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. What do poets and humorists have in common? For Caylin Capra-Thomas, whose writing is sure to make you laug...
04/11/2025

NEW EPISODE. What do poets and humorists have in common? For Caylin Capra-Thomas, whose writing is sure to make you laugh, both pay close attention to life’s idiosyncrasies in the search for truth. In this episode, she also tells Jared about her experience getting a PhD in creative writing for an advantage in the academic job market (it worked: she’s a professor!), conquering the comprehensive exam, and key differences between the PhD and the MFA.

https://jaredmccormack.com/mfawriters-caylin-capra-thomas

Caylin Capra-Thomas is the author of a poetry collection, Iguana Iguana, and her poetry and essays have appeared widely, including in Georgia Review, Pleiades, Longreads, 32 Poems, New England Review, and elsewhere. Her scholarship has appeared in the T.S. Eliot Studies Annual. The recipient of fellowships from the Vermont Studio Center and the Sewanee Writers Conference, she earned an MFA in creative writing (poetry) from the University of Montana, and a PhD in English and creative writing (nonfiction) from the University of Missouri in Columbia. She now teaches English and creative writing at Stephens College. Find her at caylincaprathomas.com.

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

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NEW EPISODE. What role can poetry play in public health? Henneh Kyereh Kwaku joins Jared to explore how his MFA in Creat...
26/10/2025

NEW EPISODE. What role can poetry play in public health? Henneh Kyereh Kwaku joins Jared to explore how his MFA in Creative Writing intersects with his academic background in public health and disease control. Together, they discuss how Henneh uses a poetic lens to examine issues like vaccine hesitancy. He also reflects on writing about his home country of Ghana while living in the US, drawing from non-fiction and audio storytelling through cross-genre courses, and finding lasting support from MFA faculty even after his graduation.

https://www.jaredmccormack.com/mfawriters-henneh-kyereh-kwaku

Winner of Poetry Magazine’s J. Howard and Barbara M.J. Wood Prize, Henneh Kyereh Kwaku was born in Gonasua and raised in Drobo in the Bono Region of Ghana. He has received fellowships from the Library of Africa and the African Diaspora (LOATAD), Chapman University, and the Carolyn Moore Writing Residency. He is an interdisciplinary scholar with a Bachelor of Public Health (Disease Control), an MA in Health Education, an MFA in Creative Writing, and is pursuing a PhD with an emphasis in Health and Culture. His (public) health communication scholarship explores art-based approaches to addressing medical mistrust and vaccine hesitancy in Black populations. He’s the author of Revolution of the Scavengers (African Poetry Book Fund/Akashic Books, 2020) and the founder/host of the Church of Poetry. His poems/essays have appeared or are forthcoming in the Academy of American Poets’ A-Poem-A-Day, Poetry Magazine, Prairie Schooner, World Literature Today, Air/Light Magazine, Tupelo Quarterly, Poetry Society of America, Lolwe, Agbowó, CGWS, Olongo Africa, 20:35 Africa, and elsewhere. He shares memes on Twitter/Instagram at .

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

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NEW EPISODE. Spencer Robert Young sits down with Jared to talk about their path from punk music concertgoer to writing a...
08/10/2025

NEW EPISODE. Spencer Robert Young sits down with Jared to talk about their path from punk music concertgoer to writing a chamber opera. Plus, Spencer and Jared discuss pattern and rupture in poetry, the pros and cons of staying in academia versus taking time off, the beauty and collaboration of editing, and life in Moscow, Idaho.

https://jaredmccormack.com/mfawriters-spencer-robert-young

Spencer Robert Young (they/them) is a poet, essayist, and editor. They write about embodiment, punk music, queerness, climate change, and good books. Spencer holds an MA in Creative Writing and Literature from Kansas State University and an MFA in Poetry from the University of Idaho (). While earning their MFA, Spencer edited reviews and interviews for Fugue Literary Journal, and they currently judge chapbooks for the Cow Creek Chapbook Prize. A recipient of an Academy of American Poets Prize, their work has been published in a handful of literary magazines and journals, and their original chamber opera, Let's Blow Up a Gas Station!, premiered with Seattle Opera in 2024. Find them at spencerrobertyoung.my.canva.site.

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

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12/09/2025

MFA Writers · Episode

Listen to the full conversation wherever you get podcasts.——
05/09/2025

Listen to the full conversation wherever you get podcasts.

