Faculty:
Michael Czyzniejewski for his debut book of stories Elephants in Our Bedroom (Dzanc Books, 2009).
Karen Craigo has been recommended for a $10,000 grant in creative nonfiction from the Ohio Arts Council (OAC) for 2008. This is Karen's third individual artist grant from the OAC!
Howard McCord (emeritus) has a new book from McPherson & Co., Walking to Extremes in Iceland and New Mexico.
Larry Smith (emeritus) just had two books of released. The first is The Kanshi Poems of Taigu Ryokan, trans. Larry Smith and Mei Hui Liu Huang (a tri-lingual book from Bottom Dog Press). His novel The Long River Home has also been released in the Working Lives Series from Bottom Dog Press.
The 240-page family saga is set in Appalachia's green and industrial heartlands.
Larissa Szporluk, who is recipient of a Guggenhiem for 2009-2010.
Theresa Williams for two poems that can be found at Segue 8. She also has a story coming out on JMWW Online Journal in September 2009. It's called "The D. H. Memorial at San Cristobal was a Thing to Do."
Students and Alumni:
Sherita Armstrong (MFA 2006) has accepted a tenure-track position in English at Northwest Vista College in San Antonio. Congrats, Sherita!
Holly Amos (BFA 2005), who will begin her MFA in poetry at Columbia College in Chicago, fall 2009.
Megan Ayers (MFA 2009), for a story, "Yellow Bird," forthcoming in Edge magazine.
Mark Baumgartner (MFA 2005) for stories appearing as follows: "Landing on Water," The Southern Review, forthcoming; "Like Gods of the Sun," Phoebe: A Journal of Literature and Art; "Some Miles Back," The Tampa Review; and "The Black Ninja," Wisconsin Review.
Matt Bell (MFA candidate) for his debut collection of short fiction, How They Were Found, forthcoming in Fall 2010 from Keyhole Press. He also has new stories forthcoming: "The Cartographer's Girl" in Gulf Coast and "Dredge" in Hayden's Ferry Review. Matt is editor of The Collagist, a new online literary magazine coming from Dzanc Books in August 2009. Way to go, Matt!
Mary Ann Bencivengo (MFA 1989), with this update: "To date I have written for two newspapers including in the arts section and doing arts and music/band reviews. One was the Sandusky Register and the other is the Huron Hometown News. Meanwhile I have worked with language arts with preschoolers and also with special education students. At this time I work in the field of special education, mostly with autistic children who are non-verbal, and we find ways of communicating and I help students who do have some functioning in speech with their speech and communication. Of course we have storytime. To date I haven't yet tried to publish my work other than in newspapers and various poetry publications and websites; I hope eventually to publish my childrens books that I also illustrate. I also do filmwriting. Wishing everyone and every alumni the best." Great to hear from you, Mary Ann!
Mark Berman (MFA 1976) for a recent book, An Introduction to Hedge Funds (Risk Books). He's also edited the 6th edition of SEC Regulation Outside the United States (Risk Books) and 2nd edition of Hedge Funds and Prime Brokers (Risk Books), the latter concerning the recent credit crisis. He also recently coached at the inaugural ISF World Cup in Prague and they made it to the medal rounds, the highest ranking of any European team. And he is also attending the ISF World Congress in Manila in October, having re-written the ISF Constitution.
Jennifer Bryan (MFA 2007) for two published stories: "The Faster They Run the More They Burn," in Fifth Wednesday Journal and "Assumption" in LIT - The New School. And The Missouri Review has picked up another story for publication!
Callista Buchen (MFA candidate) for new poems forthcoming: "Deciding not to have children" in the next issue of The New Formalist, "Wedding Shoes" in the September 2009 issue of The Pennsylvania Review, and "Ode to Competitive Scrabble Players" in Gargoyle. Congrats, Callista!
Denver Butson (MFA 1990), who is featured poet in the Willow Springs #63. His notes on the work featured, the drowning ghazals, can be found here.
