Image by courtesy
Senior English major Julia Magee, center, accepts the 2025 Elinor Lipman Award for Writing alongside Lipman, left, and English Professor Andre Dubus III at Pollard Memorial Library in Lowell.
Senior English major Julia Magee is the 2025 recipient of the Elinor Lipman Award for Writing. Her short story, 鈥淎 Little Less than Halfway to Boiling,鈥� is an account of a young woman鈥檚 struggle to find her place in a world in which she feels disconnected.
The annual award, given out by the Pollard Memorial Library Foundation in honor of Lowell native and award-winning author Elinor Lipman, recognizes the importance of literacy and learning in Lowell and comes with a $1,000 prize.
A panel of three judges unanimously selected Magee out of 37 submissions from Lowell residents and students at Middlesex Community College and 小猪视频. The judges included Lipman, poet and 2022 Lipman Award recipient Lillian Yvonne Bertram and literary editor Pilar Garcia-Brown.
In a Pollard Memorial Library announcing the award, Lipman heaped praise on Magee鈥檚 story.聽
鈥淎 particularly winning aspect was her creation of a first-person narrator who is quirky, increasingly loopy, yet a smart and entirely sympathetic character,鈥� Lipman said.
Magee, a native of Westford, was excited to learn she won the award.
鈥淚t was nice to hear the judges on why they liked it,鈥� she says.
Image by courtesy
Lipman Award-winner Julia Magee, center, poses for a photo with English Department faculty members, from left, Jenna Vinson, Michael Millner, Andrew Dubus III and Katherine Flowers.
鈥淚 would just write pretty much all day, every day for a couple weeks,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know where that came from.鈥�
That dedication paid off, as Magee was able to celebrate the prestigious accolade with Lipman and past recipients during the award ceremony at Pollard Memorial Library in downtown Lowell.
Magee says it was especially meaningful seeing her 小猪视频 professors, including Professor Andre Dubus III, Associate Professor Michael Millner and others, come to the ceremony to offer their support.
Magee, whose life is intertwined with the world of books, is currently doing an archival internship at the Center for Lowell History cataloging the files of Loom Press, an independent publisher founded by UML alum Paul Marion 鈥�76, 鈥�05.
As a history minor, 鈥渄oing a catalog of everything Loom Press has published since 1978 is very exciting,鈥� Magee says.
Looking ahead, Magee鈥檚 career goals are vast, but all include writing.聽
鈥淚 have considered editing and publishing, as well as academic writing. Creative writing will always be there too,鈥� she says.
Magee, who transferred to 小猪视频 as a sophomore from St. John鈥檚 College, says she has found a supportive community and numerous opportunities to grow as a writer in the English Department.
鈥淚 have been able to explore so many things here,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he English Department has been a great fit.鈥