Alumnae/i News

Are you an alumna/us of Goucher’s Creative Writing Program?

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Fall 2014

Peter Krause ’12, was nominated for a Pushcart Prize for his poem “By the Victor.” He currently completing a master’s degree at NYU.

Noah Klein ’14, earned a Pushcart nomination for his poem “I am a txt” which first appeared in The Poets’ America Anthology from Hidden Clearing Books.

Since arriving at Hollins College, Elise Burke ’14, has published her work in Indiana Review, Hayden’s Ferry, and Joyland. Her work also has earned a Pushcart nomination, a Best of the Net nomination, and has been recognized as a storySouth “Notable Story of 2014.” She tells us these were “all stories I wrote at Goucher, too!”

Peter Ramos, class of ’92, currently serves as Associate Professor of English at Buffalo State College. His newest collection of poems, Television Snow, was just released from Back Pages Books.

Darcey Steinke, ’85, released her latest novel, Sister Golden Hair.

Sarah Pinsker, ’99, had stories published in the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Asimov’s, Lightspeed, the Journal of Unlikely Cartography, and several anthologies, including Long Hidden: Speculative Fiction from the Margins of History and Women Destroy Science Fiction.  Her novelette, In Joy, Knowing the Abyss Behind (Strange Horizons) was a finalist for the Nebula Award and won the 2014 Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award for the best short story of the year.

Summer 2014

Press buzz for Kathy Cottle‘s new book:

● Aaron Henkin will be discussing Kathy Cottle’s new epistolary creative nonfiction book, I Remain Yours, on “The Signal”/WYPR 88.1 on Friday, May 23 (7-8 time slot) and Saturday, May 24 (3-4 time slot).

● Cottle will be reading from the book at Lit & Art @the Watermark Gallery (100 S. Charles) on Sunday, May 25 from 2-5 pm.

● Cottle will be signing copies of the book at Greetings and Readings, Hunt Valley, from 4-6 pm on Saturday, May 31.

Spring 2014

Laura Bogart, ’04, just published an excerpt entitled “Angela parked.” from her developing novel currently title, Your Name is No at JMWW Journal. Visit http://jmwwjournal.com/Bogart.html to read “Angela parked.” now!

Ashley Begley, ’16, reports good news. Prairie Margins, Bowling State University’s Literary Magazine accepted her short story called “Forgive Me Father.”

Katherine Cottle, ’95, rejoined the English Department at Goucher for the Spring of 2014 as a expository writing instructor. She is the author of a new work entitled I Remain Yours: Secret Mission Love Letters of my Mormon Great-Grandparents, 1900-1903 (Apprentice House, Loyola University Maryland), of which Madison Smartt Bell, the Co-Director of the Kratz Center, says the following: “With its innovative epistolary structure, Katherine Cottle’s I Remain Yours provides a fascinating window into Mormon culture–at a time when Americans have reason to be more interested in that than usual.” She is also the author of Halfway: A Journal through Pregnancy (2010, Apprentice House, Loyola University Maryland) and My Father’s Speech: Poems (2008, Apprentice House, Loyola University Maryland).  Her recent essays and poetry appear in Critical Insights: Zora Neale Hurston, Muses India, The Poetry Gymnasium: 94 Proven Exercises to Shape Your Best Verse, Poetry East, and The Phi Kappa Phi Forum. She is completing her PhD from Morgan State University.

Wu-Wei Fashion Mag, a new magazine project developed by Jared T. Fischer, a Goucher alumnus, is also graced by work from Goucher alumni like Tim Paggi.

Jessica Bowers ’02, just completed her Ph.D. in English and Creative Writing from the University of Missouri. Her short story, “Two On A Horse,” was a finalist in the Indiana Review’s 2K prize in 2012 and has been nominated for a Pushcart by The Indiana Review (her 2nd Pushcart nomination, the first being from Poydras Review). In addition to graduating from Goucher, Jessica Bowers worked at Goucher as the Media Relations Coordinator in the Office of Communications. We congratulate her on all her successes!

