoring in English-Creative Writing.
He is an associate editor for UH's literary magazine, Glass Mountain. Born in New Jersey and raised near Galveston, he is a fan of gastropods, good soup,
and the 76ers. He is excited to continue pursuing his degree.
Read the winning entry “Gervinesque” by Nicholai Caterina
“The poem ‘Gervinesque’ has such surprise and grit and intensity and particularity
in its narrative and imagery, such expert compression in its storytelling, it just
knocked me out. The depth of feeling here is beautifully palpable, genuinely moving,
because this writer cannily resists including any kind of cheapening sentimentality
or summarizing flourishes.”
–Erin Belieu, Poetry Judge
Honorable Mentions in Poetry:
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- Alexandra Bobo's "Constantly Risking Mediocrity"
- Michelle Garcia's "first-gen gem"
- Claire Guzik's "Monostich"
- Alfonso Reyes' "On Privilege"
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Readers for Poetry: Jacob Harris, Maria Hiers and Aishwarya Sahi
2021 Fiction Winner:
Rana Mohamad is a senior at the University of Houston, majoring in English Creative Writing with
a minor in History. As a writer, she believes that through storytelling, a writer
can live many lives and explore a variety of questions, all indicative of the human
condition. She is especially interested in lyrical fiction and migrant narratives.
Rana plans on pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing and publishing short stories, poems
and memoirs.
Read the Winning Fiction Entry, “The Tiger in the Bathtub” by Rana Mohamad
Honorable Mentions in Fiction:
- Kaunain Khan’s “August Blues”
- Jack Morillo’s “Alyssa Linatto is Throwing Up”
- Jacob Myers’ “The Gates of Greymoore”
2021 Non-fiction Winner:
Shireen Hasan, an aspiring writer/poet, was born in Iraq but raised in Texas. She has been living
in the United States for over 11 years now. She loves to write multiple genres. Growing
up as a Yazidi, a religious minority in Iraq, she is able to understand more about
her culture and connect to the cultures surrounding her through her writings. Writing
is music to her in more ways than even she has come to know. It is something she continues
to use to express herself and understand the world around her. She would rather the
ink speak for her, for it has more to say.
Read the Winning Entry “The lost souls of Shingal” by Shireen Hasan
Honorable Mentions in Non-fiction:
- Alexis Arteaga’s “Three Things (Love in the Time of Corona)”
- Gavin Caterina’s “The Ladybug of the Bronx”
- Mike Clarks’ “Baldwin the Bull”
Judges for Non-fiction: Kartika Budhwar, Weijia Pan, Theodora Ziolkowski and Roberto Tejada
2021 Poetry Winner:
Gavin Caterina is a freshman at University of Houston, who intends to major in English. He enjoys
reading fiction and playing soccer with his family. On book recommendations, he offers
up "Spring Snow" by Yukio Mishima. He wishes to enter the creative writing concentration
in the fall.
Read the Winning Entry, “Heart-Shaped Poem” by Gavin Caterina
Honorable Mentions in Poetry:
- Michelle Garcia’s “El Hombre de la Casa”
- Jack Morillo’s “Tapos / Tapos”
- Alfonso Reyes’ “Ghazal Concerning Self-Preservation”
Judges for Poetry: Kartika Budhwar, Weijia Pan, Theodora Ziolkowski and Michael Snediker
2020 Fiction Winner:
Truth Thomas-Alexander is a senior at the University of Houston and majors in Creative Writing and minors
in Studio Art. Her concentration is fiction and she enjoys writing short stories.
She plans on pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing after she completes her Bachelor's
degree.
Read the Winning Fiction Entry, “invalidation” by Truth Thomas-Alexander
Honorable Mentions in Fiction:
- Josh Cornelius’ “The Correction”
- Zachary Eaton’s “The Liar”
- Piper Gourley’s “Are You Dreaming, Billie?”
2020 Non-fiction Winner:
Zachary Eaton is an English - Creative Writing student at the University of Houston who hopes to
graduate (at last) in summer 2021. He writes fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.
He co-wrote the screenplay "Cardinal" with writer/director James Frank. He enjoys
watching sports, procrastinating, and rereading the same short story collections over
and over again. He's worked at Dominos Pizza, Target, Barnes and Noble, as a server,
and as a cashier. He knows you shouldn't start all your sentences with the same pronoun,
but feels the 100-word bio format doesn't leave room for much else. He recommends
"The Student" by Anton Chekhov.
Read the Winning Entry “The Opera Singer” by Zachary Eaton
Honorable Mentions in Non-fiction:
- Alicia Alcantara’s “The Man Downstairs”
- Claire Guzik’s “Tragic Nothingness”
- Naveera Majid’s “Magical Realism and Contradiction in The Hummingbird’s Daughter”
2020 Poetry Winner:
Matthew Flores is a senior at UH and originally from south Texas. He works as a delivery driver
and also assists with humanitarian aid for migrants at the South Texas Human Rights
Center in Falfurrias, Texas. He plans to attend an MFA or interdisciplinary PhD program
next year in the fall.
Read the Winning Entry, “Reading Paz at the Cemetery” by Matthew Flores
Honorable Mentions in Poetry:
- Claire Guzik’s “Stones”
- Alyssa Holt’s “God and Mammoths”
- Kristin Powell’s “Spinach”