Graduating Authors from MFA in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts Present a 'Tapestry of Happenings' at Annual Book Festival and Performance, May 8
April 29, 2021
Contact: Office of Advancement and External Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
The 2021 graduating class of The University of Baltimore's MFA in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts program will stage the annual thesis reading and book launch party on Saturday, May 8 at 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public and will take place on Zoom. Attendance details are listed below.
"I'm inspired by the global reach of the thesis books this year," says MFA Director Betsy Boyd.
Prof. Boyd worked with thesis students in fiction writing this spring, while Prof. Marion Winik supported memoirists and poets. Professional designers Tony Frye and John Wilson oversaw the graduates' book layouts.
"Emely Rodriguez's bilingual poetry is quite psychological in nature; Rasha Alkhateeb's poems chronicle her experience as a native of Qatar and Maryland transplant; Ana Preger Hart's memoir travels from Belgrade to Baltimore; Ally Waldon's short stories confront American microaggressions with both humor and edge; fiction writer Jordan Robinson takes us home to the underserved Baltimore neighborhood she remembers with every feeling. As amazing memoirist/artist and graduating MFA student Anthony Mckissic aptly put it, these books represent 'a tapestry of happenings,'" Prof. Boyd says.
The class met 100 percent on Zoom, revising their manuscripts thoroughly and designing their books from sketched to polished products.
"It's always a thrill watching the books come together," says Prof. Winik. "It was particularly rewarding this year to see the students step up to the challenges of COVID and the virtual classroom. We have some covers that will knock your socks off, as well as distinctive and powerful content."
The authors, their websites and book titles are as follows:
- Alise Aleman, author of Shadow, a story collection;
- Rasha Alkhateeb, author of Hem, a collection of poems;
- Linette Marie Allen, author of Breakfast with Sappho, a collection of poems (Allen is scheduled to graduate in Fall 2021);
- Samantha Allen, author of Sunday Dinner, a story collection;
- Kyla M. Cullinane, author of Parallel Lines, a story collection;
- Glancy Edwards, author of Doin' Time, a memoir;
- Tafisha A. Edwards, author of In the Belly of the Mirror, a collection of poems;
- Sierra Farrare, author of Friday Night Hand Grenade, a collection of stories;
- Stephanie Harper, author of Big Purse, a collection of poems;
- Ana Preger Hart, author of Where I'm From Does Not Exist, a memoir;
- Chris Hart, author of Useful, a story collection;
- t. huang, author of empty cans and other stories, a collection of stories;
- Anthony Mckissic, author of Ritual and Recall, a memoir;
- Jordan Robinson, author of Something in the Blood, a collection of stories;
- Emely Rodriguez, author of Dreaming El Salvador, a poetry collection;
- D.T. Steele Jr., author of Better That I Tell You, a memoir;
- Aaron Tucker, author of Pareidolia: Rorschach Tests for Blind Optimists, a poetry collection;
- Kimberly Uslin, author of Please Don't, a memoir;
- Ally Waldon, author of Interior Lives, a collection of stories.
To attend this event, click on this Zoom link: https://ubalt.zoom.us/j/99526577638.
Learn more about The University of Baltimore's MFA in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts.