Alumni Stories

IAS alum Marcus Johnson received his bachelor's in Global Studies ('13), and a master's in Cultural Studies (’16). As a Cultural Studies student, he worked with IAS faculty member Ben Gardner on “The Multi Dimensions of Blackness: Cultural Hegemony in the United States and Abroad.” Johnson’s research stems from a “disquieting” encounter ..

Nicole McCarthy ('17) has a new micro essay out with PANK, one of the first pieces released from her second nonfiction book-in-progress. The micro, titled "Touch", explores the significance of physical touch in our lives and how living without it can feel like malnutrition ...

Liezel Moraleja Hackett (MFA '17) never thought she would be writing about writing, but the MFA alum has discovered both the pleasure and community-building possibilities of sharing her poetics as a contributor to the website Write or Die Tribe, an online collective that provides resources for writers of all genres seeking, in their words ...

Creating a sense of community has always been a central value for IAS alum Brittaney Bunjong, who graduated from the University of Washington Bothell in 2016 with a degree in Media & Communication Studies...

Since completing his MFA in Creative Writing & Poetics, poet Eric Acosta (MFA 2020) has been engaged in fostering community among his cohort and within Seattle's vibrant literary and art scenes. Together with fellow alums Ashley Noelle (MFA 2020) and Reed Lowell (2019), he started a workshop to keep the conversation and feedback that are so central to the MFA experience flowing ...