MFA Faculty Members Publish New Books
Several members of the master of fine arts in writing faculty have new books on the shelf this year. Check out some of the fiction, nonfiction and poetry selections from our top-notch instructors!
Seaside residents and Pacific University master of fine arts in writing students were treated to the opportunity to hear from a plethora of professional authors this month, as Pacific University’s MFA faculty offered public readings during the program’s annual winter residency at the beach.
The low-residency program pairs students with a passion for writing fiction, nonfiction and poetry with professional author mentors. Students work closely with the authors to develop their own writing throughout the two-year program, and all students and faculty come together twice a year for intense residencies that include readings
and workshops.
If you missed out on this winter’s readings, don’t worry — the authors will be back in Forest Grove for the June residency. In the meantime, you can pick up some of the latest works by Pacific’s renowned author-faculty members:
Burning Fence: A Western Memoir of Fatherhood by Craig Lesley | December 2013
Novelist Craig Lesley puts his storytelling to the test in this memoir of his own difficult relationship with his father and his efforts to raise a foster son. Set in Eastern Oregon, the book pairs a gut-wrenching tale of fathers and sons with the landscape of the West.
The Obituary Writer: A Novel by Ann Hood | October 2013
Ann Hood’s latest novel links the lives of two women living in different times in a mystery and love story that examines marriage, love, the roles of women, and emotion. She also recently edited Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting, a collection of essays celebrating knitting and knitters, which was published in November 2013.
Vulgar Remedies: Poems by Anna Journey | August 2013
Anna Journey’s poetry has been called “magical” by film director David Lynch and has received rave reviews elsewhere. Vulgar Remedies is her second collection of poetry.
Duppy Conqueror: New and Selected Poems by Kwame Dawes | May 2013
Acclaimed poet, novelist and playwright Kwame Dawes combines the best of several previous volumes of poetry with new works in this latest anthology. With a title based on a Bob Marley song, the collection showcases spirituality, political engagement and history in an homage to reggae music.
Red Moon: A Novel by Benjamin Percy | May 2013
Benjamin Percy’s literary thriller takes place in a parallel world where werewolves are part of today’s society: as ordinary people afflicted with an unusual disease. Percy uses the horror/thriller genre to tell a character-driven saga that speaks to prejudice, terrorism and social justice.
Light Without Fire: The Making of America’s First Muslim College by Scott Korb | April 2013
With degrees in theology and literature, nonfiction writer Scott Korb has explored religion throughout the world and history. His latest book follows students and teachers through the founding of America’s first Muslim college at a time when anti-Islam sentiments have run high.
Vivid and Continuous: Essays & Exercises for Writing Fiction by John McNally | March 2013
The author of multiple novels, story collections and essays, as well as a versed creative writing instructor, John McNally now brings this series of humorous and practical essays on the writing process.
Letters to Borges by Stephen Kuusisto | February 2013
Stephen Kuusisto’s most recently published book of poems explores the relationship between seeing, blindness and being in poems addressed to blind poet Jorge Luis Borges. Kuusisto himself has been blind since birth.
Little Known Facts by Christine Sneed | February 2013
Christine Sneed’s second novel received kudos from a critic in a New York Times Book Review piece titled A Star Circle. She has published numerous short stories. Her first fiction book, Portraits, won the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Grace Paley Prize in 2009 and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times book prize in the first-fiction category.
A Little More About Me by Pam Houston | January 2013
Pam Houston’s latest book is a collection of essays celebrating her real-life adventures on five continents. Houston has previously two collections of short stories, Cowboys Are My Weakness and Waltzing the Cat, and her stories have been selected for several well-known anthologies. She also has published two novels.
If Not For This by Pete Fromm | Fall 2014
Pete Fromm, a four-time winner of the Pacific Northwest Book Sellers Literary Award, will have his new novel, If Not For This, published in the fall of 2014. A previous novel, As Cool As I Am, published in 2003, and was adapted as a feature film released in June 2013.