Current MFA Students

Education
BFA in Kinetic Imaging, Virginia Commonwealth University

Writing Interests
Creating structure and depth through poetry and prose with collagingnon-written elements such as sound, video, tangible craft, etc. Interested in cross-language writing, particularly Bengali and Hindustani.

Other Interests
Arpita is an artist and observer of small things! They are enchanted by the sounds of the wind, dirty wet leaves, lapping waves, and crunching gravel. Lover of horror and sci-fi and excessive sensory detail. Background in multimedia arts (sound, animation, video), and longtime student of Hindustani music and generational craft. Hoping to distill boundless wonder into words, letters, sounds, and other small things.

Education
B.A. in Professional Writing and Rhetoric with minors in Creative Writing & Communications, Washington State University

Writing Interests
I am mostly interested in writing prose poetry and fragmented essay style works. I am also interested in exploring other genres such as fiction, screenwriting, auto-fiction, and zines. I love combining art and photography with writing to give the piece more creative freedom and breaking the rules of traditional writing.

Other Interests
I like to spend my time exploring fashion, swimming in lakes, taking digital & film photographs of friends or nature, and reading science fiction novels about space.

Education
B.A. in Literary Arts, The Evergreen State College

Writing Interests
I love writing poetry, especially autobiographical pieces. My goal in my creative work is always to present myself and my point of view as authentically as possible. I also have a great interest in children’s literature, graphic novels and songwriting.

Other Interests
I am an avid collector of a variety of physical media. Most notably, I have an ever-growing collection of cassette tapes and comic books.

Education
B.A., emphasis in Creative Writing, and a teaching endorsement, Western Washington University

Writing Interests
She enjoys focusing her writing on the mundane, creating images that feel nostalgic, exploring spiritual and faith-inflected themes, and using her memories as a reflection of self in a moment in time. Her chosen form generally includes poetry or some type of short fiction, though she has been working towards more experimental forms as well.

Other Interests
When not writing, Lael spends her time either crafting or enjoying the sun (ideally simultaneously because why choose). This might include painting/drawing, papermaking, scrapbooking/cardmaking, and sewing. After a full day of creative endeavors, you can find her with her family around a home-cooked meal, playing music, or debating things that don’t matter.

Education
B.A. in Business Administration, University of Washington

Writing Interests
I write both short stories and novels in a variety of genres, including horror and fantasy. My writing explores themes of family, friendship and community.

Other Interests
Aside from writing, I love to read and spend time with friends and family.

Education
B.S. in Nutrition and Dietetics, University of Arizona

Writing Interests
My work takes the form of stories, poems, and stream-of-consciousness essays, aiming to extend more into visual and performative practices such as mask sculptures and light shows. I am interested in replicating the sensual mysticism that bonds tangible life to the inner mind. I am drawn to the intimacy of language and its seductive yet earnest capacity for transmission of one through oneself, and so through another human being. Much of my writing attempts to transcribe the crude, innocent, wordless, and beastly; and to find wisdom in the clueless nucleus of the human condition. I am also attracted to the human dynamics of desire and fear that resemble the curiosity and caution of wildlife, as well as the physical and metaphysical mutability of matter in relation to other matter. I am curious about the active creation and shedding of persona as an art form, and the necessity of pain for emergence. I often think of the viscerality and ugliness of birth, as well as the delicate and tender birthed thing, which in my case, I hope grows into an unfettered and revolving body of work which mirrors my own, whose utmost function is to become (one with the other) while enchanting witnesses to do the very same thing.

Other Interests
Reading; spending time with my husband and cats; biking; swimming in the lake, lying in the grass under the sun; flowers, clouds, coffee, fruits, big pastries, nibbling, and conversing!

Education
B.A. in English, minor in Creative Writing

Writing Interests
Introspective and psychologically-focused fiction, especially centering underrepresented subjects. Poetry; prose poetry; multi-media storytelling.

Other Interests
Star Trek, chess, drawing, cooking, making PowerPoints about silly topics.

Education
B.A. in English, Florida International University

Writing Interests
I am interested in sound-based poetry. I feel drawn towards sonic elements like rhyme, rhythm, alliteration, and assonance. This is often reflected in my poetry.

