MFA Writers

MFA Writers The podcast where we talk to MFA students about their program, their process, and a piece they're working on. Hosted by Jared McCormack.

NEW EPISODE. In this episode, PhD Candidate Mackenzie McGee talks about her process when writing speculative fiction, in...
20/11/2024

NEW EPISODE. In this episode, PhD Candidate Mackenzie McGee talks about her process when writing speculative fiction, including how she decides on topics and themes, how her process changes when writing flash versus her novel, and how writers are able to explore politically dangerous topics by leaning into speculative elements. She then tells Jared about her decision to pursue the PhD after finishing her four-year MFA program and how KU is particularly supportive of speculative writers.

https://www.jaredmccormack.com/mfawriters-mackenzie-mcgee

Mackenzie McGee is a speculative fiction writer from the Midwest. A winner of the 2021 PEN/Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers, her work can be read inPorter House Review, Nat. Brut, Alaska Quarterly Review, and Cease, Cows. Mackenzie earned her MFA from the University of Arkansas and is currently a second-year PhD student in English-Creative Writing at the University of Kansas. You can find her at mackenziemcgee.com.

This episode was requested by Alex Fraboulet. Thank you for listening! If there's a program you'd like us to cover, feel free to reach out and we'll do our best to find a guest who can speak to their experiences.

In the meantime, you can catch this conversation between Mackenzie and Jared on the latest episode of MFA Writers, available wherever you get podcasts.

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Snippets from our conversation with Dr. Rone Shavers, PhD, MFA, the director of the creative writing program at The Univ...
18/11/2024

Snippets from our conversation with Dr. Rone Shavers, PhD, MFA, the director of the creative writing program at The University of Utah. Tune in for insights on comparing and contrasting between the degrees, job market prospects with new credentials, and PhD applications.

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NEW EPISODE. Rone Shavers joins Jared for our annual application episode to discuss the differences between MFA and PhD ...
08/11/2024

NEW EPISODE. Rone Shavers joins Jared for our annual application episode to discuss the differences between MFA and PhD applications and programs. Rone and Jared talk about how to choose the right program, put together the best application, and get the most out of your time in a program. Before that, they discuss Rone’s “funky” novel Silverfish and how getting over the pressure of making a commercially viable book allowed him to write the book he wanted to write.

https://www.jaredmccormack.com/mfawriters-rone-shavers

Rone Shavers is the director of the creative writing program at The University of Utah, which offers both an MFA and a PhD in creative writing. Rone is the author of the experimental Afrofuturist novel Silverfish from Clash Books, a finalist for the 2021 Council of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP) Firecracker Award in Fiction and one of The Brooklyn Rail’s “Best Books of 2020.” He is also fiction and hybrid genre editor at the award-winning journal, Obsidian: Literature and Arts in the African Diaspora. Find him at roneshavers.com.

Catch this conversation between Rone and Jared on the latest episode of MFA Writers, available wherever you get podcasts.

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Catch this and more on the latest episode of MFA Writers featuring .a.jensen of .——
26/10/2024

Catch this and more on the latest episode of MFA Writers featuring .a.jensen of .

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The leaves are turning, the pumpkin spice lattes are brewing, and that means the MFA applicants are revising and re-revi...
26/10/2024

The leaves are turning, the pumpkin spice lattes are brewing, and that means the MFA applicants are revising and re-revising their personal statements. To celebrate the arrival of fall, we’re bringing you last season’s (super informative) application episode. Stay tuned for a new episode in your feed soon.

Happy MFA Application Season to all who celebrate! Jess Silfa () returns to the show bringing seven years of experience with the MFA Draft Facebook Group. On this episode, Jess and Jared offer advice for applicants across a wide range of topics: teaching, funding, health insurance, fees, faculty, letters of recommendation, writing samples, statements of purpose, negotiations, timelines, and more. Good luck, friends.

