John Rybicki Reading During the 2017 Get Lit! John Rybicki Was Born and Raised in Detroit

MFA AT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Creative writing program newsletter - April 2017 What’s Inside : Spring is here!!

• April Event the must attend Events of the season Bulletin: what’s going on with our friends at Aunties (page 2)

• Letter from the editor (page 2)

• Program cheers and congrats (page 2)

• Dear Second Year: An advice column Celebrate your love of literature at the Get Lit! Festival April 17-23. There’s something for (page 3) everyone — poetry and book readings, workshops, panels and more!

• Opportunities: The Get Lit! Festival began in 1998 as a one-day marathon of literary readings sponsored by Submission calls, Eastern Washington University Press and EWU’s Department of Creative Writing. Then The contests, grants Spokesman-Review lovingly called it “the little literary festival that could,” and they were and fellowships right. By 2004, the audience had swelled to 10,000 people from Spokane and the surround- (pages 4 and 5) ing region. More recently, The Spokesman-Review referred to the festival as the literary equivalent to Spokane’s nationally recognized sporting events, Hoopfest and Bloomsday. • Writing Prompt of the Month!!! (page 5) john rybicki Reading during the 2017 Get Lit! John Rybicki was born and raised in Detroit. He is the author of two previous poetry collections, We Bed Down into Water and Traveling at High Speeds as well as the short Yellow Haired Girl with Spider. His third book of poems, When All the World Is MFA Old, was released by Lookout in April 2012. His at poems have appeared in Poetry, Ploughshares, EWU American Poetry Review, Ecotone, FailBetter, and Bomb, among many others. Program cheers and celebrations

Letter from the Dan Matthewson editor Fiction published Congratulations, Dan on the upcom- ing publication of both your stories All, “Soaked” and “Pinata Monsters” in Spring quarter is here, and I have no idea Fixional. where the time has gone. After this quarter my first year in the program will be over. These first two quarters have brought me stress, adventures, and friends. I finally feel like I have found my place here in Spokane among my cohort and all the other interesting people that inhabit this place. Back home in Montana I always felt like I needed more in my life. Spokane has brought to me what I felt but didn’t know I needed Cody smith for so many years before moving here. I have been to Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Indianapolis, Madrid, and London. In these accepted to another pHd program places I was in awe but never at home. Congratulations, Cody on your ac- With that reflection in mind, I plan to ceptances to the creative writing PhD reconnect this quarter with my classmates. programs at the University of Missis- Over the winter I have fallen away from sippi and Florida State University. Also, many of the people that welcomed me in the beginning. A combination of being busy congrats on the upcoming publication beyond my imagination and the bleakness of of your chapbook with Yellow Flag winter has caused this distance and solitude. Press. Now that the drifts are thawing and the sun has broken through the clouds, I think it is time to come out of hibernation and rejoin the wider world. I want to experience new adventures just like I did in the beginning. Those types of adventures are what fuel my writing. Summer confernces This quarter I think we should all do something fun among all the school related work we are all going to be burdened with. port townsend & squaw valley As writers we are constantly pulling from our experiences and it is never a bad idea to Congratulations Chris Maccini and Rebecca Gonshak for receiving refill our inspiration and creative juices. scholarships to attend the Port Townsend Writers’ Conference this summer. Also, congratulations to Matt Greene and Justin Eisenstadt for receiving scholarships to attend the Squaw Valley Community of Cheers, Writers this summer. Cody Nichter MFA at EWU 2 events & advice Dear Second year Friday, April 7 - 6:30p.m. A monthly advice column Reading by Robert Wrigley Dear Second Year, Saturday, April 8 - 7 p.m. I am excited and worried for the summer. On one hand I Uncoventional Beauties: A am ready to have an extended break, but on the other hand I know there are things I should be working on. What are your reading with Brie Spangler, suggestions for how the summer should be spent in preparation Whitney Gardner, and Kris for second year? Dinnison - First Year

