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The spring semester is underway, and the MFA in Creative Writing Program is heading to the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference on March 8-11 in Seattle. If you’re there, hang out at the Chapman University bookfair booth. Both current student Lydia Pejovich and Graduate Programs Coordinator David Krausman are moderating panels, and I’ll be presenting and reading at offsite events.
We’re also planning another vibrant Pub(lishing) Crawl on Wednesday, April 26. Among the featured guests are editor Andrew Tonkovich, debut story collection authors Yoon Choi and Lisa Cupolo, and poet Diana Khoi Nguyen. In addition, Career Advisor Erin Berthon will kick off the program with a special session on trends in jobs for creative writers. If you’re in the area, please save the date.
As always, the John Fowles Center Literary Arts Reading Series is held this spring, with visiting writers from the United Kingdom, Italy, Russia, and Ukraine.
Please reach out to share your writerly or career achievements or with any questions about the program. We’re always happy to hear from alums.
—Dr. Anna Leahy, Director of MFA in Creative Writing
Alum Achievements
Megan Friess
(Dual MFA/MFA '22)
While continuing as an adjunct professor at Cypress College, this spring Megan will also be teaching a fiction writing class called Crime Writing, where the class will read and attempt to emulate the writing of crime mystery novelists such as Agatha Christie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Sam Risak
(Dual MFA/MA '21)
Sam Risak's review of Tomas Q. Morin's memoir Let Me Count the Ways was published in Sweet: A Literary Confection. A review of her English MA thesis will be featured in the summer issue of The Journal of American Folklore.
Jason Thornberry
(MFA '21)
Jason Thornberry's poem "Eternity Tree" is featured in A Door is a Jar Literary Magazine. His poem "Monument" was published in Helix Literary Magazine. His poem "Abraded Wings" was published by Apricity Magazine. His personal essay "Seventeen Seconds" was published in Two Hawks Quarterly. Hispersonal essay, "Ubu and the Addendum," appeared in 100subtexts Literary Magazine.
Sean Woodard
(MFA '21)
Sean Woodard's poems "The Three Mothers" and "Philip Marlowe, Retired" were published in Hush Lit: A Journal of Noise.
Faculty Achievements
James Blaylock
James Blaylock's latest novel Pennies From Heaven, published in December with PS Publishing, is now available for purchase.
Lisa Cupolo
Lisa Cupolo's collection of stories Have Mercy on Us was published with Regal House Publishing. The collection was recently featured in the New York Times.
Anna Leahy
Anna Leahy's chapbook Gloss is a co-winner in the Laurel Review 2022 Midwest Chapbook Contest.
Student Achievements
Sinclair Adams's
(MFA)
Sinclair Adams's short story "Our Love Glows Like a Hologram" was published in Warning Lines Literary. Her short story "Sympathy for the NPCs" was published in OFIC Magazine.
Piper Gourley
(MFA)
Piper Gourley's short story "Black Ribbons, Black Water, Black Sky" was published in Joyland Magazine. Their other short story, "When The Plane Falls From The Sky—" also appears in Harpur Palate.
Makenna Metz
(Dual MFA/MA)
Makenna Metz's poem "By the Patio Table" was published in the Fall 2022 issue of Calliope. Her short screenplay "Eclipse" was published in For Page and Screen, Issue 3 "After."
Vesper North
(Dual MFA/MA)
Vesper North’s short story “Along Cherrywood Lane” was published in Creation.
Deb Paquin
(Dual MFA/MA)
Deb Paquin was chosen as the "new voices” breakout speaker for the Jane Austin Society of North America 2023 Annual General Meeting. Deb will be presenting her paper "Old Money, New Money, No Money: The Role of Carriages in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice."
Lydia Pejovic
(Dual MFA/MA)
Lydia Pejovic's poem "Pools' Twilight" was published in Clepsydra Literary Magazine.
Job Opportunities
Conservatory Director - Creative Writing: Under the supervision of the Dean of Arts, the Director of Creative Writing is responsible for the development and direction of the Creative Writing Conservatory at California School of the Arts - San Gabriel Valley in order to achieve the school-wide mission of creating a creative, challenging, and nurturing environment that offers students unparalleled preparation for higher education and a profession in the arts.
Events
Inlandia is offering free writing workshops in poetry, prose, nonfiction, and memoir. The focus varies from writing about Black art to food writing to writing for children and young adults, and workshops for seniors will be available. To become part of the Inlandia community of writers, register today! All workshops are free and open to the public. Registration is required.