Fall 2013

Edgar Kunz ’10 is in his second year within the Creative Writing MFA program at Vanderbilt University on a fully-funded University Fellowship and he won a 2013 Academy of American Poets Prize (chosen by poet Thomas Lux) for a poem called “It is lovely and almost.” Since graduating from Goucher, Edgar has published in the Potomac Review, Bat City Review, Tar River Poetry, among other places and he is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Nashville Review. He is currently teaching a poetry workshop at Vanderbilt.

Elise Burke, ’12, has had a wonderful story that she wrote in a fiction workshop at Goucher College nominated for a Pushcart prize and published in Swarm.

Andrew Ervin, ’93, published his first novel, Extraordinary Renditions (Coffeehouse Press) and sold another, Burning Down George Orwell’s House to Soho Press. Congratulations, Andrew!

Jen Grow (a former fiction writing professor at Goucher) is on a roll: her book My Life as a Mermaid and Other Stories just won the Dzanc Books Short Story Collection Competition and will be published in 2015.

Laura Bogart, ’04, hit a home run with a hard-hitting, internationally recognized essay for Salon entitled “I Choose To Be Fat”: http://www.salon.com/2013/07/25/i_choose_to_be_fat

Sarah Pinkster‘s remarkable science fiction has appeared widely in the following publications:

1) “In Joy, Knowing the Abyss Behind” (a novelette split in two parts) in Strange Horizons: http://www.strangehorizons.com/2013/20130701/injoy-f.shtml and http://www.strangehorizons.com/2013/20130708/injoy-f.shtml.

2) “Twenty Ways the Desert Could Kill You” in Daily Science Fiction: http://dailysciencefiction.com/science-fiction/disaster-apocalypse/sarah-pinsker/twenty-ways-the-desert-could-kill-you.

3) “The Transdimensional Horsemaster Rabbis of Mpumalanga Province,” appears in the February 2014 issue of Asimov’s.

Summer 2013

The Wonder Bread Summer: A Novel by Jessica Blau (a beloved novelist who taught advanced creative writing at Goucher for the last five years) is among the “5 Thrilling, Chilling, Far-Ranging Reads” for Alan Cheuse’s “Summer Adventure” column on NPR. Jessica Blau’s new novel was also picked for the Oprah Book Club’s “6 Sizzling New Beach Reads.”

A novel by Gilmore Tamny, ‘90 entitled My Days with Millicent, is being serialized in snack-sized portions on www.Ohioedit.com.

For more information/context about MDwM click the following links:

Informational Page: Is My Days with Millicent right for me?

On Facebook: My Days with Millicent

On Twitter: My Days with Millicent

Spring 2013

Rachel Stark ’09 is an Associate Marketing Manager for Simon & Schuster Teen Publishing in New York.

Tyler Adams ’08 is a writer and Online Community Moderator for Newsvine, a community-powered, collaborative journalism news website which draws content from its users and syndicated content from mainstream sources such as The Associated Press.

Josh Harris ’08 published the short story “Apricots” in Vol. 1, Issue 4 of the literary magazine Old Timey Hedgehog.

Allison McCarthy ’08 is a documentation specialist on contract with National Science Foundation in Arlington, Virginia.  She is currently enrolled in the Master of Professional Writing Program at Chatham University and will graduate in August 2013.  Since graduating from Goucher, Allison’s work has been published in in AlterNet,The Guardian (U.K.), Ms. (blog), Bitch, Global Comment, and ColorsNW.  Her DealBreaker column was selected as an Editor’s Favorite – 2011 for GOOD magazine.  Additional essays have been featured in the anthologies Robot Hearts: Twisted and True Tales of Seeking Love in the Digital Age(Pinchback Press) and the forthcoming Dear Sister: Letters to Survivors of Sexual Violence(A.K. Press).