Jess Silfa is a writer and poet from the South Bronx. They hold an MFA from Vanderbilt University in Creative Writing (Fiction) and are currently pursuing their Ph.D. in Creative Writing at the University of Cincinnati. They have received a Displaced Artist Fellowship from Vermont Studio Center, a grant from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Mae Fellowship, and a Ricardo Salinas Scholarship for Aspen Summer Words. Jess serves as President for the Disabled and D/deaf Writers Caucus and helps run the MFA Draft Facebook group. Jess’s first novel, the story of a tight-knit immigrant community rattled by the war on drugs, goes on submission this fall. Learn more at www.jesilfa.com.

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NEW EPISODE. Carlee Jensen (.a.jensen) reflects on how the American West and constructions of personal mythology shaped ...
08/10/2024

NEW EPISODE. Carlee Jensen (.a.jensen) reflects on how the American West and constructions of personal mythology shaped her writing, and how coming out “late” taught her that life has no single narrative. She also tells Jared why she avoided MFA application resources before submitting her materials, how the MFA helped her refocus on writing as an art, not just a profession, and she discusses her experience taking advantage of Hopkins’s optional third year.

Carlee Jensen is a fiction writer and educator, raised in Utah and California, and currently living in Baltimore, Maryland. She earned a BA from Yale University and an MS from Bank Street College of Education, and spent seven years as a classroom teacher before pursuing an MFA from the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University (). During her time at Johns Hopkins, she received the 2024 Benjamin J. Sankey Fellowship in Fiction. Her work has appeared in New Ohio Review and The Master’s Review, where it was selected by Kristen Arnett for a 2022 Short Story Award for New Writers, and was a finalist for American Short Fiction’s Short(er) Fiction Prize in 2023. Find her at carleejensen.com.

This episode was requested by Rajiv Thind. Thank you for listening, Rajiv! If there's a program you'd like us to cover, feel free to reach out and we'll do our best to find a guest who can speak to their experiences.

You can catch this conversation between Carlee and Jared on the latest episode of MFA Writers, available wherever you get podcasts.

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Snips from our most recent episode with of , featuring big conversations on odes to small subjects, small cohorts, and ...
08/10/2024

Snips from our most recent episode with of , featuring big conversations on odes to small subjects, small cohorts, and (sometimes) small writing stints.

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NEW EPISODE. On this episode, Jonny Teklit sits down with Jared to talk about crafting odes to small, granular subjects,...
24/09/2024

NEW EPISODE. On this episode, Jonny Teklit sits down with Jared to talk about crafting odes to small, granular subjects, sharing his personal productivity tips and the common writing advice that doesn’t work for him. Plus, Jonny discusses the pros and cons of UW-Madison’s rotating genre admissions policy and reflects on how Lynda Barry’s comics class changed his perspective on creative talent, revision, and experimentation.

https://www.jaredmccormack.com/mfawriters-jonny-teklit

Jonny Teklit is an award-winning poet whose work has appeared in The Academy of American Poets, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Adroit Journal, and elsewhere. He is currently a second-year MFA candidate in poetry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison () where he is working on his debut collection. He has an animal fact for any occasion. Find him at his website jonnyteklit.com, on IG , and on Twitter @/jonnysaysOMG.

You can catch this conversation between Jonny and Jared on the latest episode of MFA Writers, available wherever you get podcasts.

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Emma Allmann () of the University of Alabama () on professionalism and realism in academia, the value of uncanniness and...
22/09/2024

Emma Allmann () of the University of Alabama () on professionalism and realism in academia, the value of uncanniness and body horror in her fiction, her process of revision, and life in Tuscaloosa.

Catch this and more on the most recent episode of MFA Writers, available wherever podcasts are sold (just kidding, it's free and always will be).

