KUDOS: February 2010

It's been a busy month for the MFA Program! We're smack in the middle of an exciting hiring process for a new Fiction faculty member and the Spring Reading Series is in full gear. This week, we're pleased to welcome essayist and Director of the Iowa Writers' Workshop, John D'Agata, whose new book, About a Mountain just hit shelves.

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let's take a moment to celebrate some great news for our students and faculty...

The Day After: My Atomic Angst

Creative Nonfiction professor Steven Church's new new book (remember, Theoretical Killings: Essays and Accidents just came out a couple of months ago) was just released from Soft Skull Press. The man's on fire. Congrats, Steven!

The Acentos Review

Fiction student Rafael Sanchez's story "Ambivalencia" was just accept for publication by The Acentos Review, a fine online literary journal that's been around for a few years now. Hearty congrats to Rafael!

Safe From the Neighbors

Our great friend and former Program Director, Steve Yarbrough's new novel, Safe From the Neighbors, has been reviewed in the Washington Post! Congratulations, Steve!

MFA Grad Lands Job in D.C.

Recent Creative Nonfiction MFA grad Karen Sikola just accepted a two-month position as a Scholar Relations Advisor for the Congressional Youth Leadership Council in Washington, D.C. Way to go, Karen!

New York Times piece on Here, Bullet

Poetry professor Brian Turner's collection Here, Bullet was spotlighted in a recent New York Times piece. Congratulations, Brian!

The Pinch

Creative Nonfiction student Sarah Fawn Montgomery's essay "Death: An Encyclopedia Account of Ritual and Remembrance" has been accepted for publication by The Pinch for their fall 2010 issue.

TIME YOU LET ME IN: 25 POETS UNDER 25

TIME YOU LET ME IN: 25 POETS UNDER 25 is a wonderful new collection of poems put together by Naomi Shihab Nye. The best part is that the volume includes poems by our own students, Michelle Brittain and Jocelyn Stott. Congratulations to Michelle and Jocelyn!

Kill Screen

Recent Creative Nonfiction graduate Josh Geist's essay "King of the Ogres" has been picked up by a new magazine, Kill Screen, which is setting out to publish serious writing about gaming.