Allison Joseph to read at Pittsburg State

SIUC faculty poet will read from her work as a visiting writer at
Pittsburg (KS) State:

http://www.pittstate.edu/news/distinguished-writers-series-brings-poet-to-campus

Congrats to Nick Ostdick (MFA '12)

Recent fiction grad Nick Ostdick writes with this lovely news:

Exit 7 has accepted my story "Somewhere Between This World and
Another" for publication in their next issue, due out in February. I'm
way geeked.

Congrats, Nick! We miss you in the Dale!

new OXFORD BOOK OF AMERICAN SHORT STORIES includes Pinckney Benedict

SIUC fiction faculty member is included in state-of-the-art fiction anthology!

 

My story "Mercy" is included in the new edition of THE OXFORD BOOK OF AMERICAN SHORT STORIES, edited by Joyce Carol Oates, just out from Oxford University Press. It's included with a veritable Murderer's Row of folks, from Washington Irving to Jhumpa Lahiri via Eudora Welty and Ha Jin. Pretty happy about this one.

Here's are links:

http://www.oup.com/us/catalog/general/subject/LiteratureEnglish/AmericanLiterature/?view=usa&sf=toc&ci=9780199744398

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0199744394/ref=kinw_rke_rti_1

Congrats, PB!!!

great news for Staci Schoenfeld!

Second-year poet Staci Schoenfeld has lovely news:

I heard from the New Plains Review that they accepted my poem "On
Silent Retreat at The Abbey of Gethsemani, Trappist, Kentucky." Woot!
It will be out in their Fall 2012 issue. :)

Congrats, Staci!!

More good news for Mark Brewin (MFA '11)

I am pleased to announce that "The Island Meditations"--my ten page
humdinger of a poem in the middle of my first book manuscript--has
been accepted for publication at Connotation Press. One more poem left
to be published!

Congrats, MJB!

Fantastic news for poetry alum Mark Jay Brewin, Jr!!!!

MFA 11' poetry alum Mark Jay Brewin Jr. was just awarded the 2012 Agha Shahid Ali Prize in Poetry by contest judge Kathleen Graber. Brewin's winning collection will be published by The University of Utah Press in the spring of 2013. He will receive a cash prize and will give a reading in the University of Utah's Guest Writers Series.

Congratulations, MARK!!!!!

Welcome Scott Blackwood!!!

MFA Carbondale extends a warm welcome to Scott Blackwood, our new fiction professor!  Scott comes to SIUC from Roosevelt University in Chicago, where he directed the creative writing program. For more about Scott, visit his website:
Scott Blackwood's site

forthcoming publication for Austin Kodra:

Second-year poet Austin Kodra received this good news: 

Prime Number Magazine just accepted three of my poems!! "Parentless, in Our Childhood Homes," "Pneuma Airlines," and "New Year's Resolution, March 2012."

Congrats, Austin!!!!

Publications Forthcoming for SIUC MFA Alums

from Ruth Awad  (MFA '12) via Facebook:

Rattle just accepted my poem "Inheritance" for publication!!!!!!

from Helena "Hel" Bell (MFA '08, poetry):

Clarkesworld has accepted my story 'Robot' for an upcoming issue!

Congrats, you lovely writers!

Story Publication for Shawn Andrew Mitchell

News from Shawn Andrew Mitchell (MFA 12, fiction), who is now in Korea:

 

Just thought I'd write to tell you "The Hillbilly in My Pocket" got picked up by the Fairy Tale Review, http://www.fairytalereview.com/

Congrats, Shawn!!! 

new student Lucien Meadows has work accepted!

Incoming MFA student in poetry Lucien Meadows shares this good news!

I am an incoming MFA Poetry student, and I arrived in sunny Carbondale over the weekend. I look forward to starting PSW in six days! When I checked my email for the first time here in Illinois, I learned that Toad, Virginia Tech's excellent literary magazine, has accepted two of my poems, "Arc" and "On Passing Through the Monongahela National Forest at Night," for inclusion in a future issue! Staci (Schoenfeld) said I should send you an email, to let you know, so that you could post the happy acceptance on the MFA Blog. I am excited, particularly as the two poems deal with growing up in West Virginia, and Toad has many readers from the WV and greater Appalachian area. I look forward to meeting you!

Congrats, Lucien and welcome to the MFA Program!

Another acceptance for Staci Schoenfeld!

Second-year poet Staci Schoenfeld has had more work accepted!

I'm happy to announce that "The Patient's Complaint" and "The Patient Talks of Electroshock and Lobster" will be published in the September issue of diode poetry journal! 

