On November 20, 2024, at The Loft, The New Writing Series welcomed the most recent reader for the program, acclaimed novelist and short story writer Mona Awad. Her works include Bunny, a surrealist horror novel about a girl named Samantha. She navigates her time in a competitive MFA program with a nauseatingly close clique of girls who call themselves the “Bunnies.” Following in the footsteps of Bunny, Rouge is a gothic fairy tale set in Southern California. Awad’s other novel, 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl, follows a girl struggling with her weight and the relationships she navigates from adolescence to adulthood,  and All’s Well is a retelling of Macbeth through the eyes of an unorthodox theater teacher managing chronic pain. 

All’s Well, published in 2021, is Awad’s third novel to date. Credit: Simon & Schuster, and Marysue Rucci Books Credit: Simon & Schuster, and Marysue Rucci Books

The New Writing Series hosts poets, playwrights, and prose writers throughout the academic year and is open to the public. It is co-sponsored by the Department of Literature, the Division of Arts and Humanities, and the UC San Diego Library’s Special Collections & Archives. 

The Fall 2024 New Writing Series lineup included Mona Awad, Ocean Vuong, and Marinaomi. Credit: UCSD New Writing Series, UCSD Artpower, UCSD Department of Literature, Professor Anna Joy Springer Credit: UCSD New Writing Series, UCSD Artpower, UCSD Department of Literature, Professor Anna Joy Springer

Awad was introduced by Anna Joy Springer, an Associate Professor in the Department of Literature, alongside a few of her students. Awad read an excerpt of the novel she’s been working on, a prequel and sequel to Bunny. She gave a spirited reading that captured listeners with her clever description of scenery and the power to transport her readers into the creepy-cute scenes yet to come.

During the Q&A portion of the reading, Awad shared insightful pieces of her writing process with listeners, particularly about the process of writing Rouge. Awad discussed how La Jolla is her favorite place to write, and how long walks along the cove daydreaming about the creepy glass houses inspired Rouge. The story tackles themes of cult-like devotion to beauty and wellness spas as the main character navigates her mother’s passing.

Mona Awad with the students who introduced her. Credit: Emma Mings

Fans of the films Heathers and Alice in Wonderland may enjoy Bunny, which combines magical realism reminiscent of fairy tales with an academic backdrop. Awad’s writing style completely immerses its reader in wickedly dark humor and enticingly off-putting world-building. The privileged pastels combined with animal imagery create the beautiful fever dream that is Bunny.

Awad left readers and aspiring writers with one final impression during the Q&A portion of the lecture, “Obsessions are fantastic, keep note of them.”

Alessandra Breall is Editor for Arts and Culture and a Staff Writer for The Triton