The University of Montana's Oval Literary Magazine

“The Blooming Pier” by Lily Wages

ovaleditor — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:47:55 +0000

Congratulations to Lily Wages who earned an honorable mention in the 18^th volume of The Oval for her visual art “The Blooming Pier.” Lily Wages is a seventh generation Montanan who grew wild in the rural lupin fields and streams of the disappearing Bitterroot. She’s had a poem published in the 2023 Oval edition and is currently running loose in the Welsh countryside.

“AMEN” by Connie Chiu

ovaleditor — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:45:07 +0000

Congratulations to Connie Chiu who earned an honorable mention in the 18^th volume of The Oval for her visual art “AMEN.” Connie from Taiwan, is here through the Fulbright TA Program. She’s a passionate Chinese calligraphy artist who devoted herself to the field for two decades. Although she is not technically an undergraduate student, she takes classes as required by her program. The piece titled “AMEN” is a custom design order that combines the Latin alphabet and Chinese characters, representing the journey through both Western and Eastern cultures. The four characters are written in a single stroke without re-dipping the ink. It starts with ample ink, symbolizing the freshness and smoothness of a newborn, and gradually depletes to the end, representing a life dedicated to fulfilling a purpose. The connection between the characters is maintained through an invisible line, indicating that they are part of a cohesive work rather than being randomly assembled. The work was originally written with a horse-furred brush on Chinese calligraphy paper and scanned as an image.

“The Lady of Shalott” by Juhi Singh

ovaleditor — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:35:14 +0000

Congratulations to Juhi Singh who earned an honorable mention in the 18^th volume of The Oval for her poem “The Lady of Shalott.” Juhi Singh is an international undergraduate student from Delhi, India at the University of Montana, Missoula. She is a junior with a double major in Psychology and English with a concentration in Creative Writing. She dabbles in poetry in her free time, or whenever creative inspiration finds its way to her, seldom at convenient hours. Juhi is also a language enthusiast who is fascinated by linguistic and communication disorders.

Her opening lines:

“They sent me to her tower,
I visit enjambment and longing I,
visit poetry and the platonics,”

Read Juhi’s full piece here.

“remission” by Infinity Lindeman

ovaleditor — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:30:41 +0000

Congratulations to Infinity Lindeman who earned an honorable mention in the 18^th volume of The Oval for her poem “remission.” Infinity Lindeman is a senior Anthropology student at the University of Montana with a special interest in Supernatural/Pseudo Archeology. She has lived, breathed, and written poetry since she was little and performed Slam Poetry throughout High School. Infinity writes about grief, heartache, and the human condition.

Her opening lines:

“there’s something wrong with me.
there’s something wrong with me
that is also wrong with you.”

Read Infinity’s full piece here.

“Swingset Nostalgia” by Madison Knapp

ovaleditor — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:20:32 +0000

Congratulations to Madison Knapp who earned an honorable mention in the 18^th volume of The Oval for her poem “Swingset Nostalgia.” Madison Knapp is a sophomore at the University of Montana studying Creative Writing with a French minor. She is a student in the Davidson Honors College and a proud member of the Grizzly Marching Band. Writing is her passion because she gets to express thoughts and emotion through the use of language, which allows her to see the world in a new and beautiful way.

Her opening lines:

“I wish to exist
In the photo negative space
That occupies my opposition.”

Read Madison’s full piece here.

“my madame bovary smells of oranges” by Will Eaton

ovaleditor — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:12:11 +0000

Congratulations to Will Eaton who earned an honorable mention in the 18^th volume of The Oval for his poem “my madame bovary smells of oranges.” Will Eaton is currently a freshman at the University of Montana studying English Literature and Classics. He loves all things reading, writing, and ancient Rome and hopes to one day become an English teacher.

His opening lines:

“from flipping the pages with sticky fingers
and juice dripping down the warped and rotted cover.
citrus and acid staining and spattering
the very fibers of her skin.“

Read Will’s full piece here.

“The Feelings Chart” by Rachel Ottman

ovaleditor — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:05:56 +0000

Congratulations to Rachel Ottman who earned an honorable mention in the 18^th volume of The Oval for their non-fiction piece “The Feelings Chart.” Rachel Ottman is an avid non-fiction author studying political science, psychology, and English at the University of Montana. With a pronounced interest in social activism and public speaking, Ottman uses their writing to address societal issues and stereotypes while reflecting on their own experiences.

Their opening lines:

“‘It’s just a drill,’ my teacher cooed as I sobbed in the corner of the classroom, but her reassurances meant nothing. I was too young to know what a lockdown was. I didn’t understand why a real one should have scared me or why a fictitious drill was a reassurance. There were no words to explain my distress. How could a five-year-old begin to describe the tightening in their throat that forced them to hyperventilate? Or the way their hands shook uncontrollably and their terrified mind vanquished any logical thought?”

Read Rachel’s full piece here.

“The Dark Side of The Moon and Other Conspiracy Theories” by Finch Hewitt

ovaleditor — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 19:57:18 +0000

Congratulations to Finch Hewitt who earned an honorable mention in the 18^th volume of The Oval for their non-fiction piece “The Dark Side of The Moon and Other Conspiracy Theories.” Finch Hewitt is a sophomore at the University of Montana studying Creative Writing who was raised in Kalispell, Montana. They enjoy art, writing, and fashion.

Their opening lines:

“‘Gottlieb wanted to create a way to seize control of people’s minds, and he realized it was a two-part process,” says journalist Stephen Kinzer, 66 years after top-secret CIA operation MKULTRA first began and 44 years after it was revealed to the public. He takes a drag of his cigarette and continues: “First, you had to blast away the existing mind. Second, you had to find a way to insert a new mind into that resulting void. We didn’t get too far on number two, but he did a lot of work on number one.'”

Read Finch’s full piece here.

“Notebook Theory” by Nevaeh Starr

ovaleditor — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 19:43:50 +0000

Congratulations to Nevaeh Starr who earned an honorable mention in the 18^th volume of The Oval for their fiction piece “Notebook Theory.” Nevaeh Starr is from South Dakota, and is currently a junior at UMT studying pre-law. She enjoys her job working as a medical technician at a memory care facility, reading, writing, and weightlifting. She began reading and writing poetry in middle school, but college has allowed her to further explore poetry, in all of its forms and functions. Nevaeh enjoys using the contemporary style, and loves the poetic process of experimenting with words and expression.

Her opening lines:

“The river dried up today. The fisherman who watched it happen said it began slowly, then all at once. ‘You know how these things happen,’ he says to me. He has been alive much longer than I have. This is not his first apocalypse. ‘You know how they begin.’”

Read Nevaeh’s full piece here.

“Cupid’s Rose” by Daazhraii Alexander

ovaleditor — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 19:27:14 +0000

Congratulations to Daazhraii Alexander who earned an honorable mention in the 18^th volume of The Oval for their fiction piece “Cupid’s Rose.” Daazhraii Alexander is a senior set to graduate with her BFA in creative writing in May. She is currently working on two senior capstones, which include a collection of short stories and the screenplay for an animated series. She loves reading horror and classic literature, but is also a big fan of science fiction and fantasy.

Her opening lines:

“The thing about hotels was that they all had too many mirrors. In my room there was a full body one in the corner and a large one at the vanity where I had set my supplies. There was also one in the bathroom. It was a necessary evil, though. I hadn’t been able to sleep at home for a while now, and it was wreaking havoc on my skin.”

Read Daazhraii’s full piece here.