Congrats, Staci!

Poem accepted for Staci Schoenfeld

Congrats to second-year poet Staci Schoenfeld:

 

I'm super excited that Bellevue Literary Review has consented to publish my poem "The Patient" in their Fall 2012 issue. Woot!

Alumni Update: Alex Lumans (MFA '09)

Fiction alum Alex Lumans writes with a bevy of good news:

 

My story "Signs and Wonders" is now up at Blackbird. It hails all the way back to my slot in Pinckney's workshop, and there's no way it would be out in the world now without that class.

My story "Phys. Ed. 112 Syllabus: You and Your Apocalypse"  was accepted by Toasted Cake, which does podcast reprints.

I was a finalist in Press 53 2012 Open Awards Contest in the Flash Fiction category.

And an audio version of my poem "Looking over His Shoulder, Eadward Muybridge Addresses the Mirror" that came out in Sycamore Review is now up on their site.

love,
Lumans




http://www.blackbird.vcu.edu/v11n1/fiction/lumans_a/signs_page.shtml
http://www.press53.com/OpenAwards_2012.html
http://toastedcake.com/
http://www.sycamorereview.com/audio-archive/audioarchivepoetry/

Congrats to Sequoia Nagamatsu!

Third-year fiction writer Sequoia Nagamatsu has great news to share this Monday morning:

My story "The Silence of the Third Inversion" will be published in the next issue of Redivider. 

Also, this happened a little while ago but this was also the title story in a chapbook that was a finalist in the 2012 Cutbank Chapbook contest. 

congrats to Mark Brewin (MFA 11)

I am pleased to announce that my second flash fiction piece titled "Accessories" was accepted for publication in the December print issue of Emerge Literary Magazine. A little cross-genre love...

Young Writers Workshop 2012 starts today!!

The Young Writers Workshop, SIUC's annual creative writing conference for high school students aged 15-18 starts today!


Here's the schedule of  this year's readings. All readings are free and open to the public!


Tuesday, June 19:
8-9 PM: Faculty Reading w/ fiction writer Pinckney Benedict, Harry T. Moore Auditorium, Faner Hall


Wednesday, June 20:
4-5 PM: Graduate Student Reading, Faner 1005: Pete Lucas, Dan Paul, Max Schleicher

8-9 PM: Guest Author Reading with Laura Benedict, fiction writer, Harry T. Moore Auditorium, Faner Hall

Thursday, June 21:

4-5 PM: Graduate Student Reading, Faner 1005: Elise Foster, Brett Gaffney, Jenny Flack

8-9 PM: Visiting Author Reading w/ fiction writer Nicole Louise Reid

Friday, June 22:

4-5 PM: Graduate Student Reading, Faner 1005: Andy Harnish., Andy McSorley, Derand Wright

8-9: Visiting Author Reading with fiction writer Geoff Schmidt, Harry T. Moore Auditorium

Saturday, June 23:

1:05-3:15 PM: Young Writer Workshop Participants Reading, Pulliam Hall #34, Cisne Auditorium

Great News for Staci Schoenfeld!

Congrats to second-year poet Staci Schoenfeld:

Just passing along the happy news I got today that my poem "Attempts at Flight" was chosen as a finalist in Yemassee's 2012 Pocataligo Poetry Contest. My name will be listed in the upcoming magazine and website as a finalist, and the poem will be published on Yemassee's website. :)

Publication Gone "Live" for Andrew McSorley

Third-year poet Andrew McSorley's work is up!

     The newest issue of Rougarou is up online and contains, amongst other cool work, my poem "Backyard Rink." Here's the link for the current issue:

http://english.louisiana.edu/rougarou/Content/index.html

Yee-haw!

- McSorley

Congrats, Andy!

Catching Up with Jared (JY) Sexton (MFA '08)

Fiction alum Jared (JY) Sexton sends this update: The biggest news is that I got hired on for the tenure-track fiction position at Georgia Southern University and will join their faculty in August. On top of that, my interview with Chuck Klosterman was the cover story for the latest issue of BULL, my piece "New and Better Things" was just published in Dark Sky Magazine, NANO Fiction will publish my story "The Hatred in Their Eyes, The Cruelty in Their Hearts," Metazen will publish my story "I am the Oil of the Engine of the World," Stymie will publish my story "Of All That Breathes Across the Earth," my story "A Man Gets Tired," originally featured in PANK, will appear in Press 53's upcoming anthology of bar stories, and the book trailer for my collection "An End to All Things," directed by film maker Jake Bottiglieri, recently premiered. (http://vimeo.com/40903289)