Fall 2012

Jennifer H. Fortin’s (class of 2003) first full-length book of poems, Mined Muzzle Velocity, was published by Lowbrow Press in 2011. Her second full-length poetry manuscript, We Lack in Equipment & Control, will be published by HNGMN Books in 2013. After completing Peace Corps service (2004-2006) in Bulgaria, she moved to Brooklyn to complete her M.F.A. in Poetry at The New School, while working in the non-profit sector (PEN American Center Prison Writing Program, then Energy Vision). Fortin recently moved to a village on the outskirts of Rochester, as she accepted a new position at the University of Rochester Medical Center in Public Relations/Communications. She founded and edits the poetry journal LEVELER. For more information, please visit www.jenniferhfortin.com.

Jillian L. Schweitzer, ’08, writer, photographer, and editor, is now an Editorial Assistant at American Gastroenterology Association. She formerly worked at Elite Personnel; served as the Production Coordinator at Antharia and as an Executive Assistant at Alion Science & Technology. Visit her blog at www.atlaswonders.blogspot.com or follow her on twitter at www.twitter.com/jillianschweitz.

Fall 2011

Goucher graduate and former Goucher Communications Media Relations Specialist, Jess Bowers, checks in with great news. She recently published “Shooting A Mule” was in the Spring ’09 issue of Redivider and “Snake” was in the August ’09 issue of Fringe. She is currently working on a short story collection/creative dissertation in the graduate program at the University of Missouri. It’s tentatively called I Dig A Pony, and deals with the intersections between horses, death, photography, and film. She says, “I miss you all at Goucher!”

Fall 2010

Laura Bogart (class of 2004) has great news to report: She graduated from American University in 2008 with an MFA in Creative Writing. In 2009, she was a Grace Paley Fellow at the Juniper Institute at UMass Amherst, and she has taught at Montgomery College in Maryland. Her short stories have appeared in 34th Parallel, Wazee Journal, Ne’er Do Well Magazine, Full of Crow, Xenith, and Prick of the Spindle. She is a featured contributor to The Nervous Breakdown. She is at work on a collection of linked short stories currently entitled Your Name is No.

Katherine Cottle has wonderful news. Her book My Father’s Speech: Poetry was published in 2008 and her memoir Halfway: A Journal through Pregnancy is due this Fall 2010. Both books are released from Apprentice House, the press of Loyola University. She is a recent graduate of the MFA program at the University of Maryland and a doctoral student in American Literature at Morgan State University while working as a part-time distance education poetry instructor for Johns Hopkins University’s CTYOnline program. Her new website is www.katherinecottle.com.

Spring 2010

Paul Reyes (class of 2002) is the author of Exiles in Eden: Life among the Ruins of Florida’s Great Recession, forthcoming from Henry Holt in fall 2010.  Find out more about it here: http://www.paulrreyes.com/

In addition to having been admitted to Fence Magazine‘s Summer Literary Seminar in 2011, Kate Wyer, previously known to us as Kate McGill, has been busy publishing short-short stories; here’s a few links:

http://www.litnimage.com/wyer.htm

http://www.fringemagazine.org/lit/short-short/transponder/

http://robotmelon.com/issueten/kwyer.html

http://www.decompmagazine.com/overbite.htm

Clara Roberts was accepted to present her creative work at Susquehanna University’s 2010 Undergraduate Literature and Creative Writing Conference.

Emily McCormack‘s story entitled “Dumb Thoughts” was published in the Winter 2009 issue of the nationally distributed literary journal The First Line.

Matthew Ashby published his first creative nonfiction book entitled On Toilets in 2009 (available at amazon.com).

Spring 2009

Sally Anne Clegg, 2009, published the short story “You Are Your Own Very Unique Snowflake” in Bomb (#107, Spring 2009).