Wednesday, April 12 - 7 Dear Second year p.m. Dear First Year, Reading with Frank Zafiro I know how much you’re looking forward to a few months of no classes and much needed Thursday, April 13 - 6 relaxation. Trust me, summer break is key to not burning out and to re-fueling those creative p.m. juices after a school year of adjusting to a grad. program, hard work, and tons of writing and Reading/mini workshop reading. And I’m also sure you’re feeling your thesis year looming over your shoulders and whispering nightmares into your ears. Try not to worry, though I know that feels impossible for with Sara Conover many of us. Though, summer fun helps us to get back to a healthier mental and physical state (both very important when going into your second year of the MFA), it’s also a great opportunity Saturday, April 15- 2 to start working on your thesis reading list (and come on…who doesn’t want to read at the p.m. beach or on a plane). Besides getting some reading out of the way, summer is also the perfect Reading/signing with Jay time to write with no worry of showing it to anyone right away (unless you want to email some Chandrasekhar classmates or your mom). In other words, you can write for yourself first. If you can, set up a writing routine as in a time and place to write every day or every other day. Free-write, work Tuesday, April 18 on some idea you’ve been thinking over, or edit older pieces. Remember, having no classes or through Sunday, April super tight deadlines means you have more time to spend on individual pieces or even on just brainstorming. Though, I think writing as much as you can even if you don’t edit for a while or 27. even if you’re just jotting down ideas or basic research can be really helpful. Also, by the time Get Lit! Various readings, summer rolls around you’ll have your thesis advisor and he or she will give you some directions…. workshops, and discussion like a number of pages to have written or a list of books to have read by the start of fall quarter. panels. Find more on I guess my overall suggestions are to get some work done, but at a pace that best works for you getlitfestival.org and your writing style. Even if what you write over the summer doesn’t make it into your final thesis manuscript, it’s at least writing practice. I also suggest and stress taking care of yourself. First year has its ups and downs, try to recuperate over the summer so you’re at a healthy state when thesis year rolls around…you’ll thank yourself later. Trust me, I wish I had done these last summer. And if something comes up this summer and your organized plans/to-do lists can’t be done, try not to worry too much. You’re not doomed and you still have time to create a killer thesis. MFA Yours truly, at EWU A Second Year 3 Opportunities: a list compiled by natalie kusz

there! • Sonora Review Calls for submission Deadline: May 1. • Gold Man Review Three prizes of $1,000 each • Westview Deadline: May 1. and publication in Sonora Deadline: April 28. Attention Gold Man Review is currently Review are given annually for writers! Westview is currently accepting submissions for a poem or group of poems, accepting short fiction our Issue 7, which will be a short story, and an essay. submissions. We are the published November 01. We Anselm Berrigan will judge creative writing journal accept submissions of fiction in poetry, Brian Evenson will published by the Language and nonfiction up to 5,000 judge in fiction, and Irina and Literature Department at words and up to three poems Dumitrescu will judge in Southwestern Oklahoma State by a single submitter. We love nonfiction. Submit four to University. We are looking for work that pushes boundaries eight pages of poetry, a short short fiction submissions with and tend to gravitate story of up to 6,000 words, or a maximum length of 5,000 toward those submissions. an essay of up to 5,000 words words. Any and all themes are We regularly submit our with a $15 entry fee by May 1. accepted and encouraged. Our contributor’s work to the All entries are considered for submission process is double- Pushcart Prize, the O.Henry publication. Visit the website blind, so please exclude any Prize Stories, and Best for complete guidelines: identifying information in American Anthologies. Since http://www.sonorareview. the submission documents we’re a West Coast journal, we com. Sonora Review, Annual themselves. You can submit only accept submissions from Contests, University of your work via dc.swosu.edu/ writers from Alaska, Oregon, Arizona, English Department, westview/. Good luck! Washington, California, and 1423 East University Hawaii. We look forward to Boulevard, Room 445, Modern • Raleigh Review reading your work. www. Languages Building, Tucson, Deadline: April 30. Raleigh goldmanpublishing.com AZ 85721. Review is now accepting poetry, flash fiction, and short • The Blue Lynx Prize fiction submissions for the Fall Competitions Deadline: May 15. 2017 issue. Raleigh Review is The Blue Lynx Prize, $2,000 a biannual print publication plus publication, is awarded with beautiful cover art, • Conium Review for an unpublished, full-length high-quality paper, full-color Deadline: May 1. volume of poems. Submit interior art, and stunning Conium Review 2017 manuscripts and $28 reading writing. We are looking for Innovative Short Fiction fee to P.O. Box 940, Spokane, work that is emotionally and Contest. Judged by Stephen WA 99210 or lynxhousepress. intellectually complex. All Graham Jones, author of more submittable.com. The 2016 submissions are online; there than 20 books, most recently winner was Ralph Burns for is a small fee to submit. We Mongrels. Winner receives But Not Yet. Judges have pay $10 per piece plus one $500, publication in The included Yusef Komunyakaa, free contributor’s copy and a Conium Review, contributor Melissa Kwasny, and Robert discount on additional copies. copies, and a copy of the Wrigley. Deadline: May 15. See full guidelines at www. judge’s latest book. Entry fee: Details: www.lynxhousepress. raleighreview.org, and browse $15. More details at http:// org. the archives while you’re coniumreview.com/contests. MFA at EWU 4 Opportunities: a list compiled by natalie kusz