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NEW EPISODE. It’s not quite Halloween, but on this episode, Emma Allman talks to Jared about the utility of defamiliariz...
22/09/2024

NEW EPISODE. It’s not quite Halloween, but on this episode, Emma Allman talks to Jared about the utility of defamiliarization, surrealism, uncanniness, and body horror in ecofiction (spooky!). Plus, she discusses how working in marketing pre-MFA helped her understand professionalism and realism in academia, life in Tuscaloosa as it aligns with and diverges from outsiders’ expectations, and unique opportunities of the University of Alabama’s MFA program, including teaching in youth writing camps or within the state’s prison system.

https://jaredmccormack.com/mfawriters-emma-allmann

Emma Allmann studied creative writing at UW-Madison and is entering her third year in the MFA program at the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa. Prior to returning to grad school she worked in market research for several years in Chicago. She has had pieces published with Ellipsis and Ink In Thirds, shortlisted with Smokelong and has had a play produced for the Marcia Légère Student Play Festival at UW-Madison. She has pieces forthcoming with LandLocked and Ink In Thirds. Find her at www.emmaallmann.com and on Instagram .

You can catch this conversation between Emma and Jared on the latest episode of MFA Writers, available wherever you get podcasts.

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FREEDOM IS A FEAST is out in the world! On our latest episode, debut author Alejandro Puyana talk about his purpose and ...
22/08/2024

FREEDOM IS A FEAST is out in the world! On our latest episode, debut author Alejandro Puyana talk about his purpose and process with his novel, plus what happens after it's written.

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NEW EPISODE. Following Venezuela’s disputed presidential election, debut author Alejandro Puyana returns to the show to ...
13/08/2024

NEW EPISODE. Following Venezuela’s disputed presidential election, debut author Alejandro Puyana returns to the show to discuss his novel, which explores the revolutionary lives of both ordinary and extraordinary Venezuelans over the span of fifty years. He also shares insights with Jared about the rewrites he made to his MFA thesis before publication, the experience of collaborating with an editor, and the journey of securing book blurbs.

https://www.jaredmccormack.com/mfawriters-alejandro-puyana-debut-author

Alejandro Puyana is the author of the upcoming novel Freedom Is a Feast, available from Little, Brown on August 20th. Alejandro moved to the United States from Venezuela at the age of twenty-six. In 2022, he completed his MFA at the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas. His work has appeared in Tin House, American Short Fiction, The American Scholar, New England Review, and Idaho Review, among others, and his story “The Hands of Dirty Children” was selected by Curtis Sittenfeld for Best American Short Stories 2020. He lives with his wife and daughter in Austin, Texas. Learn more at alejandropuyana.com.

Catch this conversation between Alejandro and Jared on the latest episode of MFA Writers, available wherever you get podcasts.

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NEW EPISODE. Ever heard of an MFA program with 12 different genre concentrations? On this episode, Vivian (Xiao Wen) Li ...
30/07/2024

NEW EPISODE. Ever heard of an MFA program with 12 different genre concentrations? On this episode, Vivian (Xiao Wen) Li tells Jared about how UBC’s multi-genre emphasis allowed her to work across fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, filmmaking, comics, and more. Plus, she discusses self-funding her degree, receiving a grant to do research in China for her novel, and UBC’s online option for distance learning.

https://www.jaredmccormack.com/mfawriters-vivian-xiao-wen-li

Vivian is a q***r and neurodivergent Chinese-Canadian writer, director, musician, and interdisciplinary artist who recently graduated with an MFA in Creative Writing from The University of British Columbia. She is the winner in the short story category of the Creative Writing Collective Sustaining Shared Futures Writing Award, and her fiction and poetry have been published in The Massachusetts Review, The New Quarterly, QWERTY, and elsewhere. Her chapbook Someday I Promise, I'll Love You from 845 Press was nominated for The bpNichol Chapbook Award. Her debut experimental novel titled To You, in the Waves of the Future will be going on submission soon. She can be reached on X/Instagram or vivianlicreates.com.

This episode was requested by Michelle D’costa. Thank you for listening, Michelle! ! If there's a program you'd like us to cover, feel free to reach out and we'll do our best to find a guest who can speak to their experiences.

In the meantime, you can catch this conversation between Vivian (Xiao Wen) and Jared on the latest episode of MFA Writers, available wherever you get podcasts.