Fall 2008

Kate McGill (class of 2002) has published the poetry chapbook From Spools of Thin Wire, with the Baltimore company Publishing Genius, under her new name, Kate Wyer –in fact you can actually page through and print out a PDF version.  This outfit is handy with the technology as well as having good taste….

One of Allison McCarthy‘s short stories called “Everybody Knows” from her 2008 senior thesis with Madison Bell was accepted for publication in the literary magazine Dark Sky. Congratulations Allison!

Dr. Peter Ramos, Goucher class of 1992 and a professor at Buffalo State, has a new book of poems called Please Do Not Feed the Ghost (BlazeVOX Books). It’s available on Amazon, or directly from the publisher. Peter earned a Ph.D. in English from the State University of New York at Buffalo, as well as an M.F.A. in creative writing from George Mason University. Ramos has criticism and other scholarly publications featured in Mandorla-New Writing from the Americas, Verse, The Oxford American, Lagniappe, and Rust Talks. He is the author of two other booklets of poems: Watching Late-Night Hitchcock (Handwritten Press, 2004) and Short Waves (White Eagle Coffee Store Press, 2003). Congratulations Peter!

After graduating with an MFA from the University of Maryland at College Park, Adrienne Casalena, class of 2004, secured as a College Admissions Recruiter and an Adjunct Professor of English at Stevenson University in Maryland.

Spring 2007

Bang-Bang, a first (published!) novel by Theo Gangi, will appear in October from Kensington.

Matt Ashby, now based in New York, is an operator of Bookish Love, a website for and about writers, which features, among many other things, an interview with Ryan Heryford.

Naa-Norley Adom and Rachel Loeper have just completed the MFA Program at Hollins University– where Jordana Frankel will enroll this fall.

Steve Rubin is active in theater, film and playwriting in the Santa Fe area.  Check out his fiction under the julesworks collaboration.

Helen McLaughlin will be attending the highly selective MFA program at the University of Virginia next year.

Dory Hoffman is on her way to the MFA program at the University of Maryland, College Park.

Jessica “J” Bowers has accepted a nice package offered her by the Creative Writing Program of the University of Missouri (and will be sadly missed by those of us who depend on her stellar services in Goucher’s Office of Communications).

A.C. “Tony” Evans had his first Paris art show recently.  Here’s a couple of paintings that were featured:  Music Television, Trinity, Stage, and Serenity.

Jurret (Jared) Fischer reports the following: “I have had my poem ‘Neighbor’s Song’ accepted to be published in the 2007 edition of Welter, the literary publication of the University of Baltimore. I work as Communications Manager for the Dance Institute of Washington and also contribute music articles to the Baltimore City Paper and venue blurbs to the Baltimore Sun’s MetroMix Web site. I am also assistant editor of Baltimore-based poetry review Smartish Pace. On top of that, I founded a record label, Moc Rok, with my girlfriend Hanna Badalova (a goucher grad and excellent writer). We released the 12-song debut of our band Mr. Moccasin, entitled Deer Eyes Bunny Eyes, and have performances in Baltimore and DC. Thanks to you, Madison, Beth and all the Goucher writing teachers for the outstanding teaching you provided to me.”

Fall 2006

Andrew Ervin is having a very active career as a reviewer for New York Times Book Review, San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post Book World, and The Believer to name a few.  You can check out many of this articles at www.andrewervin.com.  Andrew’s first book-length fiction, a collection of three novellas, is making the rounds of the publishers now.

Theo Gangi has his first novel accepted for publication by Kensington Books, on a two-book contract.

Rachel Loeper is in her second year at the recently reinvented Hollins University MFA program, and says that she is having a good and productive time.

Heidi Vornbrock-Roosa published a short story, “Catch Me Waiting,” under her nom de plume Regina Harvey, with the SHOTS UK ezine.

Terese Hereford has completed a thriller, Desert Orchid, concerning contractors held hostage in Iraq.

