Congrats to Amie Whittemore!

Congrats to Amie Whittemore (MFA '10) on this upcoming publication:

I just wanted to let you know that my poem, "The Other Field" has been accepted for publication by The Fourth River.

 

Great news, AW!!

fabulous news for Jessica Easto!

Second-year fiction writer Jessica Easto has great news:

 

I've just been notified that I've won a scholarship (free room, board, tuition) to participate in the Oxford American's first Summit for Ambitious Writers this summer (http://summit.oxfordamerican.org/)!!! David Remnick, Kevin Brockmeier, and Wells Tower (among many delightful others) are on faculty. Couldn't be more excited!

 

Sounds fantastic, Jessica!!!  Many congratulations!

 

Catching Up with Michael Meyerhofer (MFA '06, poetry)

News from one proflic alum:

My third poetry book, "Damnatio Memoriae," should be released by September. You can still pre-order it here: http://www.brickroadpoetrypress.com/preorder/119-order-damnatio.html. My fifth chapbook, "Pure Elysium," is at the printers and should be out soon, as well. Oh, and a lil' side project, a fantasy novel called "Wytchfire," was accepted for publication by an indie press called Triskaideka Books. It's (hopefully) the first of a series, to be released in print and e-book format, probably also around September.

Congrats, MM!!

Congrats to Melissa Scholes Young!

Melissa Scholes Young (MFA '11) writes with poetry publication news:

My poem "Safety" was just accepted for publication by Switched-on Gutenberg.  It'll be out in the fall.

Congrats, MSY!

Congrats to Leslie Adams!

Third-year MFA poet Leslie Adams sends great news from Ireland:

North American Review has accepted "Making Camp" for publication. Nice news to go with the gorgeous weather here. Can't wait to see everyone in a few weeks!

Congrats, Leslie!  We've missed you!

MFA Graduation GALA--May 6, 2011

The Creative Writing Program of Southern Illinois University Carbondale's Department of English

cordially invites you to attend

our MFA Celebration

May 6, 2011

6-7 pm: Reception
7-9 pm: Readings

at the Varsity Center for the Arts, 418 South Illinois Avenue, Carbondale, Illinois

These nine graduating students will read briefly from their thesis works:

Janelle Blasdel
Lane Kareska
Brenna Lemieux
Charlie Lemmink
Richard Pechous
Brooks Rexroat
A,K. Thompson
Melissa Scholes Young
Katie Zapoluch

Please join us in wishing them congratulations and godspeed.

Congrats to John Stanford Owen!

MFA graduate student in poetry John Stanford Owen has late afternoon good news for the blog!

I'm happy to announce "Devil's Drop" will be appearing in Third Coast.

Congrats, JSO!!!

Melissa Scholes Young to Read at Hungry Young Poets Series

from Melissa Scholes Young (MFA '11, fiction--but she writes (and publishes) everything):

I'm reading some poetry about Brazil for the Hungry Young Poets Summer Reading Series June 20th in St. Louis.  

http://www.riverstyx.org/events/index.php

Congrats, MSY!!!

Congrats to Renee Wells (MFA '06, poetry)

on her new job at Michigan Tech! I'll let Renee tell you about it:

I'll be working at Michigan Tech as their new Assistant Director of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion and Coordinator of LGBTQ Outreach. I will also teach LGBT poetry in their diversity minor.

Congrats, Renee!!!

Upcoming Publications for Kerry James Evans (MFA '09)

the news from Kerry James Evans:

Hope all is well in the 'dale. I've had a few poems accepted. Ploughshares accepted "Blackbird," Tampa Review accepted "Buffalo Rock" and Water-Stone accepted "Killing the Snake." 

Congrats, KJE!!  Great publications!!!

Update from Rachel Furey (MFA '09)

Fiction alum Rachel Furey writes with news of a critical nature:

I hope all is well in Carbondale and the semester is rounding itself
out well! This is not a creative publication, but since you wanted to
know, I will pass it along. My essay "Sentence Fragments, Sound, and
Setting in Suttree and The Road" has been accepted for publication in
The Cormac McCarthy Journal. It was exciting for me to see that I
could perform in this arena of writing as well.

Congrats, Rachel! Way to go!

Congrats to Bryan Estes!

news from Bryan Estes, first-year poet:

I just received word from The Minnesota Review that they would like to use one my erasure poems for the cover of their next issue. 

How unusual!  Congrats!

Congrats to Brooks Rexroat

MFA 11 grad Brooks Rexroat (hey, at this point, third-year student hardly applies) has more great news:

I found out this weekend that "Basement Party," a short story inspired in part by the untimely passing of R&B singer Nate Dogg, will appear this June in The Montreal Review. They must like what we're doing: roughly 20 percent of the fiction they've accepted this year has come from current SIUC folks.

Congrats, Brooks!!! You are on a roll!

SIUC's Jon Tribble to be part of Oregon State's first Editorial Festival

Jon Tribble, Crab Orchard Review's managing editor and Series Editor for the Crab Orchard Series in Poetry will be part of Oregon State University's first

Editorial Festival:

Details here:

http://oregonstate.edu/cla/english/visiting-writers-series-2010-2011

Benefit Reading for the Victims of the Southern Tornadoes

SIUC faculty and graduate students will read from the work of Alabama
authors on Thursday, May 5th from 4 PM to 6PM
in the Harry T. Moore Auditorium, Faner Hall.

Featured reader will be Alabama native and SIUC's own Rodney Jones.

Donations welcome.

Farewell to Jacinda Townsend

MFA Carbondale wishes a fond farewell to Jacinda Townsend, who is leaving the creative writing faculty at SIUC for a position on the creative writing faculty at Indiana University. Carbondale's loss is Bloomington's gain! We will long remember your talent, your laughter, your beauty and your smarts! Best of luck, Jacinda!!