Cafe Shapiro 2023
✨Meet Our Student Writers ✨
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Jiayou Shen, Year: Sophomore, Major: Psychology, Minor: Writing
Jiayou Shen is a psychology major and writing minor. She likes writing fiction and hopes to complete her novel someday. She enjoys the genres of urban fantasy and dark humor. Jiayou likes to play DnD, drink bubble tea, and eat good food in her free time. She hopes to expand her creative horizons and write more in the future.
Erin Knape, Year: Sophomore, Major: Psychology, Minor: Creative Writing
Erin is a sophomore at the University of Michigan majoring in psychology with a prospective creative writing minor. She is an aspiring prose writer who aims to entertain as well as illuminate mental health struggles through her work. In her free time, Erin enjoys photography, binge-watching Netflix, and catching up with friends. Erin is enthusiastic about this upcoming summer, as she hopes to achieve her goal of writing a novella.
MacKenzie Mollison, Year: Senior, Major: Arts Management and Administration, Playwriting, and Performance
MacKenzie is a fifth year in the Bachelor of Theatre Arts program studying Arts Management and Administration, Playwriting, and Performance. She has been writing short stories and characters for as long as she can remember, and recently had her first piece performed at the Michigan Tech One Act Festival. She hopes to pursue both writing and performing hand-in-hand to develop new solo and collaborative material. In her free time she loves yoga, singing, golf, improvisation, and swimming. She is honored and excited to be nominated for Cafe Shapiro.
Lola D'Onofrio, Year: Sophomore, Major: Film, TV, and Media
Lola is a second year Michigan student studying Film, TV & Media. She loves a lot of things, but mostly writing. She's especially passionate about screenplays, movie reviews and poetry. Lola is inspired by bright colors, clever song lyrics and cold weather. She is very excited to share her writing with the world.
Emilia Ferrante, Year: Senior, Major: English Language and Literature with Honors, Minor: Creative Writing (Sub-Concentration of Poetry) and Anthropology
Emilia is a double major in LSA and an avid reader and writer of poetry from Princeton, New Jersey. When she isn't doing classwork, writing her English thesis, or working on her Creative Writing sub concentration, Emilia works at the Michigan Daily on the Arts section reading and reviewing books. She is also Editor-in-Chief of The RC Review, the Residential College's literary magazine, works for the University of Michigan Press, and loves to crochet and watch horror movies. Emilia has loved her time at the University of Michigan and is excited to continue writing after college.
Rachel Grabow, Year: Senior, Major: Art & Design, Minor: Entrepreneurship
Rachel is a senior pursuing a BFA in Art & Design and a minor in entrepreneurship at UMich. She focuses on graphic design in collaboration with advertising, marketing, apparel design, and activism. She is passionate about art in all forms of expression like drawing, music, reading, and writing. Writing has always been something Rachel has loved doing, and she has taken multiple classes in the creative writing field to expand her talent and interest in the subject. She creates art through visuals and writing to dive into her own identities and emotions.
Chinwe Onwere, Year: Freshmen, Major: Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, Minor: Environmental Science
Chinwe is a first year at the college of LSA, majoring in MCD Biology with a possible minor in Environmental Science. She enjoys creative writing and is currently a part of The Statement of the Michigan Daily! She particularly likes to write more narrative short pieces and also dabble in poetry from time to time. In her free time, she likes to read, explore nature, and be active!
Cecelia-Therese Dore, Year: Sophomore, Major: Film, Television, and Media
Cecilia is a sophomore from West Bloomfield, Michigan studying film, television and media. From a young age she has enjoyed reading and writing fiction, and she has recently started writing poetry, as well. She loves writing about miniscule details and moments in her everyday life. In general, she enjoys all things creative, and spends her free time crocheting, listening to and playing music, and reading.
Laine Kibler, Year: Junior, Major: RC Creative Writing (Concentrating in Mixed-Genre) and RC Arts & Ideas in the Humanities (Focusing on Images/Text), Minor: Linguistics
Laine is a double major and single minor junior in the Residential College at UMich. They are a passionate student of the arts who enjoys combining creative writing and film photography coursework to make mixed-media projects. In their free time, they enjoy drawing, playing guitar, and singing. They are also a Peer Writing Consultant at Sweetland Writing Center, and they have been working on accessibility initiatives for neurodivergent students over the school year. They are really excited to continue working on this initiative and their current creative projects!
