Poemspotting: Jake Boyd (MFA '07) edition

"Coal or Christmas Lights," a poem by Jake Boyd (MFA '07, poetry) appears in the new issue of Hayden's Ferry Review (Fall/Winter 2007-2008, Issue 41).
Find out more about Hayden's Ferry Review:
Hayden's Ferry Review

New Theater in Town

Here's an article featuring MFA '98 poetry graduate Catherine Field--she's instrumental in Carbondale's community theater group, the Stage Company. The group recently received a new home here in Carbondale:
The Southern

Wonder if Cathy would let us have readings there?

Upcoming Visiting Writers' Reading: Brian Barker and Nicky Beer

Mark your calendars for the first Visiting Writers Series Reading
of the Spring 2008 semester!
Poets Brian Barker and Nicky Beer will read on March 5, 4:00 - 4:50 p.m. – SIUC Student Center Auditorium,
reception and book signing in Old Main Lounge (5:00 - 6:00 p.m.)

Read work by Brian at
Blackbird

Read work by Nicky at
Verse Daily

Last Days of Rosetta Stone

Last chance to score books from Rosetta Stone Bookstore:

Rosetta is closing its doors for good on Friday, Feb. 29th. Stop by now for great deals! We can't afford to have a giant "blowout sale" like large businesses, but through Friday:

All books are 10% off! (Poetry books 30% off! And select books 40% off!)

All cards, CDs, and local zines are 20% off!

And ALL magazines are 30% off!

Hope to see you soon!

Jessica Bradshaw
Owner
Rosetta Stone Bookstore
Inside Tropicana Vintage Clothing
Just off the square downtown
(212 North Washington Street, Rear)
Carbondale, IL 62901
618-457-5410
info@rosettastonebookstore.com
Rosetta Stone
Monday - Saturday 11 AM - 6 PM

Interview to Be Published

Second-year poetry MFA student Andy McFadyen-Ketchum has blog-worthy news:

"Thought I’d let you now that my interview, “A NOTE ON FICTIONAL TRUTH, a conversation with Ed Pavlic” will be featured in The Cortland Review this Spring."

Congrats, Andy--the Cortland Review can be accessed here

Pinckney Benedict Scores Again!

from today's e-mail:

I’ve been informed by George Brosi, the editor of Appalachian Heritage AH, that my story “Joe Messinger is Dreaming” which appeared in their Summer 2007 issue, is the winner of the Plattner Award for Outstanding Fiction, for the best story to appear in the magazine in 2007. The novelist Lee Maynard was the judge.

Also, SURREAL SOUTH has received an excellent notice in the January/February issue of BLOOMSBURY REVIEW
BR. The money quotes:
"heartwarming"

"highbrow, literary writing"

"New blood"

"the rejuvenation of fiction"

"an anthropological eye-opener"

"a dream portal"

"a pot of nightmares"

"marijuana, fear, fatigue, alcohol, rage, and betrayal"
(sounds like the recipe for a good old-fashioned Appalachian family reunion to me!)

"the dreams of a hot and sticky southern night"

"irresistible offering"

"sultry and unforgettable"

I will also take a moment to note that Mark Budman, the reviewer, singles out Laura’s contribution to the anthology for particular praise, calling it "the most visually imaginative and logistically complex of all the stories."

Congrats to the editors of Surreal South, Pinckney and Laura Benedict!

More on Nobel Prize Winner Wole Soyinka's visit to SIUC

Here's a press release on all the events connected with Wole Soyinka's visit to SIUC:
SIUC News

This Saturday's Writers on the Road readings cancelled

Hello to all,

Due to the weather and resulting road conditions, the Writers on the Road event scheduled to be held tomorrow (2/23) has been cancelled. We'll send a new announcement if/when we schedule a make-up date.

Thanks,
Shanie

Thanks, Shanie, for the cancellation notice. By the way, take notice of the fact that Shanie was recently named a finalist in the Compass Rose Pat Parnell Poetry Contest--congrats!