Richard Carr (MFA 1995) for many recent successes, including publication of four books of poetry: Mister Martini, winner of the Vassar Millar Prize in Poetry, judged by Naomi Shihab Nye (University of North Texas Press, 2008); Honey, winner of the Gival Press Poetry Award, judged by Barbara Louise Ungarr (forthcoming, October 2008); Ace, winner of the Washington Prize (forthcoming, Word Works, 2009); and Street Portraits, forthcoming from Backwaters Press. Congrats, Richard!
Michael Cherry (MFA 2007), who began doctoral studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago in fall 2008.
Abigail Cloud (MFA 2003), for poems published or forthcoming in RHINO, Pearl, and Cream City Review.
Lisa DeCook Crizer (MFA 2004), for stories in Black Warrior Review and Florida Review. She has also received an Ohio Arts Council grant. Great to hear from you, Lisa!
David Cullwell (MFA 2003) for winning the 2008 Thomas Merton Prize for Poetry of the Sacred, selected by Billy Collins. Check out the winning poem, "The Orb Web," at the Merton Institute.
Randy Devita (MFA 2006), for his story, “At the Penguinarium” published in this year’s winter issue of The Fiddlehead.
Anthony Doerr (MFA 1999), for recent work of creative nonfiction, Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the World. Doerr was also selected as a College of Arts and Sciences Accomplished Alumnus. He visited campus in March 2009, read at Prout, and met with students and faculty. Great to see you again, Tony!
Dan Falkner (MFA 2007), for a story, "Constant Rotation," in The Jabberwock Review and another forthcoming, "The Men Who Moved Earth," in Inkwell.
Jeff Fearnside (BFA 1996) has several recent publications: Two poems appeared in the online journal Protestpoems.org, a personal essay in Etude: New Voices in Literary Nonfiction, and short stories in Eureka Literary Magazine and Arroyo Literary Review. He has poems forthcoming in If Poetry Journal and The Los Angeles Review as well as short stories forthcoming in Potomac Review, Cantaraville, and Crab Orchard Review. Jeff is managing editor of the literary journal Alligator Juniper at Prescott College, where he also teaches writing.
Al Heathcock (MFA 1998), has a story, "Fort Apache," in Zoetrope and has been named the 2009 Carol Houck Smith Scholar in Fiction at this year's Bread Loaf conference.
Dustin Hoffman (MFA candidate), for a short story, "Brackish," forthcoming in the fall 2009 issue of Conclave: A Journal of Character.
Brian Hollenbacher (BFA 1997), who is working as a technical writer for the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. He's with the Global Documentation Team.
Bill Jablonsky (MFA 2000) not only has a new story forthcoming in Phoenix, he just been appointed full-time, tenure-line, Assistant Professor of Fiction Writing at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa. His second book, a novel, The Clockwork Man, is forthcoming with Medallion Press.
Matt Jurak (BFA 2008) for three fictions, recently in print and forthcoming: "Jackpot" in G.W. Review, "The Making of Mr. Bones" in Pindeldyboz, and "Alva" in Madison Review. Matt has been accepted into the MFA Program at Georgia College and State University. Good luck, Matt!
Byron Kanoti (MFA alumnus) has poems forthcoming in Rhino, Arch, Copper Nickel, and Kenyon Review Online.
Beth Kaufka (MFA 2008) has a story, "Strange Behavior of the Unknowing," coming out in 13th Moon this winter. She also has story with 971 Menu.
Lynn Kostoff (MFA 1978) for the forthcoing release of his new novel, Late Rain, by Tyrus books in June 2010. His first novel, A Choice of Nightmares, is being reissued in paperback by New Pulp Press and is scheduled for release in January 2010.
Paula Lambert (MFA 1996) writes: "Just wanted to report that along with my colleague Gail Taylor, I've been appointed Writing Program Co-Director here at Central State University in Wilberforce, OH. Central State is Ohio's only publicly funded HBCU. My most recent publication is a creative nonfiction piece entitled "Eighteen and Forty," forthcoming in Writing on the Edge. The essay was originally presented at Central State University's Black Atlantic Conference as “Eighteen and Forty: Personal Reflections on White Privilege and My Own Role as Ambassador” in May of 2007.