Ally Choi, Year: Sophomore, Major: Creative Writing, Minor: Art & Design and Sweetland Writing Program
Ally is a sophomore majoring in Creative Writing and Literature and minoring in Art and Design and the Sweetland Writing Program. She enjoys writing fiction and nonfictionpieces, and hopes to explore multimodal, multilingual, and blurred genre writing in the future!
Jessica Hsu, Year: Sophomore, Major: Public Health, Minor: Statistics and Environment
Jessica is a sophomore from San Jose, California, who plans to major in public health and double minor in statistics and the environment. She loves reading and writing poetry (mostly in her Notes app). She also enjoys occasionally writing fiction, though she usually chooses to safely stick to just reading in that area. In her free time, she enjoys playing the flute, going on runs, devouring fantasy novels, and attempting to not mess up baking recipes.
Melissa Oz, Year: Sophomore, Major: Philosophy, Politics, and Economics
Melissa is a sophomore in the LSA who is currently undeclared but is hoping to be a Philosophy, Politics, and Economics major, with a concentration on environmental issues. She is part of Planet Blue Student Leaders and plans on going to law school after undergrad. She has been writing poetry since she was in high school, and most of her works focus on femininity and relationships. She is thankful for her teachers and professors who have helped her work on her art for the past several years, and is excited to see what will come next for her poetry!
Kathleen Quail, Year: Senior, Major: Film, Television, and Media, and Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience
Kathleen is double majoring in FTVM and BCN. She loves exploring both the creative and scientific sides of both fields. Her future aspirations include working for a National Park and being a showrunner for her own television show. In her free time, she's probably enjoying a Mtn. Dew Baja Blast.
Jenna Lynn Good, Year: Senior, Major: English, Minor: Poetry Writing
Jenna is a senior at the University of Michigan, where she has won two Hopwood awards for her poetry. Her work has appeared in the New Croton Review. She enjoys writing in cursive and listening to records, especially Alice in Chains’ MTV Unplugged.
Audrey Lee, Year: Junior, Major: Psychology, Minor: Creative Writing
Audrey is a psychology major interested in adding on a minor in creative writing. She plans on pursuing a graduate degree in clinical psychology in hopes of becoming a clinical psychologist. Audrey really enjoyed the creative writing class she took this past semester and is excited to further explore the world of creative writing. She's looking forward to taking more writing classes in the coming semesters!
Umana Ahmed, Year: Sophomore, Major: Economics, Minor: Philosophy and Applied Statistics
Umana is a sophomore at UMich, majoring in Economics and minoring in Philosophy and Applied Statistics. She is a lover of the arts in all of its forms, particularly drawn in by literature and theater, and her passion for writing has led her to explore as many aspects of it as possible. She is most fond, however, of poetry. Much of her work is devoted to the subject of rebirth and healing, drawing on both the terrifying and beautiful experiences of living and loving. She spends most of her free time on- or back-stage, doing everything from acting in shows to costuming them. She is excited to be directing her first original full-length musical this semester, and eager to continue pursuing writing and the arts however she can.
Sarah Bellovich, Year: Senior, Major: International Studies, Minor: Sweetland Writing Program and French
Sarah is an International Studies major with a dual-minor in the Sweetland Writing program and French at the University of Michigan. She will be graduating in the spring after her fourth year. She has been writing poetry since she learned how to write haikus in second grade. Her writing is often inspired by Abiquiu, New Mexico where she spent some time in the summers growing up when she was not in Michigan, and where she also developed a healthy obsession of Georgia O’Keefe. She hopes to continue pursuing writing while working in the field of public policy and international law in her future.
Kieran Grossman, Year: Junior, Major: Film, Television, and Media, Minor: Spanish
Kieran (they/he) is a 3rd-year FTVM major and Spanish minor. He writes whatever he wants, but mostly screenplays and songs. They have a Spotify page — check it out! They are also part of the ComCo improv comedy troupe.