Compass Rose

Upcoming Readings for Allison Joseph

SIUC faculty poet Allison Joseph will be doing two readings next week:

Monday, February 25, 2008, 7:00 pm
Cherry Hall 125
Western Kentucky University
Bowling Green, Kentucky

Thursday, February 28, 2008 7:30 p.m,
Broward Community College South Campus
Building 68, Southern Breeze Dining Room
Pembroke Pines, Florida

Comedy, Chicago-Style!

Much happier news in today's e-mail from Mark Vannier (MFA '03, fiction):

Hey, Allison,

I've been getting some good press for my latest ridiculous comedy show I co-wrote/created, including this EXCLUSIVE! important news feature:

CLTV
Our clip is on the right side under video clips, the one titled "Bodyslam!" I'm the short, balding, red-bearded one on the left.

Anyone in the Chicago area looking to waste a Friday night, let me know and I'll try to secure some discount tickets for you.

take care,
Mark Vannier

More info on Bodyslam!
Annoyance Productions

A Carbondale Institution Is Closing

Just received this sad e-mail from Carbondale's radically independent bookstore, Rosetta Stone:

After 13 years of serving the community, Rosetta Stone Bookstore will be closing its doors on February 29th.

There are many reasons for the closure, but it comes down to the fact that sales are just too low. There have been many, many days where we've had one, two, or no sales. I have been working two - sometimes three - part-time jobs and still just barely scraping by. Even with the partnership with Tropicana Vintage Clothing, we are not making enough to pay our basic bills, and we have many, many debts to pay off. After this month, I'm hoping to get a full-time job.

We'll have all our magazines on display until the 29th, so please stop by & pick up a copy so you can fill out a subscription card. I know a lot of them would appreciate it, especially the smaller zines, who are also struggling in these tough economic times.

I hope that you continue to support Carbondale's independent businesses, including the Book Worm and Book World. I'm sure they would appreciate your business.

If you're an artist/author/musician and have items on consignment here, please come pick them up. If you can't make it in by Feb. 29th, please let us know (before the 29th).

Please stop by and show your support in these last few days. While we can't afford to have a big sale, everything is 10% off! We would really appreciate your support!

Thanks for everything you've done!

Jessica & Paula Bradshaw

Rosetta Stone Bookstore
Inside Tropicana Vintage Clothing
Just off the square downtown
(212 North Washington Street, Rear)
Carbondale, IL 62901
618-457-5410
info@rosettastonebookstore.com
Rosetta Stone Bookstore
Monday - Saturday 11 AM - 6 PM

Young Writers Workshop 2008 Details

It's not too early to think about this year's Young Writers Workshop!
Details about this year's workshop (June 24-June 28, 2008) can be found
at
YWW
FYI: The Young Writers Workshop is a five-day program designed to give high school sophomores, juniors and seniors the chance to explore and develop their talents in poetry and prose writing. Students will hone their writing skills by participating in daily critique sessions lead by SIUC faculty, and by attending panels, readings, and craft discussions lead by SIUC creative writing faculty and graduate students.

Upcoming Literary Events in Carbondale

The following noteworthy literary events are not sponsored by the MFA Program or English Department, but they are very much don't miss events:

Ray Suarez, Senior Correspondent, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer
Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 7PM
SIUC Student Center, Ballroom B
presenting the Jack and Muriel Hayward Lecture
Sponsored by the Public Policy Institute and WSIU
Press release here:
Ray Suarez


Nobel Prize-winning playwright, poet, author and memoirist Wole Soyinka
1986 Nobel Prize Laureate in Literature
Thursday, February 28, 2008 at 5PM
SIUC Student Center, Ballroom D
Details at
Public Policy Institute

Catching Up with Ben Percy (MFA '04)

Fiction graduate Ben Percy (MFA '04) has great news:

"The February issue of Men's Journal features my farewell to Evel Knievel.

Esquire has commissioned me to write a short story -- "April 20th" -- for their April, 2008 issue.

