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.
2021 Cohort
Amy Eldridge
Previous Degrees
B.A. in Writing from the University of Tampa
Writing Interests
Short stories, novels, interactive fiction, creative nonfiction, coming of age, experimental fiction, crime fiction, and numerous elements of gothic literature, such as the grotesque and alienation.
Other Interests
Playing video games, spending time with my family, painting, making miniature sculptures out of clay, fawning over my sphynx cats, and falling into rabbit holes on Youtube.
.JPG?lang=en-US&width=140&height=93)
Madison Gaines
Previous Degrees
BFA in Creative Writing with a double concentration in fiction and poetry from George Mason University
Writing Interests
Historical fiction, Black and African American literature, qualitative research as a foundation for creative writing
Other Interests
Farmers markets, mythical creatures, tea kettles, front porches, interactive people watching, valleys, Old Bay, cephalopods
Connor James
Previous Degrees
B.A. in English from the University of Michigan
Writing Interests
Science-Fiction and Fantasy, Horror, TTRPG Worlds and Stories, Video Games, Adaptation
Other Interests
Cooking and baking, trying new foods, singing, sports, walking through nature, laying on the couch and petting my kitties while watching a stream or show, reading modern adaptations of myths
Matt Livezey W
Previous Degrees
B.A. in Cultural Studies & Interdisciplinary Film, Evergreen State College
Writing Interests
Poetry, Short Stories, Fantasy/Sci Fi Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, Animation, Film, Photography
Other Interests
Hiking and camping, skating, gaming, disc golf, traveling to other countries, chatting with friends, obnoxiously playing guitar when no one is around, attempting to overcome existential dread, cooking and eating food, failing at baking, petting dogs, swimming and surfing in the ocean, and sun-soaking on a beach anywhere
Alysa Levi-D'Ancona
Previous Degrees
BA from Lawrence University in English and Italian studies, minor in creative writing, secondary education teaching certification
Writing Interests
prose poetry • magical realism • fantasy • creative nonfiction • stream of consciousness • liminality • italy • spirituality • culture • second person p.o.v. • deep diving into the human psyche • metaphors
Other Interests
discovering and cooking food • finding new ways to exercise • feeling small in a new country • soaking in the view from the apex of a hike • combining words in novel ways • befriending every cat • educating teenagers • making fun of myself • dad jokes
Marwah Shebl
Previous Degrees
A.A., Integrated Studies, Cascadia College
B.A., Interdisciplinary Arts, University of Washington Bothell
Writing Interests
Short Stories, Novels, Novelettes, Poetry, Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Horror, Heavy Imagery, Interactive Writing, Coming of Age, Fiction, Experimental Writing
Other Interests
Reading, Painting, Writing Drawing, Digital Art, Crocheting, Knitting, Petting Cats and Dogs, Watching Movies and TV shows, Cooking & Baking, Long walks in nature, Corny Jokes, Occasionally playing video games, hanging out with my brothers, Mythology & Mythical Creatures
Raelynne Woo
Previous Degrees
B.A. in Writing Studies (Creative Writing) and Arts, Media, and Culture, University of Washington Tacoma
Writing Interests
poetry, fiction, non-fiction, short stories, realistic fiction, coming of age, comics, slice of life, identity, Asian American literature, children's literature, and multimedia work.
Other Interests
reading, dancing, arts and crafts, crocheting, playing the piano, baking treats, watching (Disney) movies, playing games with friends, gaining new knowledge and skills from Youtube.
2020 Cohort
Tricia Fuentes
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
.JPG?width=140&height=111 "MFA-Meta-LeCompte-cropped-(1).JPG")
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
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.