Thanks for posting!

Thanks everyone for posting - it is great to meet you all online again, or for the first time! I think Timothy and Tana's idea is great: feel free to post your new work, or even better: post lists of books you have been reading and falling in love with. Any new book reccommendations would be wonderful. Also - what are the best places for writers and poets in San Diego to go to? Any advice? Thanks! And, my best to all of you, Ilya.

Hi

I graduated in 01, so for those who don't know me, my name is Jesi. I'm still writing but haven't sent anything out. My mantra of late has been if you want something to happen you have to make it happen. So I'm self-publishing my own chapbook. Will probably send it to contests. Also will be selling my chapbook at the Mission Valley Borders; it's not there yet but soon. If you're interested in creating a chapbook and not sure where to find paper, there's a very cool place called the Kelly Paper Company, http://www.kellypaper.com/.

I am curious to know if anyone who graduated in the early 2000's is reading this, if so please post.

Timothy and Tana in Tallahassee

Hello everyone! It's so nice to hear what you're up to over on the beautiful side of the country. (And, of course, Piotr.)

Timothy and I survived our first year of Tallahassee and PhD school and are getting ready to go spend some time in New England. We're going to attend the Juniper Writing Institute and then stay in Boston for the month of July. If anyone is going to be in the area during that time, please give us a call.

As far as poetry progress goes: we don't allow ourselves to take more than one lit. seminar a semester so we can still have time to write. I'm currently working on a disastrous series of poems about a lady who works in a grocery store deli slicing pastrami all day...I'll probably have to dump the project. I have a couple poems coming out in The North American Review this year, but that's about it. Oh, in order to beat the depressing PoBiz nonsense, I've started working for Runaway With Words--a program that runs poetry workshops for "at-risk youths." It's been a really good experience.

If anyone is thinking about applying for PhD programs, T and I would be glad to field any questions. My email is cannonsplinter@gmail.com, or you can just post questions here.

I know this arena won't work for the fictioneers, but maybe we could set up something similar to post poems for comments. Anyone interested?

I think that's all I have to say at this time.

We miss San Diego so very much!!!
Love Tana and Timothy

Still here...

Hello All!

Well I'm still at SDSU-- no children (I know you all just breathed a collective sigh of relief). Anyway, I'm teaching here through a grant project and the College of Education. If you know anyone who needs upper division elective credit, or is planning to apply for the credential program, tell them to take one of my TE 362 classes. This summer I'm teaching for the high school residential program on campus as well.

Writing here and there, trying to keep up on the submissions-- I find that checking my student loan total periodically, and calculating how much interest I will have paid once I'm done paying it back, keeps me motivated.

Taught a workshop up in San Francisco-- trying to reform the writing curricula in high schools so undergrads are more prepared for what is required of them.

Almost moved to the east coast a few times-- but then I remembered what it was like in the winter... and thanks to Piotr, what it's like in the summer.

Hope everyone is well!
~Courtney Lea Franklin

Hey there! A round of applause for helping us keep track of each other!

What's going on? I am doing my best to prepare for yet another East Coast summer -- you know, the heat and the bugs, the constant hum of air-conditioners and dehumidifiers...

Am I writing? Yes, a poem here or there, but mostly book reviews and articles: my longish article on Charles Simic and Joseph Cornell might soon find a home within the friendly pages of World Literature Today...

Do I have a job? Yes, after teaching at two small colleges in Delaware and Maryland, I will be with the big boys and girls at the University of Delaware this fall...

What else? I will keep you posted...

Cheers to All!

piotr

Writing on

Well, I haven't gotten into any academic or atistic journals lately, but I have been enjoying writing for websites and making depressingly small amounts of money for it. (My new year's resoltuion was to "make money from my writing" ... next year I will have to specify how much!)

But, working from my laptop has allowed me to keep up a rigorous vacation schedule. So, that's been life for hte past year: writing, vacationing, eating chocolate. It's been fun, but hopefully I will be getting something more stable soon.

You can link to some of my recent work via my blog: alegramarcel.blogspot.com

mostly an excuse...by Heather Caliri

This is my daughter, Lucy.
I know, I know, she's so cute you want to scream! It's how I feel, too.
For those of you that are wondering, she has my chin.
Let's be honest: I'm posting as an excuse to show off my daughter.
So she's how I've spent my time the past nine months. I am at home with Lucy exclusively.

As for writing, Abi Coulter O'Roarty and I found each other by chance through a playgroup that neither of us liked. But we've become mommy writer buddies. We even managed to get together with two other mommy writers, one of whom was Diana Duke. So the alums of North County are huddling together for warmth. And publication ideas.

While my daughter was nursing non-stop, I even managed to get two sets of submissions out to various publications while typing one-handed. Happily, I've gotten a few stories and poems published (If you're wondering: Harpur Palate, Sow's Ear Poetry Review and (just found out) Flint Hills. Which helps me to feel that my hiatus from writing (for that is, in effect, what a baby is) is not completely permanent.

For those of you in the peanut gallery, I know, I know, I'm not an official alum yet. Picky, picky. I plan on finishing my last class this fall. (Cross your fingers). And I've had two? three? thesis meetings so far with daughter in tow. One of which (driving to State) that just about turned my hair white. Not because the edits were harrowing, but because my daughter didn't (at that point) like the car very much. It's really no fun driving the 52 with a newborn screaming in the backseat.

I'm blogging myself at thespicechoir.blogspot.com. Blogging is about all the writing my brain has space for these days. Check a mother out.
I'm excited to see updates from everyone else.
Peace.
Heather

Welcome to SDSU MFA Blog!

This blog is created for the former students of SDSU MFA Program in Creative Writing. Please post here the information about your current doings, plans, and writings. We would love to hear from you!

- Ilya