"Refresh, Refresh" will be included in Best of the Pushcart Prize, an anthology that includes the best work awarded the Pushcart since its inception. Ed. Bill Henderson. 2009.

"In the Rough," (originally published in the Antioch Review) will be included in Best of the West: Volume 6, an anthology that includes the best work from the "west side of the Missouri." Ed. D. Seth Horton. 2009."

for more about Ben, visit his web site at
Benjamin Percy

Writers on the Road Update, via Shanie Latham

Greetings,

We're very excited about our next "Writers on the Road" event, which will take place this Saturday from 3-6 and include readings by MFA students from three different MFA programs: Washington U in St. Louis, Murray State U, and U of Alabama. Chris Dennis, who is a graduate of SIUC's undergrad program, will be one of the readers representing Washington U.

We hope you'll be available to make it to some, if not all, of these readings. But even if you cannot, we do hope you'll spread the word about the event to your students, both graduate and undergraduate.

Please note a location change: The readings will not be in a River Room this time. Instead, they will take place in the Cambria Room, which is adjacent to the Renaissance Room (where the Gala has been held for the past two years.)

Thanks,
Shanie
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Graduate Writers Forum
presents the fourth SIUC-hosted installment of

Writers on the Road

featuring fiction and poetry readings
by MFA students from

Washington University in St. Louis
Murray State University
The University of Alabama

Saturday, February 23, 2008
SIUC Student Center ~ Cambria Room


3 p.m. Murray State University
4 p.m. The University of Alabama
5 p.m. Washington University


All are welcome. Please spread the word.

Congrats to Helena "Hel" Bell!

Third-year poetry MFA Helena "Hel" Bell has also had recent work accepted for publication:
"I thought I'd let you know that "Dalton's Law" has been accepted for publication by Rattle."

Congrats, Hel!

Here's the link:
RATTLE

In addition, Hel's also been accepted to more law schools:
Tulane University and Washington University at St. Louis!

Congrats to Renee Evans!

Second-year fiction MFA student Renee Evans also has good news:

"I just got a short story, "Traverse," accepted for the Spring 2008 issue of roger!"

Congrats, Renee!

Roger is the new literary journal connected to Roger Williams University, located in Bristol, Rhode Island.
Here's the link:
Roger

Congrats to Amie Whittemore!

First-year poetry MFA student Amie Whittemore has good publication news to share:

"Two of my poems have recently been accepted for publication: "The Other Runner" will be in Quiddity's inaugural issue (April 2008), and "Visitation" will be in Fifth Wednesday Journal's spring 2008 edition."

Congrats, Amie!

Here are the links:
Quiddity
Fifth Wednesday

Congrats to James Scoles!

First year fiction writer James Scoles has even more good news to share:

"beth wanted me to write... and let you know that i just won
first prize in the 2008 Prairie Fire Short Fiction Contest.
the award carries a $1250 cash prize, plus payment for
publication (summer, 2008).

'El Juego' was the first short story i workshopped with beth
last semester, which i revised over november break. again,
huge thanks to beth, and the workshop."


Tremendous news, James! Congratulations!

Here's the link:
Prairie Fire

Pinckney Benedict Reprints and Accolades

from the fabulous fiction faculty member, Pinckney Benedict:

"My story “Bridge of Sighs” (originally published in the Summer
2007 issue of Zoetrope: All-Story) has been selected by guest editor ZZ
Packer for New Stories from the South: Best of 2008, due out from Algonquin
Books in September 2008.

Also, my story “Mercy” (originally published in the Fall/Winter 2006/2007 issue of Ontario Review and recently reprinted in PushcartPrize XXXII) will be included in
21st Century American Short Fiction, due out from Ecco Press in August 2008. The volume is edited by Joyce Carol Oates and includes work from, among others, Richard Bausch, Michael Chabon, Mary Gaitskill, Edward P. Jones, Lorrie Moore, George Saunders, and Tobias Wolff."