Maryah Converse is at work on a nonfiction book about the lives of Arab women and children, based in part on her two and a half years experience as a Peace Corps volunteer in a small village in Jordan.

Allison McCarthy, currently a junior at Goucher, has published a short story, “Underfoot” in the fourth issue of “The Write Side Up.”

Lily Burana, a special student in Goucher fiction workshops in the early 2000s, published her first novel, Try, with Saint Martin’s Press this summer, and celebrated with a September reading from the book on campus.

Spring 2006

Our very own Jessica Bowers (aka J. Bowers), class of 2002, Media Relations Coordinator in the Office of Communications at Goucher has a remarkable story called “A Contest Featuring Human Beings” forthcoming in spring/summer 2006 issue of ZONE 3 Magazine.

Fall 2005

Elaina Loveland, Goucher graduate, creative writer, and former editor of the Journal of College Admission publishes CREATIVE COLLEGES: A GUIDE FOR STUDENT ACTORS, ARTISTS, DANCERS, MUSICIANS AND WRITERS. Goucher College receives recognition in more than one category in the book. More information can be found at http://www.creativecollegesbook.com/.

Elly Zupko’s short story “Clean” was published with the Baltimore Writers Project.

John McManus’ first novel, BITTER MILK, was published by Picador in 2005.

Spring 2005

Darcey Steinke’s fourth novel, Milk, was published by Atlantic Monthly Press.

Scott Sell’s short story “Saturday” was published in BOMB Magazine in 2004.

Great graduate school news from the creative writing program:

Kenneth Harris will be attending the MFA writing program at the University of Maryland in the fall of 2005.

Jason Leahey has been accepted and plans to attend New York University’s MFA writing program in the fall of 2005.

Laura Bogart received a merit fellowship and will be attending American University’s MFA writing program in the fall of 2005.

Naa-Norley Adom received a full-tuition scholarship with a stipend and will attend the MFA program at Hollins University in the fall of 2005.

Scott Sell has been accepted and will be attending the MFA program at The New School during the academic year 2006-2007. He was also accepted to the Salt Institute certificate program to pursue additional post-undergraduate studies in creative nonfiction, and he will begin his work there in the fall of 2005.

Adrienne Casalena will attend the University of Maryland’s MFA program.

Fall 2003

A short story by Caitlin Corrigan ’04,  “Quake,” appears in the current edition of Fusion.

“Trouble,” a short story by Stacy Grimes ’03, appears in Volume 7, # 3 of Five_Points.

120 Instructor Jennifer Grow has a cover story, “All That Is Seen and Unseen: Negative Space in Fiction” in the December issue of The Writer’s Chronicle, published by The Associated Writing Programs.

Laura Lippman‘s novel, Every Secret Thing appeared to spectacular reviews.  Laura will be teaching another section of English 120 in the spring.

Spring 2003

Gilmore Tamney ’90 has published a short-short called “The Tale of the Wet Boat” on the website Pindeldyboz.

Stacy Grimes ’03 has had her short story “Trouble” accepted by the literary journal Five_Points, whose current issue (volume 7, No. 1) includes an interview with Madison Smartt Bell.

David Spencer ’03 will publish his first novel this season: How I Became A Fisherman Named Pete.

John McManus ’00 is publishing his second collection of stories, Born on a Train.

Darcey Steinke ’85 appeared with her band  Ruffian at a benefit for Link at the Baltimore Creative Alliance, in conjunction with the annual Associated Writing Programs Conference, held this year in Baltimore.  Also featured was a performance of Forty Words for Fear by Madison Smartt Bell, Wyn Cooper, James Alonso and others.

Fall 2002

Jessica “Jay” Bowers ’02 has begun her first semester in the graduate creative writing program of Hollins University– attended in the past by John McManus, Jonathan Musgrove, Christine Stewart, and Leslie Wernsdorfer. Jessica Dolber is pursuing a graduate degree in creative writing at Emerson College where Gilmore Tamny ’90 got her advanced degree.

