Janna B. Lopez, MFA

Awards, Honors, Recognition

2025: Appointed Creighton University’s inaugural Poet-in-Residence for their internationally-recognized Medical Humanities program. Being selected to fulfill such a significant role is a tremendous honor. As faculty, I support students and other faculty by teaching my Poetic Intelligence methodology to bolster the reflective process for future care providers. I collaborate with faculty across numerous arts and humanities disciplines to share how poetry extends conceptual thinking abilities. I’m building a world-class poetry program through immersive curriculum, intentional community outreach, and ensuring accessibility by integrating poetry into everyday life. 

2025: AWARD WINNER: Willamette University, Recent Alumni Leadership, Innovative Achievement. The Recent Alumni Leadership Award is given to graduates who’ve already made noteworthy contributions to their communities, their industry or their causes.

• Innovative Achievement: awarded to an alum in recognition of significant achievements in entrepreneurship, leadership or innovation since graduating from Willamette.

Honoring accomplished alumni

A committee from Willamette’s Alumni Board of Directors thoroughly reviews nominations and recommends the slate of finalists to the full Board of Directors for approval by vote. Since 1958, the Alumni Board of Directors has celebrated members of the alumni community annually who exemplify the University’s mission of — Non nobis solum nati sumus (We are not born for ourselves alone).

2023: I was the Santa Fe Poet Laureate ambassador. In this highly-prestigious position I conducted dozens of community workshops with hundreds of business owners, students, and city dignitaries. My innovative programs were designed to integrate poetry into everyday life, and ensure poetry became more accessible and equitable. I presented poetry in various cultural contexts and at important city-wide events.

2023: Inaugural guest writer for Santa Fe Community College’s Writing Generation series held in partnership with Institute for American Indian Arts. This series was about giving people time and inspiration to write, building community, amplifying New Mexico voices, and giving students across the globe facetime with faculty.

The free online series was open to the public and consisted of two types of events: readings by New Mexico writers and creative sessions when attendees were guided to write. The program-launch event featured a reading by Janna Lopez, Santa Fe Poet Laureate program ambassador, followed a week later with a creative session when Janna shared her creative approach of Self-Conversation with attendees.

2023: WINNER, 3rd Place Fiction. “Elaine’s Last Garden,” New Mexican’s Pasatiempo statewide writing contest. 

2021: WINNER, 1st Place, Nonfiction. “What We Don’t Owe,” Santa Fe Reporter annual writing contest. 

2021: AWARD WINNER: Volunteer of the Year, School to Career program, Hillsboro, Oregon, Chamber of Commerce. I was recognized for my weekly writing workshops created for teen students during the pandemic. Award nominees are nominated based on the volunteer’s efforts to promote and model life-long learning as key to students’ future success.

2019: GRAND GOLD WINNER: My book project, \'Sweet Dreams, Story Catcher - collection of Brian Doyle essays\' on behalf of University of Portland, won Grand Gold award from CASE (Council for Advancement and Support of Education). Out of 2,856 entries, 611 institutions, in 20 countries. Only 26 Grand Golds were awarded. I was the editor, project manager, and conceptual creator of this memorial collection.

I graduated summa cum laude with an MFA in creative writing from Pacific Northwest College of Art/Willamette University. I learned from an innovative program based on writing as a means for equity and social justice. I believe we all have the right and power to express who we are.

Publications:

Books: 

\'Medicine Needs Poetry: an open Invitation to cultivate more self-care & compassion through words\'

January 2026

\'such is\' poetry collection

June 2024

\'winsome\' poetry collection

May 2022

\'Me, My Selfie & Eye - a midlife conversation about grief, identity loss and seeing who you are\'

January 2020

Journals:

Corpse Flower - Spirit Press, spring 2022

Cerulean Blue - Millennial Pulp, summer 2022

What We Don’t Owe- FIRST PLACE WINNER, Santa Fe Reporter, November 2022

Baleen - Santa Fe Literary Review, Summer 2023

I, Momentary Luck - Bangalore Review, Feb, 2023

Ghosts - Querencia Press, spring 2023

20223 - Glissando! spring, 2023 New Mexico Poetry Anthology 

When Clouds and Balloon Animals Become One - Querencia Press, fall 2023

Elaine\'s Last Garden - THIRD PLACE WINNER, FICTION, Pasatiempo, winter 2023

Blood Flow Machination - Unchaste, Anthology, spring 2024