That Pinckney's quality!

Poetry Reading Cancelled Tonight (Feb. 13)

Due to bad weather conditions, the poetry reading by Allison Joseph (scheduled for tonight at 6 pm in the Student Center on campus) has been cancelled. The AAUW regrets the cancellation, and will work to reschedule the event.

Michael Meyerhofer (MFA '06) Georgia Poetry Circuit dates

Michael Meyerhofer (MFA '06, poetry) will be on the road this month, doing readings in the state of Georgia on the Georgia Poetry Circuit:

Monday, February 18, Brenau University, Gainesville
Reading: Noon, Banks Recital Hall

Tuesday, February 19, Georgia Perimeter College, Clarkston Campus
Reading: 5:30 pm, JCLRC

Wednesday, February 20, Georgia Perimeter College, Decatur Campus
Reading: 12:30 pm, A Building, Library Gallery

Thursday, February 21, University of Georgia, Athens
Reading: 12:30 pm, in Park Hall room 261.

Friday, February 22, Berry College, Rome
Reading: 3 pm, Science Auditorium

More dates to come in April.

Story Spotting: Chris Bryson (MFA '07)

from Chris Bryson (MFA '07, fiction):

"Thought I'd let you know I got the new issue of The Madison Review, and it has my short-short story "Sunglasses" in it."

Congrats, Bryson!
Here's the link:
Madison Review

Congrats to James Scoles!

First-year fiction MFA student has some genre-jumping good news to share:

"i had a story accepted in january, which will appear in the
spring issue of Prairie Fire, a literary journal in canada.

'An Early Grey Cup' was a 20-page short story from workshop
last semester with beth, which eventually i worked into a much
stronger piece of creative non-fiction (especial thanks to beth
on that one)."

Congrats, James!

Here's the link:
Prairie Fire

SIUC MFA Grads in the new issue of Natural Bridge

Poems by MFA '07 poetry grad James Thomas Miller ("Poem for Gator Hinds" and "The Rules of the Game") and MFA poetry grad '05 Chad Parmenter ("A Purr for Julie Newmar, the One True Catwoman") appear in the latest issue of Natural Bridge, the literary journal located at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Natural Bridge website:
Natural Bridge

Upcoming Literary Event in Carbondale

This Wednesday 2/6 @ Melange:
Reading & Drinking
7 pm
607 S Illinois Avenue, Carbondale
Poetry-Fiction-Drama-Drink Specials-Trivia-Prizes

Poems forthcoming for Michael Meyerhofer (MFA '06)

from today's e-mail:
"The title poem for my in-the-printers-now chapbook, "The Clay-Shaper's Husband", was taken by Ploughshares. Another poem, "Husband for a Day", was taken by Pearl."
Congrats, MM!

And the hits just keep on comin'!

This just in...

Two of our fiction professors, Pinckney Benedict and Jacinda Townsend, have received awards from the Illinois Arts Council. Pinckney Benedict has received a Individual Artist Fellowship in Prose for Fiscal Year 08 ($7000). Jacinda Townsend is the recipient of a Finalist Award in Prose ($700). The official announcement of the awards can be found at

IAC

I'm especially encouraged to note that we were the only locale outside of the Chicagoland area to receive two awards.

Paul Guest (MFA '99) Rules!

Paul Guest (MFA '99, poetry) has received a contract for his memoir and his third collection of poems from the internationally renowned Ecco Press!

Check out this announcement from Publishers Weekly:
Publisher's Weekly

Paul, you rule! Congratulations!

Recognition for Curtis Crisler

Tough Boy Sonatas, the first collection of poems by Curtis Crisler (MFA '04, poetry) continues to receive recognition:

"In Booklist 2007 Editor's Choice Vol. 104, No. 9/10 Tough Boy Sonatas got another spread on page 56, and  we got on: 1) SLJ Best Books, 2) Best Books for Young Adults (nominee) YALSA/ALA, 3) Cybils Poetry Award (nominee)."