Launch Pad is a workshop for established professionals that aims to provide a “crash course” in modern astronomical science through lectures, activities, discussion, and observation through the University of Wyoming’s professional telescopes. It's a great experience for science fiction writers. Generally, all workshop expenses including meals and lodging are covered. Applications for 2023 will be accepted until March 12th.
The Southampton Writers Conference runs from July 12-16, 2023. Workshops are in fiction, poetry, YA, and more, plus agent and industry panels. Without a scholarship, the fee remains the same as 2019, and there is a 10% discount on non-credit tuition for MFA students if they use the promo code MFA2023. Partial scholarships and one first-gen full scholarship are available. The scholarship deadline is March 15.
Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference offers morning workshops in a wide range of genres and afternoons of craft seminars, panels, one-on-one consultations, and open mics. The 2023 Conference will be held from August 3 to 5, 2023. Registration for the next conference will be open from March 15 - June 30, 2023.
The Historical Novel Society North America conference will take place from June 8 to 10, 2023, at the Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio, TX. #HNS2023 is the place for authors and lovers of historical fiction to meet and mingle, to learn new writing techniques, to pitch their writing project to an agent, and to share their writerly passions. The conference includes options to attend in-person or virtually, with registration deadlines of May 15 and June 4, respectively.
AWP Conference Registrations
The MFA program will be headed to Seattle for AWP in March 2023! Information about registration waivers has gone out to current MFA students; current students should use a waiver to register. For alums interested in getting on the waitlist for a registration waiver or accessing online membership benefits, please email David at krausman@chapman.edu.
Volunteer Opportunities
American Book Review (ABR) is seeking volunteer book reviewers and contacted our program precisely because of our reputation as book reviewers. ABR is published in hard copy and a digital edition available through university libraries and subscriptions. Books are assigned for review rather than an open call for completed reviews. Assigned reviews are almost certain to be published in ABR. The wait-time for publication is long, but these are also substantive reviews and make a good portfolio for gaining paid work as a reviewer. Dr. Leahy is happy to meet with any student assigned a book review to discuss a draft. If interested, contact Cris Mazza at cmazza@uic.edu.
The Orange County Regional Youth Slam Event seeks volunteer judges for their 9th spoken word poetry competition. The event will be held March 18th at the Webb Theatre at 5 P.M. If interested, contact Josh Wood at josh.wood@ocsarts.net.
Scholarship Opportunities
We are pleased to announce a competitive 50% tuition scholarship available to second-year MA only and MFA only students who would like to pursue the Dual degree. The scholarship is designed to offset part of the cost of extending studies into a third year. David Krausman is sending information to current students. The deadline is February 25.
Publication Opportunities
The Blue Light Book Award for publication of a full-length book of poems is open for submissions from Sept. 1 through February 28. For guidelines, send an E-mail to bluelightpress@aol.com.
South Broadway Ghost Society, the online journal for South Broadway Press, are seeking previously unpublished poetry to feature online. The deadline to submit is February 28.
Windward Review, is seeking submissions of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, flash fiction, plays, screenplays, works in translation, and hybrid genres, as well as art pieces, for their 21st volume, Myths and Hauntings. A flash contest is also being held. The deadline for all submissions is March 5.
The 20.35 Africa anthology series is seeking poetry from African poets who are between the ages of 20 (or who would be 20 by the time of publication) and 35. The deadline to submit is March 24.
Texas Review Press will be accepting submissions for the 2023 Clay Reynolds Novella Prize. The prize comes with $500, a standard royalty contract, and 20 copies of the published book. The deadline to submit is March 31.
Texas Review Press is accepting submission for the 2023 Robert Phillips Chapbook Prize. The prize comes with $500, a standard royalty contract, and 20 copies of the published book. The deadline to submit is March 31.
The New Croton Review is accepting unpublished poetry, fiction, nonfiction, photographs, and visual art. The deadline to submit is April 15.
Action, Spectacle seeks art, comics, commentary, fiction, interviews, memoir, music, poetry, and reportage.
Kaleidoscope (a publication of United Disability Services) seeks fiction, nonfiction, poetry, artwork, and book reviews that challenge and overcome stereotypical, patronizing, and sentimental attitudes about disability. No fee, and it's a paying outlet.
Fresh Words is looking for poetry, short stories, essays, and plays for their regular monthly issues. Pieces are to be sent to freshwordsmagazine@gmail.com.
Poets & Writers has an extensive list of literary journals with website links and reading periods included, and you can filter by genre. There is also a good list of contests that rolls according to impending deadlines and a list of book review outlets.
