Professors David Roman, Danzy Senna and Mark Irwin, co-chairs of this year’s Selections Committee, recently announced the 2021 recipients of the Jimmy Gauntt Memorial Award, aka The Jimmy. The Jimmy is awarded to the top graduating seniors who have majored in English, Creative Writing or Narrative studies. Six stellar seniors received The Jimmy.
Unfortunately, once again due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were not able to have the customary dinner to celebrate the 2021 Jimmies. The dinner is widely attended by faculty members and the Gauntt-Kirby families. We hope we can resume our gathering in 2022.
We are proud to announce the 2021 recipients of The Jimmy. This is the 12th consecutive year the award has been given out and there are now 72 Jimmies sharing their wisdom, passion and enthusiasm. Congratulations to you all!
I used to struggle with viewing my writing abilities as a talent. When I was younger, I would write little poems and beginnings of stories and I would show them to my mom. Despite her encouragement, I would crumple them up and never finish them because I felt as if I was just imitating all the books I had read. When I started high school I abandoned creative writing completely and instead latched onto newspaper and critical papers for my English classes. This self-doubt led me to choose the wrong major when I started college. I was a Public Relations major when I started at the University of Florida. I knew I wanted to major in English, but my parents encouraged me to choose a more practical major and I complied. By the end of my freshman year, I chose to transfer to USC because of the progressive degree program in Literary Editing and Publishing and changed my major to English.
When I started at USC I planned to take the literature track, but something told me to take an Intro to Fiction course just to be sure—my mom encouraged me by reminding me of how I used to write stories when I was younger, a memory I had long forgotten. I remember the first story I wrote for that class I didn’t even format into paragraphs. I wrote one page of solid text. I was so embarrassed when my professor, MG Lord, returned it to me with the note in all caps “PLEASE FORMAT INTO PARAGRAPHS!” I was so new to creative writing and all of my classmates seemed more experienced that I completely forgot all my writing fundamentals. But Professor Lord liked the story, and that was all I needed to channel the child Alexis who loved writing stories and now felt confident enough to finish them. After that course, I changed to the creative writing track and I began to finally think of myself as a “writer.” I then took Fiction Writing and Advanced Fiction Writing with Aimee Bender. Having Professor Bender for a whole year really helped solidify my confidence as a writer. The LEAP program opened my eyes to how expansive nonfiction is and the publishing world and the professors encouraged me and praised my writing even more. I can honestly say transferring to USC and changing my major to English Creative Writing was one of the best decisions I ever made. Professor Bender and MG both even helped me get the two internships I have now. I know the connections I have made here will last a lifetime.
I first fell in love with writing in kindergarten when my poem “My Perfect Day” won a Beanie Baby and a trip to the zoo. The love affair continued through my time at USC, where I majored in Creative Writing and continued on to a progressive master’s degree in Literary Editing and Publishing. My time […]
I started at USC as a Philosophy, Politics, and Law major who didn’t know how to read. While I could follow a narrative, I was never pushed to jump into the hidden oceans of meaning that lie just beneath the surface of every text. I first took the plunge in Professor Heather James’ Thematic Option […]
I didn’t enter USC as a creative writing major. Hell, during my first semester, I figured that whatever philosophical or literary exploration I’d be embarking upon during my undergraduate career would be in service of what my parents (and many, many others, I’d wager to say) would call a “practical career,” or what universities across […]
I heard a fellow English student describe the atmosphere of the English department by remarking that nearly every professor leaves their door wide open even when they are working. The message they send is clear: They are eager to get to know students, to guide and help them. I was one who took advantage of those […]
I’ve always loved puzzles: I can happily spend hours on crosswords, logic games, pattern problems, or riddles, because a stubborn part of me believes that for every problem, there exists an elegant solution. Looking back at my time at USC, I’ve come to think of every English class I’ve taken, every book I’ve read, and […]