Thanks, Curtis, for the update!

Allison Joseph first place winner in Elizabeth R. Curry poetry contest

Allison Joseph's poem "What Poetry Is" has been awarded first place in the annual Elizabeth R. Curry poetry contest, sponsored by SLAB (Slippery Rock University).

SLAB

Ingrid Moody (MFA '07) finalist for Philip Levine Prize

Ingrid Moody's manuscript "Arriving After Dark" was a finalist for the 2007 Philip Levine Prize, a contest co-sponsored by Anhinga Press and the MFA Program in Creative Writing at CSU Fresno.

More about the Levine Prize:
CSU Fresno

Adrian Matejka to teach at Summer Writers Institute

Adrian Matejka (MFA '01, poetry) will teach the poetry workshop at this summer's Summer Writers Institute at Washington University in St. Louis.

More information at
Summer Writers Institute

Douglas Haynes (MFA '02) to Present at AWP Conference

Douglas Haynes (MFA '02, poetry) will be presenting at the upcoming AWP Conference in NYC:

"I'll be there--I'm presenting a paper at the Pedagogy Forum on Friday morning (my paper is also one of twenty selected to be published as "The Best of the Pedagogy Forum" on the AWP website)."

Douglas is also interested in getting together with other SIUC MFA alums and current students. Contact him if you'd like to make plans. He can be reached at New England College

Congrats to Alex Lumans!

from today's e-mail. Congrats are in order
for second-year fiction writer Alex Lumans:

I got a story accepted for publication in Clarkesworld. The
story is called "The Human Moments." It will come out on February
1st and can be read at
Clarkesworld

Ben Percy (MFA '04) to Judge Fiction Contest

Details here:
Passages North

Additional Reading for the Spring 2008 Schedule

The Carbondale Branch of the American Association of University Women
presents a poetry reading by
SIUC poet and professor Allison Joseph

February 13, 2008
SIUC Student Center Missouri Room, 6PM
Free and Open to the Public

Allison Joseph is the author of five collections of poetry: What Keeps Us Here (Ampersand Press, 1992), Soul Train (Carnegie-Mellon University Press, 1997), In Every Seam (University of Pittsburgh Press, 1997), Imitation of Life (Carnegie-Mellon University Press, 2003), and Worldly Pleasures (Word Press, 2004). Her poems have appeared in journals and anthologies such as Kenyon Review, Ploughshares, Southern Review, Giant Steps: The New Generation of African American Writers, and The Extraordinary Tide: New Poetry by American Women. She has received fellowships from the Illinois Arts Council and the Bread Loaf and Sewanee Writers Conferences.

A faculty member at SIUC since 1994, Allison serves as editor and poetry editor of Crab Orchard Review, SIUC’s national journal of creative works, and director of the Young Writers Workshop, an annual creative writing workshop held on the Carbondale campus each June for high school-aged writers.

Congratulations are in order for...

Third-year poetry MFA Tim Shea, whose poem "Looking at a Photograph from Wartime, I Will Be the Next Hit by Fire," was accepted for publication by RATTLE.

Third-year poetry MFA Helena "Hel" Bell, who has been accepted to law school at Campbell University and the University of Illinois.

MFA '07 poetry grad Elisabeth "Lis" Meyer, whose poem “Miscommunication, On the Theme of Birds” was selected by the judges as the 1st runner-up in University of Kentucky Poetry Broadsides Contest at the University of Kentucky, where Lis is currently a doctoral student in literature. Her poem will be printed as a broadside by the King Library Press and displayed around campus.

2008 Roxana Rivera Memorial Poetry Contest Guidelines

ANNOUNCING THE 2008 ROXANA RIVERA MEMORIAL POETRY CONTEST

Join SIUC’s Creative Writing and Women’s Studies Programs as we honor the memory of a wonderful poet and celebrate Women’s History Month.