• Ploughshares Deadline: May 31. application form and complete Deadline: May 15. Connecticut Poetry Award guidelines. Anne LaBastille Ploughshares Emerging Writer of the Connecticut Poetry Memorial Writer Residency, Contest. Three prizes of Society (CPS). Fee $15 for up Adirondack Center for Writing, $2,000 each and publication in to 3 unpublished poems; any P.O. Box 956, Saranac Lake, Ploughshares are given annually form, 80- line limit. Submit NY 12983. (518) 354-1261. for a poem or group of poems, via connecticutriverreview. adirondackcenterforwriting.org a short story, and an essay. submittable.com. Opens April E-mail address: info@ Writers who have not published 1, deadline May 31. Prizes: first: adirondackcenterforwriting.org or self-published a book or $400; second: $100; third: $50. Writing, P.O. Box 956, Saranac chapbook are eligible. Submit Winning poems published in Lake, NY 12983. (518) 354- three to five pages of poetry or Connecticut River Review and 1261. up to 6,000 words of fiction or posted on CPS website. See nonfiction with a $24 entry fee guidelines on Submittable and (there is no entry fee for current CPS website: ctpoetry.net. subscribers), which includes a writing prompt subscription to Ploughshares. Visit the website for complete MISCELLANEOUS guidelines: http://www.pshares. org. Ploughshares, Emerging Writer’s Contest, Emerson • Anne LaBastille Memorial College, 120 Boylston Street, Writer Residency Boston, MA 02116. (617) 824- Application Deadline: May 20. 3757. Ellen Duffer, Managing Website: www. Editor. adirondackcenterforwriting.org E-mail address: info@ • Raymond Carver Short Story adirondackcenterforwriting.org Contest Anne LaBastille Memorial Deadline: May 15. Writer Residency. The Raymond Carver Short Story Adirondack Center for Writers Contest. A prize of $1,500 and offers six two-week residencies publication in Carve Magazine from October 8 to October 24 is given annually for a short to poets, fiction writers, and story. Submit a story of up creative nonfiction writers at to 10,000 words with a $15 a lodge on Twitchell Lake in entry fee ($17 for electronic the heart of the Adirondack submissions). Visit the website Mountains. Residents are for complete guidelines: provided with a private http://www.carvezine.com/ room, bathroom, workspace, raymond-carver-contest . Carve and meals. Using the online Magazine, Raymond Carver submission system, applicants Short Story Contest, P.O. Box submit up to 10 poems or 701510, Dallas, TX 75370. Anna ten pages of prose with a Zumbahlen, Managing Editor. $25 application fee between April 15 and May 20. Visit • Connecticut Poetry Award the website for the required MFA at EWU 5