SAIC Community Members Shine in Newcity’s Lit 50 2025

Newcity’s annual Lit 50 list celebrates the most impactful voices in Chicago’s literary landscape, and this year, 11 School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) community members are represented. Honorees include acclaimed graphic novelist Emil Ferris (BFA 2008), experimental poet Daniel Borzutzky (MFA 2000), and novelist Cynthia Pelayo (MFA 2010). James Stewart III (MFA 2018), Paul Sacaridiz (MFA 1998), Justin Howard Rosier (MFA 2018) also made the list, alongside community members such as Director of Communications Rowan Beaird, board member Michelle Boone, Assistant Professor, Adj. Suzanne Scanlon, and Assistant Professor, Adj. Elise Paschen. The inclusion of alumni, faculty, and staff members highlights SAIC’s continued contribution to Chicago’s literary innovation and cultural leadership.