ALMA — Submersed: Wonder, Obsession, and Murder in the World of Amateur Submarines, a new book by Alma College Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing faculty member Matthew Gavin Frank, has attracted a wide range of attention and critical acclaim in national outlets for its gripping narrative and unique subject matter.
“With the poetic force of a true-crime epic and the narrative daring of the best literary nonfiction, Matthew Gavin Frank threads murder, masculinity and maritime mystery into a work as luminous and strange as a deep-sea creature,” said Sophfronia Scott, director of the Alma College MFA program. “We’re honored to count him as a member of our outstanding faculty.”
Submersed opens by exploring the curious world of do-it-yourself submarine enthusiasts — a largely male group captivated by the idea of diving into the ocean’s depths. Driven by obsession, these hobbyists construct their own submersibles in home workshops and driveways, often with little more than determination and ingenuity. The risks are severe, as tragically underscored by the catastrophic implosion of the Titan sub in 2023, a vessel engineered by Stockton Rush with comparatively extensive resources.
Frank charts the murky waters of both literal and metaphorical descent. As he delves into the history of undersea exploration, the folklore surrounding deep-sea myths, and the physiological effects of extreme pressure, he uncovers a striking link: an eerie correlation between the impulse to submerge and episodes of violence. What emerges is a chilling portrait of a pursuit that’s as much about the depths of the human psyche as the ocean floor itself.
Submersed has been touted in some of the world’s biggest media outlets, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal and MSNBC’s Morning Joe. Author Dan Piepenbring wrote in Harper’s, “Frank is an unrepentant maximalist, a lover of wide scope and picayune detail. He gives us Alexander the Great in his bathysphere, Jules Verne squabbling with the editor of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.”
Frank’s previous book, Flight of the Diamond Smugglers was published in 2021 by W.W. Norton: Liveright. It was selected as one of NPR’s Best Books of 2021 and as a finalist for the 2021 Heartland Booksellers Award in Nonfiction. He is also the author of the nonfiction books The Mad Feast: An Ecstatic Tour Through America’s Food and Preparing the Ghost: An Essay Concerning the Giant Squid and Its First Photographer.
The Alma College MFA features a strong literature-based curriculum and offers inspirational and exploratory residency experiences designed to develop your ability to read and think critically and to write with a high level of artistic proficiency. Apply today and learn more at alma.edu/mfa.