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NEW EPISODE. It’s the Season 4 finale! On this episode, Eric Larsh tells Jared about writing into obsessions, whether he...
21/05/2024

NEW EPISODE. It’s the Season 4 finale! On this episode, Eric Larsh tells Jared about writing into obsessions, whether he’s focusing exclusively on sonnets or, for the last two years, diving into a long poem about the Mojave Desert. Eric also discusses how his music compositions and editorship at Portland Review inform his poetry, deciding between a graduate degree in rhetoric or creative writing, and Portland State’s built-in opportunities to connect with faculty and visiting writers.

https://www.jaredmccormack.com/mfawriters-eric-larsh

Eric Larsh is a writer, bookseller, and musician living in Portland, Oregon. He is currently serving as Editor in Chief at Portland Review and pursuing his MFA in Poetry at Portland State University. His writing can be found at Los Angeles Review, Thin Air, The Daily Drunk, and elsewhere online. His music can be found at universalhealthcare.bandcamp.com. Learn more at ericlarsh.com.

This episode was requested by Emily Jacobson. Thank you for listening, Emily! If there's a program you'd like us to cover, feel free to reach out and we'll do our best to find a guest who can speak to their experiences.

In the meantime, you can catch this conversation between Eric and Jared on the latest episode of MFA Writers, available wherever you get podcasts.

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NEW EPISODE. Former stand-up comedian Max Delsohn sits down with Jared to talk about how humor and detailed line-level r...
07/05/2024

NEW EPISODE. Former stand-up comedian Max Delsohn sits down with Jared to talk about how humor and detailed line-level revision show up in his work for the stage and the page. Plus, he discusses a pleasure-forward writing process, switching MFA programs after the first year, and his experiences with big-name faculty like George Saunders and Mary Karr.

https://www.jaredmccormack.com/mfawriters-max-delsohn

Max Delsohn is a third-year MFA candidate in fiction at Syracuse University. His writing appears in McSweeney's Quarterly Concern, VICE, Joyland, The Rumpus, Passages North, Nat. Brut, and the essay anthology Critical Hits: Writers Playing Video Games, edited by J. Robert Lennon and Carmen Maria Machado, among other places. He has been awarded fellowships and residencies from the Saltonstall Foundation for The Arts, Mineral School, and Hugo House, and has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize three times. His debut short story collection, CRAWL, is forthcoming in fall 2025 from Graywolf Press. Find Max on social media , and sign up for alerts to pre-order his collection via his website, www.maxdelsohn.com.

This episode was requested by Amy Peltz, Sarah Blood, and Frank Turner. Thank you all for listening! If there's a program you'd like us to cover, feel free to reach out and we'll do our best to find a guest who can speak to their experiences.

In the meantime, you can catch this conversation between Max and Jared on the latest episode of MFA Writers, available wherever you get podcasts.

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NEW EPISODE. What’s involved in an English PhD with a creative dissertation? Abhijit Sarmah tells Jared about how this p...
23/04/2024

NEW EPISODE. What’s involved in an English PhD with a creative dissertation? Abhijit Sarmah tells Jared about how this path allows him to pursue his research on global indigenous literatures while continuing to craft poetry on identity and insurgency in Assam, India. Abhijit also discusses postmemory, or the memories we inherit from earlier generations, writing about your homeland when you live far from it, and the strong literary scene in Athens, Georgia.

https://www.jaredmccormack.com/mfawriters-abhijit-sarmah

Abhijit Sarmah is a poet and a researcher of Indigenous literatures with particular focus on Native American women writers and writings from the Northeast of India. Currently, he is a second-year PhD student in the creative writing program at the University of Georgia where he is also an Arts Lab Graduate Fellow. He was a finalist for the 2023 Ruth Lilly and Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Poetry Fellowship and his work has appeared in magazines like Poetry, The Margins, The Lincoln Review, and elsewhere. Find him on Instagram @/abhijitsarmahwritespoetry and on Twitter @/abhijitsarmah_.

You can catch this conversation between Abhijit and Jared on the latest episode of MFA Writers, available wherever you get podcasts.

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