Giselle Mills, Year: Senior, Major: History with Honors, Minor: Writing and Russian Language, Literature, and Culture
Giselle is a soon-to-be graduating senior from Birmingham, Michigan, who hopes to write for the rest of her life. She is currently writing an honors thesis about sixteenth century peasant clothing and wills. Giselle loves poetry, taking photos with her mom’s 1989 Canon film camera, and knitting hats for her loved ones.
Haley Brosnan, Year: Freshman, Major: English, Minor: Political Science and Writing
Haley is a freshman at UMich in the UROP Creative Writing program. She loves to write poetry and short fiction, exploring themes of emotional complexity, empowerment, and loss. When she isn’t writing, she likes to go on walks, paint, and listen to music. In the future, she hopes to gain a professorship and publish her own books, with the intent of both creating change and exploring the multiplicities of the human experience.
Taylor Burnham, Year: Sophomore, Major: Psychology and Creative Writing
Taylor is currently a sophomore at the University of Michigan double majoring in psychology and creative writing. She enjoys writing fiction short stories, poetry, and lyrics, delving into themes of romance and mental health. Beyond writing, her interests include crocheting, reading, and exploring herself through musical expression. Taylor aspires to create stories that audiences can empathize with and find comfort in, and she hopes to finish writing her first novel in the coming years.
Elina Schnaper, Year: Junior, Major: Cognitive Science
Elina is an exchange student from Germany spending this Academic Year at UofM. The study abroad allowed her to finally pursue her oldest passion, writing, in a Creative Writing class. She uses poetry as her main emotional outlet, and often explores the topics she feels most fascinated and shaped by - culture and language - within it.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends and good coffee, dancing, or going for walks in the Arb. She hopes that her poems are able to capture and convey her unfiltered thoughts, feelings and persona.
Melina Schaefer, Year: Senior, Major: English and Creative Writing, Minor: History of Art
Melina is a 4th year student studying English and Creative Writing with a minor in the History of Art. Melina is especially interested in the way words and images can come together to create meaning, and is passionate about analog forms of photography and media. She's also interested in public art and writing, and the arts as a powerful tool for societal change.
Booker Cross, Year: Junior, Major: Creative Writing & Literature and Communication and Media, Minor: Science, Technology, and Society
I've always thought I've been bad at first impressions. I feel I can often fail to dial it back and on the first date, maybe at an Olive Garden, and ask my date if they feel like they are anybody's best friend or if they think anyone knows them better than they know themselves. I think it's important to come out of the gate running, to approach the topic at hand with a fierce intensity. Should that intensity be applied while eating chicken alfredo...maybe not, but it's something I think should be applied to writing. It's one of my favorite reasons to write, as it can force us to feel uncomfortable, and by feeling uncomfortable, I think we become alive.
Nina Smith, Year: Sophomore, Major: Creative Writing and Literature
Nina is a sophomore at UMich studying Creative Writing and Literature with a focus on fiction. In her work, she enjoys exploring her characters' intimacies and emotional depths as well as themes of coming of age at all ages. In her free time, she is also a songwriter, musician, and Arts writer for The Michigan Daily.
Telise Clemente, Year: Freshmen
Telise is a first year at Umich. She has been writing since she was 8 years old and hopes to pursue a career in the publishing industry. Aside from writing, she loves snowboarding, fashion, and cooking. Although her pieces are primarily interested in the boundaries between humanity and what exists beyond it, she also enjoys writing nonfiction essays on a variety of topics.
Chelsea Grey, Year: Senior, Major: Creative Writing and Literature
Chelsea is a 4th year creative writing major and women & gender studies minor. She enjoys writing in as many mediums as possible, from short stories to novels, to creative nonfiction to screenwriting. She is interested in exploring the feminine perspective through a gothic and horror lens, as well as using poetry and essays as a means of making sense of one's experience of the world. In her free time, you can find Chelsea surrounded by the animals she volunteers with, making music with Amazin Blue Acapella, or hosting her bi-weekly "weird women" book club with friends. This is her first poetry reading!
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