{"id":2718,"date":"2026-04-09T17:35:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T17:35:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo-ucf-cah.pantheonsite.io\/cah-ucf-edu-cypressdome\/?page_id=2718"},"modified":"2026-10-06T02:11:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T06:11:17","slug":"alumni-testimonials","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/alumni-testimonials\/","title":{"rendered":"Alumni Testimonials"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cMy time spent in The Cypress Dome<\/em> not only provided an enriching and collaborative environment for the incredible feat of launching a literary magazine, but it also gave me valuable insight as to the complexity of the submission process from an administrative perspective.\u201d
\u2014Gian Arellano, Playwright of MILK<\/em> and The Last Bear<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy experiences as an editor of The Cypress Dome<\/em> have been incredibly influential\u2013 not only in giving me the know-how to establish and advise a literary magazine for my students, but also in developing the interpersonal skills necessary to function in the professional world. Real world experiences like this are vital to a university cultivating well-rounded graduates.\u201d
\u2014Carly Gates, high school teacher, Palm Beach County, Florida<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe cypress dome was an awesome natural feature near UCF\u2019s campus in the early 90s. It\u2019s probably even more awesome now, but The Cypress Dome<\/em> was an excellent chance to work with Don Stap and my fellow creative writers in the early 90s, too. The Cypress Dome<\/em> helped us highlight UCF\u2019s writers\u2019 natural talents, as I learned lay-out skills and as we showcased all the best that the campus\u2019s creative chroniclers had to offer.\u201d
\u2014Adam Sonstegard, Professor of English, Cleveland State University<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Cypress Dome<\/em>\u00a0published my first poem, and in the next issue, another poem won first place in the annual contest. I still remember that flash of joy and astonishment, of unbelievable luck that others could value my work and publish it. I felt welcomed into the world of writing and writers in a very tangible way.\u201d
\u2014Kelle Groom, author of three volumes of poetry (Five Kingdoms, Luckily, and Underwater City) and the memoir I Wore the Ocean in the Shape of a Girl, named a Library Journal Best Memoir of 2011, a New York Times Book Review Editor\u2019s Choice, and a Barnes & Noble Great New Writers selection.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Cypress Dome Society has been an invaluable resource to me on my writing life journey. It helped me see the world of writing beyond the undergraduate degree and gave me the skills I needed to make writing and editing a part of my professional career.\u201d
\u2014Madison Bernath, Solutions Development Manager at Alaka\u00b4ina Foundation Family of Companies<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among our illustrious alumni are the following writers, with their most recent publication listed. Many of them published in The Cypress Dome<\/em> and many also served as editors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jaroslav Kalfar<\/a>  Spaceman of Bohemia
Nathan Holic<\/a>, Bright Lights, Medium-Sized City<\/em>
Kandi Steiner<\/a>, author of scores of best-selling romance novels<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Julie Iromuanya<\/a>, A Season of Light<\/em>
Jennifer Torres Sanchez<\/a>, YA author
Jen Glantz<\/a>, Bridesmaid for Hire<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dana Kantrowicz,<\/a> writer and editor<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Didi Jackson<\/a>, My Infinity<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kelle Groome<\/a>, How To Live: A Memoir in Essays<\/em>
Dan Lopez<\/a>, The Show House, A Novel<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edgar Gomez<\/a>, Alligator Tears<\/em>
Lindsay Hunter<\/a>, Hot Springs Drive<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lu Chekowsky<\/a>, Don\u2019t Buy What I\u2019m Selling<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Francesca Battitstelli<\/a>, Christian singer\/ songwriter<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cMy time spent in The Cypress Dome not only provided an enriching and collaborative environment for the incredible feat of launching a literary magazine, but it also gave me valuable insight as to the complexity of the submission process from an administrative perspective.\u201d\u2014Gian Arellano, Playwright of MILK and The Last Bear \u201cMy experiences as an editor of The Cypress Dome have been […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":295,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"title-paragraph-w-separator","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2718","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAlumni Testimonials - The Cypress Dome<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/alumni-testimonials\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alumni Testimonials - 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These water-logged craters often wear into natural circles and enable the cypress trees to grow in a circular pattern, creating\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2026\/04\/Original-Color.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2026\/04\/Original-Color.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2026\/04\/Original-Color.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2026\/04\/Original-Color.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2026\/04\/Original-Color.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":92,"url":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/the-cypress-dome-society\/","url_meta":{"origin":2718,"position":1},"title":"The Cypress Dome Society","author":"Devin Wiebelt","date":"June 2, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The Cypress Dome Society is a literary organization at the University of Central Florida run by undergraduate students, for undergraduate students. Our mission is to help emerging writers break into the world of editing, publishing, and literary promotions through our events and annual literary journal The Cypress Dome. Past events\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2025\/10\/The-Cypress-Dome-logo-updated-transparent.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":67,"url":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/contact-us\/","url_meta":{"origin":2718,"position":2},"title":"Support Us","author":"Devin Wiebelt","date":"June 2, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"For the past few decades, The Cypress Dome Society has supported the literary and visual arts on UCF\u2019s campus with professional development for undergraduate students, as well as opportunities for students across the university to submit their work for publication and to attend and participate in literary readings, Open Mic\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2025\/05\/CDFront10-web.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2218,"url":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/about-the-organization\/","url_meta":{"origin":2718,"position":3},"title":"About","author":"Alena Christmas","date":"March 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Founded in 1989 and named after a natural feature of our campus, The Cypress Dome is the University of Central Florida\u2019s undergraduate literary journal. It is edited, designed, and produced by a selected editorial team of students from our literary organization, The Cypress Dome Society, as part of a year-long\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1647,"url":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/join\/","url_meta":{"origin":2718,"position":4},"title":"Join the Editorial Staff","author":"Devin Wiebelt","date":"August 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Students interested in joining the editorial staff in future years should become an active member of The Cypress Dome Society and contact the director, Professor Kianna Greene (kianna.greene@ucf.edu). Being on the editorial staff requires a two-semester commitment and permissions-only enrollment in CRW 3950: Cypress Dome Editorship. APPLICATIONS FOR FALL 2027\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1688,"url":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/submission-faqs\/","url_meta":{"origin":2718,"position":5},"title":"Submission FAQ","author":"Devin Wiebelt","date":"September 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"What should I include in my cover letter?+ There are many great online resources that can help you craft the perfect cover letter. We suggest\u00a0The Adroit Journal\u00a0as a good reference point. If I submit to multiple genres, can all of my pieces get published?+ No. If you submit pieces to\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2025\/05\/5-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2025\/05\/5-2.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2025\/05\/5-2.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2025\/05\/5-2.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2025\/05\/5-2.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/68\/2025\/05\/5-2.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/295"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2718"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2718\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2784,"href":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2718\/revisions\/2784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cah.ucf.edu\/cypressdome\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}