Other Interests
Video Games, fashion, content creation, and meeting new people.

Education
M.S. in Computer Science, University of Kentucky

Writing Interests
Her interests range from paranormal fiction, memoir and poetry. She has been rotating like the pendulum between the real and the unreal, between the remembered and the imagined. She loves to find stories in people, places and in circumstances.

Other Interests
I love spending time with my family who specializes in dark humor and sarcasm. And have as many healing naps with my dog. I love mentoring elementary school kids and helping them in math and writing. I volunteer in Issaquah Community Services and trying to give back to the community.

Education
B.F.A. in Creative Media, Champlain College

Writing Interests
My focus is on writing poetry and short stories, and connecting them to create an overarching narrative or theme. I also love learning what goes into creating effective writing, and hope to teach others how to make the best versions of their own writing using that knowledge.

Other Interests
I enjoy illustration, video games, and ttrpgs. Reading is also a passion of mine, and I enjoy reading different translations of novels and short stories to compare the translation choices.

Education
B.A in English (Writing emphasis) & a minor in Theatre, Central College

Writing Interests
Playwriting, Screenwriting, Fiction Novels (Fantasy), Nonprofit Writing, Travel Writing, Multimedia Storytelling, Short Stories, Retellings of Classical and Mythological Stories.

Other Interests
Working on many other creative endeavors, including Needle Arts, Bookbinding, French Beading, Jewelry Making, Collage, Video Games, Tabletop Games, and crafting and creating in general. Payton also enjoys working on her podcast with her best friend and a blog that she curates and maintains.

Education
B.A. in Professional Writing, SUNY Cortland

Writing Interests
Her interests in both short-fiction and poetry include sci-fi horror, romantic-dramas, the study of genealogy, mystery-thrillers, the connections between nature and humanity, the study of ancestral spirituality, the intersection between gender sexuality and racial identity, and the psychological study of intergenerational trauma.

Other Interests
Outside of her love for fiction writing, she finds creative passion in directing films, scriptwriting, reading all kinds of books, journal writing during the late-night hours, songwriting, dancing, caring for animals, and being an activist in her community.

Education
B.A. in Creative Writing with minors in Greco-Roman and Middle Eastern History, Western Washington University

Writing Interests
My main focus of interest is fiction, particularly horror and fantasy. I enjoy delving into the relationship between humanity and the natural environment as I consider the personal and societal consequences of rejecting or cooperating with a complex ecosystem. Some writers that influence me include Frank Herbert, Ursula K. Le Guin, Stephen King, and Jack London.

Other Interests
I’ve spent a lot of my professional career working on restoration and trail crews for the state of Washington. My experience in the field cemented my passion for the natural landscape as well as the importance in preserving these places for future generations. When not reading or coming up with writing concepts, I enjoy hiking on trails, playing story-driven video games and scrolling archeological discoveries on my social media feeds. Mostly I look for immersive content that I can get lost exploring.

Education
B.A. in English-Creative Writing, Seattle University

Writing Interests
Prose, poetry

Other Interests
When I’m not writing, you can find me at a concert, gardening, or watching a sci-fi, fantasy, or horror movie with my partner and our two cats.

Education
B.A. in English Literature, University of Washington Seattle

Writing Interests
Horror

Other Interests
I love dogs, miniatures, vinyls, and cartoons

Education
B.S. in Geology & Chemistry, Indiana State University

Writing Interests
Experimental poetry and prose, theory, film, music, literature, psychoanalysis, feminist writing, fables and folklore, book arts, interdisciplinary-multimedia performance, and hybrid forms that bring together creative and critical practice.

Other Interests
Green, my baby kitties, all things music, collecting, aesthetics, weird films, hosting, solitude, epistolaries, gifting, snuggling, jogging, playing around, and eating.

Education
B.A. in Political Science & Sociology, University of Washington Seattle

Writing Interests
Prose, script/screenplay, poetry, lyrics

Other Interests
Collaging, making jewelry, dyeing and altering clothes, music, overanalyzing my favorite movies and TV shows.