The Roxana Rivera Memorial Poetry Contest honors the memory of Roxana Rivera (1977-2003), who was a first-year creative writing graduate student from Lynwood, California. Roxana, a graduate of California State University Long Beach, earned her Bachelor’s degree in Women’s Studies and English. While at SIUC, Roxana was a PROMPT Scholar and a Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of English.

To remember this special woman and poet, a campus-wide poetry contest will be held, with divisions for both undergraduate and graduate students.

Gift certificates will be awarded as prizes in both divisions:
$80 for first place $40 for second place $25 for third place

This contest is open to all students currently enrolled at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Students of all majors are encouraged to participate in this contest.

This Year’s Theme: “It Takes A Woman”

DEADLINE: Friday, March 21, 2008

Submission Guidelines:

Submit an entry packet with:
1) A cover sheet with your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and poem titles. Indicate on your cover sheet whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student.
2) Poem(s) on individual sheets (one poem only per page). No identifying information on the poems themselves, please. There is no entry fee, but there is a limit of three poems per entrant.

The contest theme is provided to spark your creativity, and entries that reflect upon the theme in the lives of women are particularly welcome.

Entry packets should be submitted to Prof. Allison Joseph, English Dept., Faner Hall 2380, Mail Code 4503. Entries may be sent via campus mail or dropped off at the English Department office (Faner Hall 2380) during regular campus office hours. Winners will be honored at a special awards ceremony to be held on March 27, 2008.

Upcoming Visitors: Writers on the Road Reading Series

An update from Shanie Latham about "Writers on the Road":

The next "Writers on the Road" event is this Friday, Jan. 25, from 4 to 5 in the Mississippi Room and will feature graduate students from the University of Missouri - Kansas City reading from their fiction and poetry.

The reading is free and open to the public.

SIUC at the 2008 AWP Conference in New York, NY

Though SIUC is not a sponsor for this year's AWP Conference in New York City, several MFA Carbondale folks will be at the conference, serving on panels:

Friday, February 1, 2008, 12-1:15 PM
Conference Room K
Sheraton, Lower Level, Executive Conference Center
F149. Keeping Things Afloat: The Business of Literary Magazine Publishing. (Ron Mitchell, Lynne Nugent, Richard Sowienski, JON TRIBBLE) Managing editors from Crab Orchard Review, The Iowa Review, The Missouri Review, and Southern Indiana Review, literary journals that differ in print run, staff, and budget-but not ambition-explore the dual roles of managing content and commerce, addressing unique and shared operating challenges in the current climate of fiscal crisis, including administering contests, "in-sourcing" production and design, securing grants, and implementing both traditional and web-based marketing strategies.

Friday, February 1, 2008, 12-1:15 PM
Conference Room E
Sheraton, Lower Level, Executive Conference Center
F148. Writing and Motherhood. (JACINDA TOWNSEND, Dani Shapiro, Ann Hood, Crystal Wilkinson, Lori Tharps, Joey Flamm Costello) Writing, claims author Jessamyn West, is a solitary occupation, with family, friends, and society a writer's natural enemies, and indeed, society often sees parenthood as antithetical to authorship. Yet many women and men successfully write through their parenting years. Our panel is composed of six mothers who will discuss the cohabitation of motherhood and authorship. Among other topics, we will explore questions of how we overcome intrusions into the "rooms of our own," and whether these intrusions themselves often allow us to produce.


Saturday, February 2, 2008, 9-10:15 AM
Mercury Ballroom
Hilton, 3rd Floor
S112. Ultra-talk Poetry. (David Kirby, Barbara Hamby, RODNEY JONES, Mark Halliday, Adrian Blevins) The Spring 2007 issue of TriQuarterly, "The Ultra-talk Issue", was compiled by guest editors Barbara Hamby and David Kirby and consists of 104 poems by 64 poets, including Collins, Olds, Perillo, Hoagland, and Goldbarth. Ultra-talk poetry has been called "garrulous to an extreme, quite often self-reflexive, determinedly associative, and frequently humorous." Panelists will discuss the ultra-talk aesthetic using their own and others' poems from the TriQuarterly issue.

