November 12, 2024 — Recent Marist graduate Alyssa Borelli ’24 was awarded a prestigious prize from Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honors Society.

Alyssa won the Elizabeth Holtze Creative Nonfiction Award for her essay “The Women of Sabine,” written in Dr. Lea Graham’s Travel Writing Workshop while a student at Marist. Her essay will also be catalogued in the Library of Congress and be published in the 2025 Sigma Tau Delta Rectangle, an annual journal for creative writing.

“Not only did Dr. Graham help me to perfect my writing and challenge me to think in a new creative direction, but she gave me the courage to write the piece in the first place,” Alyssa said.

“Alyssa is a fearless and mature writer,” Dr. Graham said. “She deftly handles difficult topics and her work is nuanced and beautifully layered. She was never afraid to strive for honesty in a way that I have such admiration for.”

Sigma Tau Delta rewards achievement in literature, language, and writing. The Alpha Mu Kappa chapter of Sigma Tau Delta was started at Marist in 2004. Dr. Patricia Tarantello, Lecturer of English and Director of First Year Seminar, oversees the chapter and mentors students submitting work to the annual conference or journal. She encouraged Alyssa to submit her work to the journal.

“Sigma Tau Delta creates opportunities for students to share their work and to connect with a larger supportive network of English majors and minors,” Dr. Tarantello said. “Marist has a lot of strong writers, so it’s great for them to have a platform to showcase their writing.”

Marist has sent numerous students to present at the annual Sigma Tau Delta conference, sending eight students to the conference hosted in St. Louis this past spring. Additionally, numerous students have been published in the bi-annual journal. Juliann Bianco '25, Evelyn Milburn '24, and Sara Rabinowitz '24 will also have work published alongside Alyssa’s essay.

Alyssa (holding check) and the cast of her award-winning play, “Father, I’m Not a Sinner.” Photo courtesy of Alyssa Borelli.

Alyssa, who graduated with a bachelor’s in communications and minors in creative writing and theatre, excelled as a writer during her time at Marist. Ten of her pieces were chosen for publication in Mosaic, the campus literary and arts magazine.

She was a regular participant in the annual John P. Anderson Playwrights’ Festival, hosted by the Marist Theatre Guild. Playwrights submit a play for consideration, and a panel of faculty selects five plays to be staged and performed. Not only were Alyssa’s plays selected each year, but she also won three of the four competitions she entered.

Her senior year, Alyssa authored the play COLD BLOODED, which was performed in March 2024 as a part of the Supernatural Studies Conference, a conference dedicated to the study of the supernatural in literature.

“I write because it’s the most impactful way to express myself,” Alyssa said. “Words are a powerful form of storytelling and the most powerful form of change.”

Students in the English-Writing program at Marist build valuable life skills while expressing and sharing their creativity with their peers.

“Writing is an extension of our thinking, but it is also about discovery,” Dr. Graham said. “To work at and study writing is like going on an adventure. You don't know where it might take you, but you have to be willing to put the time and risk in.”

“The Marist English department always supported my writing. Professors truly allow you to express yourself, push you to be creative, and refuse to hold you back. It’s a place where you can create a lot of stories,” Alyssa said. “I’m grateful for that.”