Student Ambassadors
Connect with current MFA students, ask questions, arrange a campus tour, and learn about the student experience from our Student Ambassadors.
Current Students by Cohort
Read about some of our dynamic Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Poetics students, their educational backgrounds, and writing interests.
2020 Cohort
Tricia Colin
Previous Degrees
Bachelor of Science in Business Management, Western Governors University
Writing Interests
Fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, family histories
Other Interests
Music (listening to it, dancing to it, and singing along horribly to it) / hanging out with my kids and the rest of my large, boisterous Cuban family (especially listening to my mom and her 4 sisters argue 5 different accounts of their shared history) / laughing at my own jokes / drinking too much coffee / not cooking / eating Cuban food cooked by my very non-Cuban man-friend / enjoying the occasional Happy Meal
Amy Hirayama
Undergraduate Degrees
BA English Literature from the University of Washington, K-8 teaching certificate from UW Bothell, National Board Certified teacher
Writing Interests
Okinawa history, culture, and literary traditions, Hapa identity, pedagogy, the art and craft of writing workshops, food and identity, poetry, prose, graphic novels/comics
Other Interests
I am interested in how writing can be used as a tool for social justice and self care. Other interests include: travel (and the ethics of travel), Japanese cooking, running, cycling, hiking, the music of Kishi Bashi, Hawaii (the Hapa homeland), crochet
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Carolyn Huynh
Previous Degrees
M.S. Human Centered Design & Engineering, University of Washington, B.A. Journalism, Seattle University
Writing Interests
Memoir writing, short fiction & poetry on Vietnamese-American identity, diasporic witches, and preserving intergenerational tall-tales
Other Interests
Immigrant food politics, activist art, Korean dramas, my rabbit, tech, flea markets, and stockpiling books that I will eventually read one day
Edward Kuznetsov
Previous Degrees
BA in Interdisciplinary Arts, University of Washington Bothell
Writing Interests
Art Deco, Chrome, Night Vision Goggles, Tuna Casserole
Other Interests
I got one hand on my crippling depression and the other on an xbox controller.
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Meta LeCompte
Previous Degrees
Creative writing at the University of Denver
Writing Interests
Hybrid writing
Other Interests
I am attending the MFA program for poetry. I grew up in Montana so I have a great appreciation for nature. I spent the last four years in Denver. I love live music, poetry readings, thai food, rosé, and singing. I have two cats named Lou and Otis, they successfully made me a crazy cat lady.
Harry Lee
Undergraduate Degree
BA from UCSD in Sociology, and a minor in Literature
Writing Interests
Interested in modernist, lyrical, and confessional poetry, as well as cross genre and experimental writing and performance
Other Interests
Experimental music, Lyrical poetry, Poets of the 19th century (especially Dickinson and Bronte)
Emily J. Mundy
Undergraduate Degree
Creative Writing, Seattle University
Writing Interests
Poetry, experimental prose, spoken word // the strange & uncanny, synesthesia, spirituality
Other Interests
Flowers, seasonality, the tarot, yoga, burlesque, living room dance parties, music & stand-up comedy, food & natural wine, the ocean, all felines, chosen family, the lunar cycle
Madison Nikfard
Previous Degrees
Bachelor's in Media & Communication with minor in Creative Writing from University of Washington
Writing Interests
Graphic novels, experimental poetry, coming of age fiction
Other Interests
Video games, animal shelters, musical theatre, collaging, animated cartoons, flower gardens
Sky O'Brien
Previous Degrees
English (Creative Writing), Principia College
Writing Interests
Forms of power, aesthetics, the personal vs. the universal, short stories, essays, letters.
Other Interests
Modern and post-modern art and literature, art history, papermaking and printing, forests, walking, watercolor
Michelle Present
Previous Degrees
B.A. Liberal Arts, Sarah Lawrence College
Writing Interests
Using mixed-media art &/or hybrid writing so as to enables new performances of self. Also interested in the intersection of technology and 'spirituality.' Artists/Writers/Thinkers I love: Maggie Nelson, Octavia Butler, Genesis Breyer P-orridge, Janine Antoni, Sandy Stone, Rupert Sheldrake, Toni Morrison...TONI MORRISON:)
Other Interests
Post-humanism, feminism, animism, Joan of Arc & the discourse of beauty.
Maria Delgado Stevens
Previous Degrees
B.A. in American Literature and Culture with a Minor in Anthropology, from University of California Los Angeles; M. Ed in Secondary English Education from California State University, Northridge
Writing Interests
Thank you, I would like to start with a glass of American Gothic, with an emphasis on noir notes. I think that will pair well with parody and satire appetizers, no? Horror, surrealism, and science fiction might be a bit much for a main course, though I do love those Victorian vampires and ghosts; hmm, how's the fantasy tonight --overdone, okay, I'll pass. Perhaps, a play-t or two of the absurd --cooked medium well-- but not so much that the idealism of the main character is compromised. For dessert, a shortbread topped with children's literature compote.