Spring 2002

Letting the Body Lead, a second novel by  Jenn Crowell ’99, will appeared from Putnam in May.  Jenn celebrated the occasion with a joint reading with Laura Lippman at Goucher; Laura taught a section of the English 202 in Fall 2002.

“Crayfish Hunting,” a poem by Jonathan Musgrove ’98, appears in the February issue of  The Atlantic Monthly.

Francesca Jandasek is dancing in DC!

Gilmore Tamny ’90 is married, finishing an MFA at Emerson College in Boston, and has recently published a story at http://www.surgeryofmodernwarfare.com.

Fall 2001

A second section of English 202 was taught by Mary Kay Zuravleff, author of The Frequency of Souls.

Spring 2001

Patricia Elam, who taught the 202 fiction workshop in Fall 2000, published her first novel Breathing Room.

Alumnus Jonathan Musgrove ’98 has had two poems accepted by The Atlantic Monthly : “Crayfish Hunting” and “Her Last Night at Home.”

Alumnus Andrew Ervin has published “Diz Lives” (a short story written in the Goucher workshop) in Night Rally Magazine. Andrew is also finishing up his first novel.  Check out Night Rally Presents: The Interlocutor for a very handy guide to other literary magazines.

Alumnus Tree Turtle ’93 returns!  to teach a section of English 120 this semester in the Goucher Creative Writing Program.  Turtle will do a joint reading with John McManus ’99, author of Stop Breakin Down : Stories in the Alumnae House Great Hall, 8:00 p.m. March 1, 2001.

Gilmore Tamny ’90 reports from the Emerson College Graduate Creative Writing Program, where she is currently enrolled, that she has begun work on a first novel.

Fall 2000

Fiction Writer John McManus ’99, received a $35,000.00 grant from the Whiting Foundation.  Jason Leahey ’00 is making money from writing.

Senior Andrea Regas published a poem, “Stolen,” in The Iowa Review (Volume Thirty, Number 1, 2000)

Alumnus Andrew Ervin is contributing book reviews to The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadephia Citypaper.

Alumnus Jon Lasser has published Think Unix. Guess what it’s about–an extraordinarily readable work as best can be determined by a reader who knows nothing about the subject whatsoever….  An Amazon.com reader review explains more clearly: The way to teach a windows user how to “Think Unix”, August 15, 2000. This book is a “One Horse” book, that horse being to teach UNIX to those who have used Windows or Macintosh OS’s their whole life. Although I have been learning UNIX for over a year, and would like to think I know a little bit about it, it tends to be hard to remember how to tell someone else how to “do this” or “that”. This book is great for that. This takes a user who knows how to use a mouse and keyboard, and knows how to navigate under a “windowed” operating system into the world of command prompts and even the X-Windows system. Don’t expect this to make you a system administrator, it doesn’t even touch many of the things a user doesn’t need to know, but it does fulfill its purpose. If you would like to learn UNIX so you can install LINUX on your machine at home, this can be a great start. While a UNIX’s are different in some way’s, Jon tends to stick to common themes, and points out when a command just has a different name. If you would like to “remember” what your users don’t know, this is also great for you. It’s a great book to recommend for a user to learn on their own. For a taste of Jon’s fiction, click A Million Moss-Green Shards.

Spring 2000

Alumna Lesley Ann Wernsdorfer has been accepted by the Hollins University Masters Program in English and Creative Writing and will be attending.

Alumni Gilmore Tamny has been accepted by the graduate creative writing program at Emerson College in Boston.

Katherine Owen was a finalist in the literary contest run by the Hollins University Literary Festival … in both poetry and fiction.

Jessica (Jay) Bowers has a story accepted for publication in The Allegheny Review.

Theo Gangi (’99) has been accepted in the Columbia School of the Arts MFA program in fiction.

Bethalee Jones ’99 has been accepted to the graduate program in creative writing run by Miami University in Ohio.