Congrats to Maggie Graber!

First-year poetry MFA student Maggie Graber also has publication news:

I just got news from Yes, Poetry that they're accepting my poem "4
Poets and a Bicycle Walk Through Empty Parking Lot" and it will be
featured in their January issue.

Congrats, MG!!!!

Congrats to Sequoia Nagamatsu!

Second-year fiction MFA Sequoia Nagamatsu has great news:

West Branch will be accepting my story, Before You Melt into the Sea,
for their web edition (w/ some cash to boot). The person that emailed
me was also the former editor at the Kenyon Review for a while and
said he had advocated for my work in the past, which was also an added
bonus to say the least. Yay!

Congrats, Sequoia! Well done!

Devil's Kitchen Literary Festival Event Schedule: 2011

This week is the 10th! annual Devil's Kitchen Literary Festival:

Information here:
Festival Schedule

Congrats to Mark Brewin!

Mark Brewin (MFA '11, poetry) writes with happy publication news:

I am pleased to say that Copper Nickel has accepted for publication my
poem "Turkey Point."

a new anthology is born!

Congrats to third-year fiction writer Nick Ostdick, who writes this
morning with very fine news:

Some big news, actually. I've spent the last few months working on
this and I'm overjoyed to say my anthology of short stories inspired
by hair metal songs is forthcoming mid 2012 from Orange Alert Press, a
Chicago-based indie publisher. The anthology is called Hair Lit, Vol.
1, and is packed with amazing writers. Seriously, it's pretty insane.
I'm thrilled!

Superb work, Nick! Congrats!

Newly Published: Imaginary Logic by Rodney Jones

Rodney Jones, poet and longtime SIUC faculty poet, is celebrating the publication of his new book, Imaginary Logic!

Details here:
Imaginary Logic

Panel for Undergrads Considering the MFA: Thursday, 4 pm, Faner Humanities Lounge

the SIUC Graduate Writers Forum will be hosting an MFA program
Application/Info panel for undergrads interested in pursuing an MFA in
the near future. Please notify any students you think may be
interested in such a session. We'll be discussing funding, the nuts
and bolts of application packets, letters of reference, statements of
purpose, the GRE, writing samples, and what exactly the value of an
MFA is/isn't. The panel will be on Thursday, October 20th in the Faner
Humanities Lounge.

Exciting news for first year poet Maggie Graber!

First-year MFA in poetry Maggie Graber has great Friday news:

My following poems will be featured in the summer 2012 issue of Avatar Review:

"Bees Turn House into Hive"
"In the Garden"
"Poem for the Glassmaker"
"The Sweatshirt"

Congrats, Maggie!

LINK:
Avatar Review

Congrats to Melissa Scholes Young!

Melissa Scholes Young (MFA '11, fiction) writes with news of publication:

I have a poem entitled "Safety" up at Switched-on Gutenberg Issue 17:
Accidental. Judy, Mark, and Brenna had their hands all over this one.

http://www.switched-ongutenberg.org/current/Young.htm

Congrats, MSY

Mini-Conference on "Life After the MFA": October 15, 2011

On Saturday (yes, you read that right) Oct 15th, SIUC faculty poet
and MFA Program Director
Allison Joseph will lead a mini-conference on "life after the MFA."

Here's the mini-conference schedule:

1-3pm: CVs and Resumes, Academic Job Searches (How to read a job posting)

break

3:30 pm-5pm: Non Academic Jobs for MFAs, getting recommendations,
post-MFA fellowships, writing colonies andconferences; Should I get
another degree?

We will meet in the Faner Humanities Lounge.

Judy Jordan to speak for Sigma Tau Delta

SIUC faculty poet Judy Jordan will speak and read new poems for Sigma Tau Delta on Thursday, October 13th at 6 pm in the SIUC Student Center Mackinaw Room. All are welcome to attend.

Congrats to Nick Ostdick!

Happy news from Nick Ostdick (third-year fiction):

Super good news this morning: my short-short 'Junk' has been accepted
for publication by the Emprise Review for their forthcoming issue. No
firm date yet, but very cool. Thanks!

Congrats, NO!!!

Congrats to Beth Lordan!

Congrats to fiction faculty member Beth Lordan whose story "A Useful
Story" (which first appeared in New England Review, volume 31, number
1) has been cited as a "Distinguished Story of 2010" in Best American
Short Stories 2011!

Catching Up with Travis Mossotti (MFA '10)

Here's what Travis Mossotti (MFA '10, poetry) has been up to:

Pub Updates:
Got two: "Dust" got picked up at Burnside Review (with a reading in
Portland, OR at the Crow Manor House Wednesday, February 22, 2012);
"Santorini" got picked up at Cream City Review.

Other:
Interview with Tim Green should also be coming out soon with Rattle.
Edward Byrne at Valparaiso Poetry Review nominated "My Brother's
House" for "Best of the Net 2011." I'll be down in your neck of the
woods this Friday, October 7th: Reading @ 4pm in Harry T. Moore
Auditorium. Reading at the River Styx Reading Series in St. Louis with
Erika Meitner on Monday, October 17th @ 7:30pm @ Duff's in the CWE.
Invited to the Utah Humanities Book Festival October 26th & 27th for a
reading at the Salt Lake City Main Public Library, a screening of
"Decampment," followed by a reading at Utah State University the next
day.

See you soon, TM!

Congrats to Staci Schoenfeld!

First-year poet Staci Schoenfeld has these upcoming publications to announce:

My poem "Misdiagnosed" will be published in the Fall 2011 issue of
Appalachian Heritage. "Miscellaneous Merchandise" and "On the Way Home
from Lexington to Frankfort Via Leestown Road" will be published in
Accents Publishing's Bigger Than They Appear: Anthology of Very Short
Poems in November.

Congrats, Staci!!!

Shawn Mitchell update

Third-year fiction student Shawn Mitchell has been very busy:

I've got a few things up over at the Fiction Writers Review, inc.:

An appreciation/review of Pinckney Benedict's "Miracle Boy":

http://fictionwritersreview.com/reviews/miracle-boy-and-other-stories-by-pinckney-benedict

which is the book of the week over there right now!

An interview/conversation with Elif Batuman and Geoff Dyer at the Cuirt
Festival in Galway:
http://fictionwritersreview.com/interviews/writing-whatever-you-want-whenever-you-want-to-write-it-a-conversation-with-elif-batuman-and-geoff-dyer

A short appreciation of the Granta Book of the Irish Short Story:
http://fictionwritersreview.com/blog/stories-we-love-the-granta-book-of-the-irish-short-story

In fiction:

My story "The Pink Missive" just ran over at Johnny America just
today: http://www.johnnyamerica.net/
My story "She Was Beautiful, Yes" ran over at The Montreal Review awhile ago:
http://www.themontrealreview.com/2009/She-Was-Beautiful-Yes.php

Congrats, Shawn!