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NEW EPISODE. In our Season 6 premiere, James T. Morrison talks about how creative nonfiction provides an opportunity to ...
05/09/2025

NEW EPISODE. In our Season 6 premiere, James T. Morrison talks about how creative nonfiction provides an opportunity to discuss challenging topics like drug dependency and justice system involvement that counter the stereotypical portrayal of the addiction redemption arc. He and Jared also explore revision as a process to find your voice, Morrison’s shift from a law school path to an MFA at age 40, the importance of accessible mentors over university prestige, and the underappreciated literary scene of Fresno.

https://www.jaredmccormack.com/mfawriters-james-t-morrison

James T. Morrison is a recent graduate of California State University, Fresno, where he received his MFA in creative nonfiction in June of 2025. He serves as the nonfiction editor at The Normal School literary magazine, affiliated with Fresno State's MFA. His work has appeared or is forthcoming in Slate, Diode, River Teeth's "Beautiful Things," and Fugue. To hear him talk about his writing and American drug policy, check out his appearance on the award winning podcast, Death, S*x, and Money. James lives in California's Central Valley with his wife, Sara, their three cats, and brand new puppy (she is a real pistol). Find him at his website, www.james-t-morrison.com, and on Instagram .

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

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Excerpts from our recent episode with Austin Tucker, PhD Candidate in Creative Writing at Ohio University. Catch the ful...
05/09/2025

Excerpts from our recent episode with Austin Tucker, PhD Candidate in Creative Writing at Ohio University. Catch the full conversation anywhere you get podcasts.

NEW EPISODE. How do voice-driven writers find their characters? Austin Tucker tells Jared how he uses collage and resear...
01/09/2025

NEW EPISODE. How do voice-driven writers find their characters? Austin Tucker tells Jared how he uses collage and research into his characters’ life histories to craft voices that are often “on the edge of collapse.” Plus, Austin discusses the pros and cons of a small program with 6-8 students in each poetry workshop, healthcare access as a PhD student, and opportunities to design and teach composition, workshop, and survey classes.

Austin Tucker is a poet and fiction writer who received his MFA from the University of Rutgers-Camden and is currently pursuing a PhD in Creative Writing at Ohio University. He is the current editor of Quarter After Eight and his poetry was selected for The Southeast Review’s 2024 Gearhart Prize by Kareena McGlynn, and has appeared in Pleiades, Frontier, and Four Chambers, among other places. His fiction won the 2024 Masters Review Flash Fiction contest and was a semifinalist for the 2018 Halifax Ranch Prize. He’s also a two-time finalist for The DISQUIET International Literary Prize in Poetry. Find him at r.austin.tucker [at] gmail [dot] com or via the Quarter After Eight IG (). He is represented by Julia Eagleton with Janklow and Nesbit.

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

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Excerpts from our recent conversation with the excellent writer and speaker, Ray Wise.
06/05/2025

Excerpts from our recent conversation with the excellent writer and speaker, Ray Wise.

NEW EPISODE. What happens when a tech startup employee starts taking online writing classes? They end up in an MFA progr...
06/05/2025

NEW EPISODE. What happens when a tech startup employee starts taking online writing classes? They end up in an MFA program, of course. In this episode, Ray Wise sits down with Jared to talk about finding writing in their 20s and the lessons they bring from the tech world to their creative work. Plus, they discuss Rutgers-Camden’s multi-genre emphasis, weekend writing retreats with the MFA community, and the pros and cons of a small program.

https://www.jaredmccormack.com/mfawriters-ray-wise

Ray Wise is a multi-genre writer living in Philadelphia, where they are completing their final semester at MFA at Rutgers-Camden. Ray's work has been published in Passages North, Rose Books Reader, Barrelhouse, Hobart, etc., nominated for Best of the Net, and supported by Sundress Academy for the Arts. They are currently at work on a novel manuscript and a poetry collection. Find them on Twitter/X @/ray__wise and catch them reading in Philadelphia for the Rose Books Reader launch on April 26th at Clown Bar.

This episode was requested by Andrey Vinogradov. 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 Ray and Jared on the latest episode of MFA Writers, available wherever you get podcasts.

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Snippets from our most recent episode with of the University of Illinois.
06/05/2025

Snippets from our most recent episode with of the University of Illinois.

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