Compiled by Jefferson Beavers
Republished from We Grow Writers
Kudos to #FresnoWriters is a monthly series on the Fresno State MFA blog, celebrating the professional accomplishments of students, alumni, and faculty in the Creative Writing Program and the Department of English at Fresno State.
If you have a special announcement, a professional or creative success, or an inspiring story that you’d like us to share, please submit this short form.
Compiled by Jefferson Beavers
8/02/19
J.J. Anselmi (MFA Creative Writing alumni) — Published the essay “I Punched the Singer of My Band Onstage” in Ozy magazine. Also published the essay “You made a rad album. Now what?” on Medium.
Daniel E. Arias-Gómez (MFA Creative Writing alumni) — Won the Ruth Stone Poetry Prize for the poems “Cathedrals,” “Ode to Sprinklers,” and “Say Your Hands Scar,” as selected by the poet Natalie Diaz. The poems will be published by Hunger Mountain journal.
Stacey Balkun (MFA Creative Writing alumni) — Won the New South Writing Contestfor the poem “Bloodline,” as selected by the poet Natalie Eilbert. Also, she will begin the Ph.D. program in English Literature at the University of Mississippi starting fall 2019.
Venita Blackburn (English faculty) — Published the story “Grief Log” as illustrated by Bianca Alejos for Electric Literature. Interviewed by Suyi Okungbowa on “Internal Machinations of the Human Spirit” for the Sonora Review. Also served as a mentor in the Emerging Voices Fellowship, run by the PEN America-Los Angeles office.
Sara Borjas (BA English alumni) — Interviewed by Leticia Urieta on “Navigating Chicana Identity Through Poetry” for Electric Literature. Also interviewed for episode 130 of the Blood-Jet Radio podcast.
Mariah Bosch (Creative Writing grad student) — Published the poem “[dream in which I know feminine]” in Glass: A Journal of Poetry.
Michelle Brittan Rosado (MFA Creative Writing alumni) — Interviewed by Mike Sakasegawa for episode 91 of the Keep the Channel Open podcast.
Joseph Cassara (English faculty) — Interviewed by Joseph Rey on “Balancing Queer Tragedy and Happiness” for Lambda Literary.
Kenneth Robert Chacón (MFA Creative Writing alumni) — Will publish the poem “Paco & Mary” in a forthcoming issue of Palette Poetry.
Angela Chaidez Vincent (MFA Creative Writing alumni) — Awarded a fellowship for the Kenyon Review Young Science Writers Workshop. Also, had works included in the Sarah E. Brook queer public art installation Viewfinding Poets in Manhattan, New York.
Ethan Chatagnier (BA English alumni) — Published the serialized story “The Warden’s Prowess” in CRAFT Literary.
Anthony Cody (Creative Writing grad student) — Published the poems “Standing in line to take a passport photo, an old whit man looks at me and claims I am running” and “Elegy of Skin, in Kerosine & Mesquite, Antonio Rodriguez, a Mexican Lynching, Novermber 3, 1910” in Ninth Letter.
Bryce Downing (MA English alumni) — Hired as a new English instructor at Baker College in Cadillac, Michigan starting in fall 2019.
Ronald Dzerigian (MFA Creative Writing alumni) — Published the poems “When the Leaves Turn and the Map is Drawn” and “Having Pulled Over to the Side of the Road to Answer a Phone Call from my Grandmother Who Has Accidentally Dialed My Number” in Sandpiper Magazine.
Rebeca Abidail Flores (BA English alumni) — Will publish the poem “Wall” in a forthcoming Roque Dalton chapbook from Acción Latina. Also, hired as a cultural arts intern at Acción Latina starting in fall 2019.
Kathleen Godfrey (English faculty) — Named interim associate dean of Fresno State’s Kremen School of Education and Human Development starting in fall 2019.
J.J. Hernandez (MFA Creative Writing alumni) — Awarded a tuition waiver for the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley summer poetry workshop.
Alysha Hoffa (MFA Creative Writing alumni)— Published the essay “The Howling” in Pithead Chapel journal.
Arielle K. Jones (MFA Creative Writing alumni) — Published the story “Sabbath” in The Rumpus. Also, will publish the stories “The Hunter,” “To Be Noble,” and “Thrice” in a forthcoming issue of the Alternating Current Press anthology “Remapping Wonderland: Classic Fairytales Retold by People of Color.”
Kyle James Keller (MFA Creative Writing alumni) — Under the pen name Kyle Aisteach, published the stories “Clockman,” “Nobody’s Ancestor,” and “Too Close for Comfort” in Curious Fictions.
Misty Lawrenson (MA English alumni) — Hired as a new English lecturer at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas starting in fall 2019.
Lena Mahmoud (MA English alumni) — Interviewed by Nancy El Gendy on “Hyphenated Identities” for the Michigan Quarterly Review.
Gavin McCall (MFA Creative Writing alumni) — Published the essay “The Lower Nine” in the nature issue of District Lit.
Sarah Fawn Montgomery (MFA Creative Writing alumni) — Published the essay “Like Ice” in Pithead Chapel journal. Published the essay “Compulsion” in The Rumpus.
James O’Bannon (MFA Creative Writing alumni)— Published the poem “and now the doctor asks if depression is a family” in Waxwing Magazine.
Sasha Pimentel (MFA Creative Writing alumni) — Published the poem “Lament of Submerged Persons” as part of the Academy of American Poets feature Poem-a-Day.
Monique Quintana (MFA Creative Writing alumni) — Published the story “pom pom soup (a triptych)” in Rigorous journal. Also reviewed the Anna Suarez book “Papi Doesn’t Love Me No More” for Luna Luna Magazine.
Brynn Saito (English faculty) — Published the poems “September, Seoul,” “First Date,” and “For Marilyn June Oh” in Sijo: An International Journal of Poetry and Song.
Steven Sanchez (MFA Creative Writing alumni) — Published the poem “After the Fire” in the North American Review.
Karen Eileen Sikola (MFA Creative Writing alumni) — Published the essay “End of the Dog Days” in the Volume 1 Brooklyn journal.
Brian Turner (BA English alumni)—Published the poem “Thera” as part of the Academy of American Poets feature Poem-a-Day.
Burlee Vang (MFA Creative Writing alumni) — With his brother Abel Vang, announced the production of their second feature film, “The Uncanny.”
Mai Der Vang (English faculty) — Published the poem “Look to the New Moon” in Poetry Magazine. Also, the poem was featured and analyzed on the Poetry Magazine podcast.
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