Joe Larson (MFA 2004), for new stories appearing: "Noodling" in Fifth Wednesday (nominated for a Pushcart Prize); "Wedding Day Blues" in In Digest Magazine (www.indigestmag.com); and "Noodling" in Slow Trains (nominated it for the Million Writers Award, which is for the best work of fiction published online). He's also publishing a law review article, "Taming the Wild West: An Examination of Private Student Loan Consolidation Companies' Violation of Section 43(a) of the Lanham Act," in the Creighton Law Review.
James Longley (BFA 2008), who begins work on his MFA at the Univeristy of Iowa.
Rocco Lungariello (MFA 2008) for new poems appearing in Italian Americana ("Ninth Sunday In Ordinary Time") and Water-Stone Review ("How The Dead Approach Living").
Henry Marchand (BFA 1987) for his new postion in the Department of English at Monterey Penninsual College, where he is developing and teaching the creative writing curriculum. His fiction has most recently appeared in Paradigm, Review Americana and The King's English.\
Matthew McBride (MFA 2005) has a poem forthcoming in Dark Sky Magazine and a couple published this year in Alice Blue. He will be attending the University of Cincinnati this fall to pursue his Ph.D. with funding.
Gary McDowell (MFA 2006), for poems appearing recently in Colorado Review, DIAGRAM, Front Porch, New England Review, Poetry Daily, Salt Hill, Grist: The Journal for Writers, and Controlled Burn. He is also co-editor, with F. Daniel Rzicznek, of the forthcoming anthology, The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Prose Poetry: Contemporary Poets in Discussion and Practice (Rose Metal Press, 2010).
Stephanie Marker (MFA candidate) for winning a scholarship participate in the Prague Summer Program, hosted by Western Michigan University in partnership with Charles University, Czech Republic. Way to go, Stephanie!
Peter Matera (BFA 2000), for a play written with a fellow BGSU alum, Erik Pepple, called You Only Die Twice. It opened on May 8, 2009, and is contracted to run until May 2010, at the Cloak and Dagger Murder Mystery Dinner Theater in Columbus, OH. Congrats, Peter!
Teresa Milbrodt (MFA 2004), for stories, "Fragility," in South Dakota Review and "Seventeen Episodes in the Life of a Giant" in Cutbank. She's three others, "Meriwether Lewis' Skull Fragments," forthcoming in North American Review; "Cyclops" in Indiana Review; and “Holes (or Annotated Scrapbook, Sections Slightly Charred)” in Nimrod International Journal. Teresa is now full-time, tenure-track with the creative writing faculty at Western State College of Colorado. Congrats, Teresa!
Brad Modlin (MFA 2008) has a work of short fiction forthcoming in Denver Quarterly.
Berwyn Moore (MFA 1985) has been named the first Poet Laureate of Erie County, PA. Her poem, "Pins and Needles," won Second Place in The Pinch 2009 contest. Her poem, "MS," was posted on The Best American Poetry web site on July 10, 2009. Her book of poems, O Body Swayed, will be published December 2009 by Cherry Grove Collections. She is Associate Professor of English at Gannon University in Erie, PA.
Randy Norris (MFA 1980; Ph.D. ACs 1998), who was recently awarded a Senior Fulbright Fellowship to conduct programs on Appalachian Culture and Southern Literature at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada.
Rick O'Donnell (MFA 1983), is recent author of "Genesis of the Easter Seals Society: The Memorial Day Trolley Car Disaster," in North Coast Review and Desperate Reference, a short film on YouTube. Rick is co-founder of the Oberlin Writers' Group. He invites all writers to stop by and share their writing. It meets every Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Oberlin Public Library, 65 S. Main St., Oberlin, OH 44074. The welcome mat is always out.
Craig Paulenich (Ph.D. 1989) for his collection of poems forthcoming in fall 2009, Blood Will Tell, with Blaze Vox Books. Another new book of poems "centered" around the city of Prague, St. Vitus Dance, is forthcoming with Cervena Barva Press in 2012.
