The Newsletter of the Creative Writing Program at the University of

WWW.UH.EDU/CWP

John Antel Dean, CLASS

Wyman Herendeen English Dept. Chair

j. Kastely CWP Director

Kathy Smathers Assistant Director

Cassie Colbert Program Coordinator 713.743.3015 [email protected]

2005-2006 Edition

Every effort has been made to include faculty, students, and alumni news. Items not included will be published in the next edition. This was another eventful year. We had 2 wonderful residencies: one by Richard Siken and one by Paley. We were an enormous presence at the AWP convention at Austin, TX in March. We had a successful inaugural editors/agents visit in early April. Our friends at Inprint celebrated their 25th anniversary, with the culminating event being a reading by the entire UH creative writing faculty. It was a special night. And we had 2 exceptional writers who were visiting faculty: Patricia Powell in the Fall Semester and Peter Turchi in the Spring. It was a good year.

It was also a year marked by Hurricane Katrina’s devastation of a significant portion of the Gulf Coast and a healthy scare provided by Hurricane Rita. For many of our students and faculty, certainly the Fall semester was dominated by Katrina, as they joined with many of their fellow citizens in Houston to help those displaced by the aftermath of the storms.

Finally, it was a year in which several of our faculty departed from UH to take new positions elsewhere. Claudia Rankine, Kimiko Hahn, and Ruben Martinez have accepted distinguished positions at other schools. All will be missed, for each of them contributed significantly to the UH community—as writers, as teachers, as colleagues, and as friends. We wish them the best at their new schools, but we will miss them and will try to stay in close con- tact with them. Also Glenn Blake, who has been a presence at UH for almost 25 years—first as a student and then as an instructor, is leaving to teach at Johns Hopkins and work at their press. For the past several years, Glenn has been the heart of the undergraduate program in fiction and an important contributor to the development of an alumni association. We will miss him but we do wish him the best as he starts a new life outside of Houston.

The departure of three key faculty, of course, means that our coming year will be defined by the task of conduct- ing searches for new faculty members. As in the past, we hope for broad participation from all who care about the program. Whatever else a faculty search is, it is a process that allows a reflective program to understand better what it is and what it aspires to be. Our task next year is to do this well. I have full confidence that we will.

And we will welcome 21 incoming graduate students. They are a collection of talented writers who will con- tribute to our community and help us sustain our commitment to the life of letters. Their arrival in August is a reminder that amidst change the Creative Writing Program continues to offer an education guided by a commit- ment to excellence, creativity, and rigor. These values are at our core and define who we are.

As ever,

j. Kastely, Director

CWP NEWS 2 to get our website updated and more energize the Program, as students got user friendly. Without his guidance a better sense of the current state of and patience we would never get this publishing. A special thanks to Tiph- newsletter out to the masses. anie Yanique and Brad Teleford, the CWP student reps, who worked hard Staff News Kathy Smathers, Asst. Director, con- to make the visit a success. tinues to love being part of the Pro- The application process for Fall 2006 gram. The interaction with students is finished, the semester is over and and alumni is so rewarding and hav- Departures summer is here. It’s been another ing the Program library in her office good year for us and we’re looking is a real perk. She assisted with the 2005-2006 was a year of departures. forward to a few relaxing months be- application process this year, worked fore we start over again in September. with the AWP conference coordina- Claudia Rankine accepted an en- We lost a couple of staff members and tor to get registration fee wavers for dowed Chair at Pomona College. She gained a new one. students and faculty, assisted Jennifer was awarded the 2006 Academy of Grotz with the 2006 Krakow Poetry American Poets award given in mem- Colbert has worked with us Seminar, assisted faculty with a wide ory of James Ingram Merrill. as the Office Coordinator since Ma- variety of things and worked with stu- Ruben Martinez accepted an en- ria Martinez left in the fall to go back dents, j. Kastely, and the judges on dowed Chair at Loyola University at to school full time. We wish Maria the 2005/06 writing competitions. Marymount. well and welcome Cassie to the Pro- Of course, there are always those “oth- gram. She worked on the UH cam- er duties, as assigned” to keep her busy Kimiko Hahn pus as a temporary employee before accepted a Distin- on a day to day basis. guished Professorship at Queens Col- joining us in October. Of course, she lege. arrived right in the middle of the ap- Agents and Editors Visit plication process so she really had to While change is a fact of the academy, hit the floor running. In addition to In April 2006, The Creative Writing we will deeply miss all 3 of our de- her job here, she’s a full-time student Program hosted its first visit by liter- parting colleagues. Each contributed at the Art Institute of Houston, work- ary agents and editors. Visiting UH to the current transformation of the ing on an Bachelor’s degree in Interior were agents Ira Silverberg of Dona- Creative Writing Program at UH, and Design. dio & Olson, Rolph Blythe of Du- each has helped broaden and diversify the political and aesthetic principles now, Carlson & Lerner, and David that guide both our creation and ap- Hale Smith, founder and president preciation of literature. And all three of DHS Literary, Inc. Also, visiting brought energy to the Program that Jeffrey Shotts UH was , Poetry Editor encouraged and supported students at Graywolf Press. The visitors pre- and colleagues in their own work. sided over two panel discussions; the And even as they depart, we will con- first was a nuts-and-bolts discussion of tinue to maintain the friendships and the current state of publishing and a the intellectual conversations that they discussion of what students could do began at UH. We wish them well in to increase the likelihood of getting their new positions. Cassie Colbert their work read. The second discus- sion functioned more as a Q&A, with Also, Glenn Blake, who has been at the various agents and the one editor UH for over two decades and who Although Mike Doyle is not officially speaking on a wide range of issues for the last several years has been the a UH employee, we continue to de- that had been generated by the previ- mainstay of the undergraduate fiction pend on him for his design and tech- ous day’s panel. Thirty students, both program, is departing. Glenn felt it nical expertise. He has helped us with fiction and non-fiction, met with the was time for a new beginning. He will so many projects this year and acted as three literary agents, each student be missed. It is difficult to imagine our official photographer at the AWP meeting individually with two of the an undergraduate fiction program in in Austin. He’s also working with the agents. And 15 poetry students met which he is not at the center. We UH technology computer technicians with Jeff Shotts. The visit seemed to wish him all the best.

