Catherine Tong’s “Queer Life at Berkeley: Joy, Violence, and Resistance” is a powerful evaluation of UC Berkeley’s student-led queer culture, including ongoing challenges —relevant not just to Berkeley students but to queer studies more broadly — such as students feeling compelled to come out when they don’t want to. This is a selection from the essay, written for Prof. Seth Holmes’s Fall 2022 Art of Writing class, “Inequality and the Body: Health, Medicine, Society and Environment.”

Writing Category: Student Essay Awards
Movement, Motivation & Medicine
Emma Lalor’s ambitious “Movement, Motivation & Medicine: an ethnographic look into pre-med experiences from immigrant students in California,” uses the medium of the graphic novel to create a powerful visual-verbal ethnography of challenges to immigrant students that often go unnoticed or unheard. Below are two chapters from the piece, which was written for Prof. Seth Holmes’s Fall 2022 Art of Writing class, “Inequality and the Body: Health, Medicine, Society and Environment.”
Morning Sun Ekphrasis
Lauren Szeto’s “Morning Sun Ekphrasis,” a poetic translation and accompanying critical reflection, shows how creative and critical writing, when joined together, can offer profound insights into the works we study. The essay was written for Prof. Eve Sweetser’s Fall 2022 Art of Writing class, “Writing as Framing.”
Homelessness and Mental Health Interventions in California
Sakeena Baxamusa’s “Homelessness and Mental Health Interventions in California” shows how combining direct, individual ethnographic study with deep and careful research can produce a powerful intervention. The essay was written for Prof. Seth Holmes’s Fall 2022 Art of Writing class, “Inequality and the Body: Health, Medicine, Society and Environment.”
Undergraduate Caitlyn Jordan Wins 2019 Art of Writing Prize
Caitlyn Jordan, a senior English major double-minoring in human rights and creative writing, won the 2019 Art of Writing essay… Continue reading Undergraduate Caitlyn Jordan Wins 2019 Art of Writing Prize
Undergraduate Leo Elyon Awarded 2018 Art of Writing Prize
Leo Elyon, a sophomore double-major in genetics & plant biology and Slavic languages & literatures, won the 2018 Art of… Continue reading Undergraduate Leo Elyon Awarded 2018 Art of Writing Prize
Undergraduate Taj Hittenberger Awarded 2016 Art of Writing Prize
The Inaugural Art of Writing Undergraduate Essay Contest was held in Spring 2016. Because it is a central principle of… Continue reading Undergraduate Taj Hittenberger Awarded 2016 Art of Writing Prize