Other Interests
Other than raising a large family (with pets, teenagers and an eight-year-old) and teaching public high school (with teenagers), I love punctuation, poetry that breathes, watercolors, ballet, fine and street art, children's literature and illustration, vintage furniture and home decorating, American history, Jungian psychology, classic rock, 80s new wave, and jazz music; I'm interested in exploring American West perspectives and urban identity existentialism.
2019 Cohort
Scott Bentley
Undergraduate Degree
English and Creative Writing, California State University, San Bernardino
Writing Interests
Beat writers, surrealist and experimental poetry
Other Interests
The Velvet Underground & Nico, Lou Reed, coffee, Hunter S Thompson, and podcasts.
Greg Buck
Undergraduate Degree
Aesthetics, Philosphy, Creative Writing, Evergreen State College
Additional Degrees
Associate of Culinary Arts and Sciences, Johnson & Wales University
Writing Interests
Philosophy and aesthetics, the personal body and the social body, experimental writing/form
Other Interests
Interests include art and coffee. Reading, conversations, dinner and other meals all appeal to me; I try to partake of them often. The absurd and utopian, balanced by the perfectly reasonable and dystopian all interest me.
Annika G.R. Bunney
Undergraduate Degree
English, University of Washington, Seattle
Additional Degrees
Associate of Arts, Bellevue College
Writing Interests
Mass media, video games, science fiction, and fantasy
Other Interests
Historical reenacting, working with children and animals, cosplaying, going to conventions, camping, cooking, and baking.
Alec Owen Gabin
Undergraduate Degree
Poetics, Evergreen State College 2017
Writing Interests
absurdity / cultural theory / post-modernism / aesthetics / spirituality / animism / theater theory / the self / schematics for useless machines
Other Interests
minimalist music / metaphysics / prayer / highways / bela tarr films / richard foreman plays / la monte young music / collage / piano
Troy T. Landrum, Jr.
Undergraduate Degree
Theology & Pastoral Leadership, Marian University Indianapolis, IN
Writing Interests
Non-fiction, fiction, memoir and novels
Other Interests
Nature, sports as as physical and mental art form (boxing, basketball), music ( Hip-Hop, R&B, Soul, classical), favorite musical artist include Nipsey Hussle, J Cole, Kendrick Lamar and The Notorious B.I.G, enjoy reading memoirs, fiction, and creative non fiction, community, family, faith, African American History, inspired and fascinated by the timeless work of James Baldwin, James McBride and Tah-Nahesi Coates.
Chris Ryan Lauer
Undergraduate Degree
Arts, Media, and Entertainment, University of Arizona
Writing Interests
Free Verse & Prose
Other Interests
Cinema, Poetics, Visuals, Philosophy, and Baseball
Joe Niduaza
Undergraduate Degree
English Writing Practices, Humboldt State University
Writing Interests
Archetypes, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Satire, Tragedy and Comedy, Literature and Film.
Other Interests
Hi my name is Joe. I'm a Libra, and I love literature, film, recreational sports, and the occasional beer on trivia night at the local bar.
Sanika Nalgirkar
Undergraduate Degree
B.Sc- Food and Nutrition (Hons.), Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda
Additional Degrees
Diploma in Creative Writing, Symbiosis University
Writing Interests
Poems, short stories, novels, stories that convey some kind of message to the audience
Other Interests
Reading, Dancing, Travelling, Listening to music, Adventure sports, astronomy, watching movies, exploring different topics
Rose O'Connor
Undergraduate Degree
English, Skidmore College
Writing Interests
Writing Interests: speculative fiction, story-telling, the uncanny, melancholia, ambiguity, experimental styles, dystopias, screenwriting
Other Interests
Other Interests: knitting, bonfires, quoting movies, inventing my own languages, the ocean, baking, listening to podcasts, maps, the color green, office supplies, kayaking, dogs, and laughing at my own jokes
Julie Voss
Undergraduate Degree
BBA from South Champagne Business School (France) and BA in International Negotiation from the University of Regiomontana in Monterrey, Mexico (as an exchange student)
Writing Interests
Speculative YA, Manga, Non-fiction, Self-help blog, Memoir
Other Interests
Photography (landscapes and portraits), my two cats Toby DeVito and Pixie, Chocolate
Cliff Watson
Undergraduate Degree
Bachelor of Science in Applied Math, Brown University
Additional Degrees
Master of Science in Applied Math and Certificate in Business Administration, University of Washington Seattle
Writing Interests
Narrative writing, poetry, interdisciplinary writing for live performance - circus arts/movement/spoken word, lyrics, screen/plays, humor, gaming modules, quirky character backstories
Other Interests
Doing anything with my family, singing/acting/spoken word performance, my dog Winston, moving movies, podcasts, baking with constraints, D&D, puns, avoiding cleaning my office.
Yuan Zhuang
Undergraduate Degree
BFA in Printmaking, Pratt Institute of Fine Arts
Additional Degrees
AOS in Culinary Arts at The Culinary Institute of America
Writing Interests
Food
Other Interests
Food History, Environmental Protect, Printmaking, Cooking, Nutrition, Wine