For more information about AWP and the annual conference, visit
Association of Writers and Writing Programs

SIUC will be a sponsor for AWP in 2009, when the conference returns to Chicago.

Congrats to Kerry James Evans!

a note in today's e-mail from Kerry James Evans, (second-year MFA, poetry):

"Iron Horse took a poem, "Design" for their National Poetry Month Issue."

Congrats, KJE!
Iron Horse Literary Review

Congrats to Jason Lee Brown!

from today's e-mail:

"Trellis Magazine accepted my poem “Ballad of Hachiko” for publication."

Links:
Trellis Magazine: Trellis
Hachiko: Hachiko

Congrats, Jason!

Sabbatical T-shirt Sale

To fund her sabbatical travels, Allison is now selling the 2007 MFA Carbondale t-shirt for a mere $5 a pop! To get yours, e-mail her:
Allison

The t-shirts are beige, with the slogan "Write Your Life" on the front, and the mfacarbondale.blogspot.com address on back.

Adrian Matejka (MFA '01) poems forthcoming in American Poetry Review

Poems from Adrian Matejka's series on legendary boxer Jack Johnson have been accepted by American Poetry Review!:

"The poems The American Poetry Review is taking,"Sporting Life" and "Battle Royale," are both from the Jack Johnson project (that sounds like a soft jazz ensemble--The Jack Johnson Project, tonight at the Holiday Inn lounge). They didn't say when the poems were going to actually show up in the journal, but I'm patient."

Congrats, AD!

APR Web Site:

APR

About Jack Johnson:

Wikipedia

Poemspotting: January 2008 edition

"Bioluminescence," a poem by Jason Lee Brown, third-year fiction MFA, appears in the new issue of Spoon River Poetry Review.

"Ghost Story," a poem by Sara Burge, third-year poetry MFA, appears in the new issue of Court Green (as a part of the "Sylvia Plath" dossier).

"Blue Ribbon Tomato Soup," a poem by Kerry James Evans, second-year poetry MFA, also appears in the new issue of Court Green (though not in the "Sylvia Plath" dossier).

"Elegy for a Horse's Ass" and "Blue Collar Eulogy," poems by Michael Meyerhofer (MFA '06), appear in the new issue of MARGIE.

Welcome Liam!!!

from second-year MFA student in poetry Will Tyler:

For those of you who don't know, Liam Henry Tyler was born on Dec. 30, 2007 at 12:12 am. He weighed 6 lbs, 10.7 oz and was 20 inches long.
In case you're calculating, yes, he was a little early, but is doing quite well. Bethany developed preeclampsia very suddenly in the week before Christmas and got to spend both Christmas and New Year's Eve in the hospital. Both mother and baby are healthy now, however, and everyone was able to go home on January 1st.

Congrats, Will and Bethany!

Spring Semester 2008: Readings on the SIUC campus

Here's a list of Spring 2008 dates and readers.
Additional readings may be added--watch this blog for updates.

03/05 - Visiting Writers Series Reading by poets Brian Barker and Nicky
Beer, 4:00 - 4:50 p.m. – SIUC Student Center Auditorium, reception
and book signing in Old Main Lounge (5:00 - 6:00 p.m.)

03/17 - Visiting Writers Series Reading by fiction writer
Asali Solomon, 4:00 - 4:50 p.m. – SIUC Student Center Auditorium,
reception and book signing in Old Main Lounge (5:00 - 6:00 p.m.)

03/27 - Women’s History Month Poetry Reading by the six winners of
the Roxana Rivera Memorial Poetry Contest and this year’s judge,
poet Sandy Longhorn. 4:00 - 4:50 p.m. – SIUC Student Center Auditorium,
reception and book signing in Old Main Lounge (5:00 - 6:00 p.m.)