Julie Platt (MFA 2007), who writes: "I wanted to pass along some good news that you might have heard: My poetry chapbook manuscript, In the Kingdom of My Familiar, was selected for publication by Tilt Press in October and published in late November 2008! This manuscript was one of my major projects during my MFA and drew heavily upon my thesis." Way to go, Julie!
Beth Polzin (MFA 2007), who begins doctoral studies in comparative literature at SUNY Binghamton in Fall 2009. Best wishes, Beth!
Aimee Pogson (MFA candidate) for a new story, "Unnatural," forthcoming in Berkeley Fiction Review. Congrats, Aimee!
Tania Runyan (MFA 1996), whose most recent poem, "The Goldfish Pond," appears in Indiana Review.
Frank Daniel Rzicznek (MFA 2005), for his second book of poems, Divinaiton, was published in fall 2009 with Free Verse Editions / Parlor Press. Congrats!
Gabriel Scala (MFA 2003) completed her dissertation titled "Willa Cather and Performative Testimony: A Response to Sexual Trauma" and accepted a position as Assistant Professor of English at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, PA. Shes' recently published "Traffic Jam Litany" in Quarter After Eight and has poems forthcoming in the Wick 25th Anniversary Anthology.
Randy Michael Signor (MFA 1976), for a story published "A Later Version," and nominated by the editor for a Pushcart. Also, Long Story published "The Gypsies" and just out is "Big Pickle," in Black Clock.
Jeff Strand (BFA 1993), for the paperback edition of his novel, Pressure (a Bram Stoker Award finalist), that will be published in June 2009 by Dorchester Publishing. A new book of his,Benjamin's Parasite, will be published by Delirium Books in February 2009.
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Marc Sumerak (BFA 1998) From Marc's web site: "Sumerak is currently best known for his writing work on Marvel Comics' Power Pack and the Eisner & Harvey Award nominated Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius. He is also providing localized translations for Spider-Man J (as featured bi-monthly in Spider-man Family). In 2008, Sumerak was excited to be writing multiple issue story arcs for both Marvel Adventures: Avengers and Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man as well as a number of other new projects in development. Other clients that Sumerak has worked with include DC Comics, American Greetings, the Elks, SAMHSA, PBS Kids, Pepperidge Farm, Tyson Foods, Restaurant Business Magazine, Triple-A Baseball, SEGA, and more! Sumerak currently resides in Cleveland, OH."
Click here for the Toledo Blade feature article covering Marc's visit back to BGSU and his presentation in our reading series. Click here to see a few colorful photos of Marc's reading and talk about working as a comic book creator! |
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Jean Thompson (MFA 1973), for her latest story collection, Do Not Deny Me: Stories, Simon & Schuster, 2009.
Brent Van Horne (MFA 2007), for his story publication, "Murry, Swimming," in Sou'wester.
Anne Valente (MFA candidate) for four short stories forthcoming in PANK, Monkeybicycle, Storyglossia and Keyhole Magazine. In addition, she has been appointed Assistant Editor of Storyglossia. Super, Anne!
Dara Wier (MFA 1974) for a new collection, Selected Poems, just out with Wave Books. Congrats, Dara!
Carl Wilhoyte (BFA 2004), who writes, "Many of you know I am currently attending New Mexico State University for my Master's Degree in Creative Writing. NMSU is located in the town of Las Cruces, NM. It is an absolutely gorgeous area, located about 40 miles from Mexico, with a beautiful backdrop of the Organ Mountains to the east."
Gary Wilson (MFA 1973), who writes, "I wanted to alert you to an upcoming interview that features my novel, Sing, Ronnie Blue. It will appear in August in the new edition of Novel and Short Story Writer's Market as part of their ongoing "Premier Voices" column. It should be a relatively prominent "boxed" interview that mentions BGSU and my publisher."
Harald Wyndham (MFA 1971) for a chapbook, Sarajevo: A Poem in Four Voices, released in October 2009 with Blue Scarab Press.
Poet James Ragan is this year's Arts and Sciences Distinguished Visiting Poet. Spring 2010 semester, Ragan will be in residence and teaching poetry workshops. Let's give him a warm welcome!