04/10 - Crab Orchard Series in Poetry Reading by Ciaran Berry,
author of THE SPHERE OF BIRDS (published by SIU Press), 4:00 - 4:50
p.m. – SIUC Student Center Auditorium reception and book signing in
Old Main Lounge (5:00 - 6:00 p.m.)

04/24 - Crab Orchard Series in Poetry Reading by Jake Adam York,
author of A MURMURATION OF STARLINGS (published by SIU Press), 4:00 –
4:50 p.m. – SIUC Student Center Video Lounge (Fourth Floor),
reception and book signing in Old Main Lounge (5:00 - 6:00 p.m.)

Congrats to Laura Gross!

First-year poetry MFA Laura Gross has some exciting news to share:

"My poem "3AM" has been accepted by an online publication called
Chantarelle's Notebook. I believe it will be on their website

Chantarelle's Notebook

some time in February. It's one of my older poems that I wrote a few years ago, but
I'm glad that it has found a home."

Congrats, Laura!

Writers on the Road Reading at Murray State Update

Here's an update about the Murray State edition of Writers on the Road: the readers will be Jared Sexton, Andy McFadyen-Ketchum, and Tim Shea.

They will read in Faculty Hall on the Murray State University campus, Murray KY, room 208 from 1-2 pm on January 9.

The Chapbook King Returns

These bits of good news arrived in this morning's mail from Michael Meyerhofer (MFA '06, poetry):

" I found out this morning that my manuscript, "The Clay-Shaper's Husband", won the Codhill Press Chapbook Award. The prize is $500 and fifty copies. I know, I know... four chapbooks now, and I'm still trying to get that second full-length book taken somewhere! ;)

I also found out in today's mail that two of my poems, "Peccadillo" and "Samsara", are forthcoming in River Styx! :)"

Congrats, MM! You're on a roll!

Meyerhofer Reviewed in Mid-American Review

Congratulations to Michael Meyerhofer (MFA '06, poetry) for receiving a rave review of his first full-length collection of poems, Leaving Iowa (Briery Creek Press, 2007) from Mid-American Review, the national literary journal headquartered at Bowling Green State University. An excerpt from the review, written by Karen Craigo, the journal's editor-in-chief, reads as follows:

"What is striking about the collection is its unabashed confessionalism. But it is confessionalism that has an effect on the reader--not just the effect of catharsis for the writer, like so many poems that tread into personal black waters. In writing about his own life, the death of his mother, his childhood poverty, his medical problems at birth that left visible marks on him for a lifetime--Meyerhofer offers a brand new way of seeing."

Congrats, MM!

Chapbook Forthcoming for Melanie Jordan (MFA '01)

Great news from Melanie Jordan (MFA '01, poetry)--Melanie's chapbook "Ghost Season" will be published by Ropewalk Press in Spring 2008. This press. located at the University of Southern Indiana, was the publisher of fellow SIUC MFA alum Matt Guenette's chapbook, A Hush of Something Endless.

Congrats, Melanie!

For more about Ropewalk Press, visit:

Ropewalk Press

Happy News from Jake Boyd (MFA '07)

Just received this note from Jake Boyd (MFA '07, poetry) about a sonnet of his to be published in an upcoming issue of Measure:

"It's called "Crow & Winter" and gonna be in the 2008 issue. So I'm stoked. Merry Christmas to you."

Congrats, Mr. Boyd!

For more about Measure, look here:

Measure

Beth Lordan and "Writers on the Road" to read at Murray State University

Beth Lordan, fierce fiction writer, longtime SIUC creative writing faculty member, and director of the SIUC Irish Studies Program will read at Murray State University on January 9, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. in the Clara M. Eagle Art Gallery (6th floor, Price-Doyle Fine Arts Building).

Earlier that same day, a trio of SIUC MFA graduate students--poets Will Tyler and Andy McFadyen-Ketchum and fiction writer Jared Sexton--will read during the Murray State MFA January residency. They will read in Faculty Hall, room 208 from 1-2 pm.

For more information on Murray State's MFA program, visit

Murray State MFA