CWP NEWS 3 poetry, including her latest, Two and Two. her novels have been short-listed for the Dunn is the author of 14 collections of po- Booker Prize. Kiran Desai, the daugh- etry, including Different Hours, which won ter of Anita Desai, is the author of two the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 2001. His novels, Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard, newest book, Everything Else in the World, published to unanimous acclaim in 22 The Inprint Brown Reading Series, now in will be released this fall. countries, and her latest, The Inheritance its 26th season, continues to rank among of Loss. the nation’s leading reading series. Over Monday, November 13—Richard Ford is the past 26 years, IBRS has presented 35 the author of three collections of short fic- Monday, April 16—Mary Oliver, the Pulitzer Prize, 36 National Book Award, tion and six novels, including Independence author of more than 20 books of poetry and 4 Nobel Prize winners to Houston au- Day, which won both the Pulitzer Prize and prose, has won both the Pulitzer Prize diences. and the PEN/Faulkner Award. He will (for American Primitive), and the National read from his soon-to-be-released novel, Book Award (for New and Selected Poems). The 2006-2007 Inprint Margarett Root The Lay of the Land, which brings back his Her most recent book of poetry, Thirst, to Brown Reading Series (IBRS) presented everyman character from The Sportswriter be released in fall 2006, introduces a new by Inprint, in association with the UH and Independence Day, Frank Bascombe. direction in her writing, as she grapples Creative Writing Program (UH CWP), with grief after the death of her partner of Alley Theatre, and Brazos Bookstore, Monday, January 22—Terrance McNally more than 40 years. begins in September and runs through is a four time award-winning play- April. Each evening consists of a reading wright His works include Frankie and Special event of the Inprint Brown Read- by the featured writer(s), followed by a Johnny at the Claire de Lune, for which he ing Series, co-sponsored by Museum of book sale, and a book signing—a chance also wrote the screen adaptation starring Fine Arts, Houston: for audience members to meet the visiting Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer, Lips To- writer(s). Readings take place at the Alley gether, Teeth Apart, Kiss of the Spider Wom- Thursday, October 26—An evening with Theatre, 615 Texas Avenue, on Mondays an, Love! Valour! Compassion!, and his most National Book Award winning nature writ- at 7:30 pm (doors open 6:45), unless oth- recent, Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life. He er Barry Lopez, renowned fiction writer erwise noted. Each reading is $5 general won his fourth Tony award for Best Book Antonya Nelson, and writer/editor Debra admission, free for students and senior cit- of a Musical for "Ragtime". Special tickets: Gwartney—This special event focuses on izens; tickets for the January reading fea- $10 all seats. the book, Home Ground: Language for an turing Terrance McNally are $10 all seats. American Landscape. Edited by Lopez and Tickets are sold only at the door on the Monday, February 26—Leading Latino Gwartney, Home Ground brings together evening of each reading. A limited number writers Alicia Gaspar de Alba and Luis 45 poets and writers—including Nelson, of reserved season tickets for the entire sea- Alberto Urrea—Gaspar de Alba is a poet, Barbara Kingsolver, Robert Hass, Patricia son are now available through Inprint. For novelist and Chicano studies scholar. Her Hampl, and Jon Krakauer—to write the more information, contact Inprint at 713- most recent book, Desert Blood: The Juárez definitions for the words we use to describe 521-2026 or visit www.inprint-inc.org. Murders, about the ten-year crime wave the diverse landscapes of the U.S. Lopez of murdered women in Ciudad Juárez, will give a brief reading, Nelson will join The 2006-2007 season features a dynamic won both the Lambda Literary Award and him for a conversation on the language of roster of writers, including many who will the Latino Book Award for Best Mystery landscape, and Gwartney will discuss the be giving a reading in Houston for the first Novel. Urrea, born in Tijuana, , making of the book. Lopez is the author time: is the author of several volumes of po- of Arctic Dreams, Of Wolves and Men, Re- etry, non-fiction, and fiction. His book sistance, Light Action in the Carribean, 11 Sunday, September 17—Zadie Smith, Nobody’s Son won the American Book other works of fiction and nonfiction, as British West Indian writer, rose to star- Award; The Devil’s Highway was a finalist well as the lead essay in the catalog for the dom at age 23 with the publication of her for the 2005 Pulitzer Prize; and his novel Museum of Fine Art Houston’s exhibition, debut novel, White Teeth, winner of the The Hummingbird’s Daughter was named "The Modern West", opening October Commonwealth Writer’s Prize. Smith’s a “best book” of 2005 by the Los Angeles 27th. Nelson is the author of three novels latest novel, On Beauty, shortlisted for the Times and The Washington Post. and four story collections, including Talk- Booker Prize, is set on both sides of the ing in Bed, Female Trouble, and her latest, Atlantic, and is a brilliant analysis of fam- Monday, March 26—Leading South Asian Some Fun. Debra Gwartney is a writer, ily life, marriage, and the intersections of writers, mother and daughter team, Anita editor, and university teacher who lives in the personal and political. Special time: 7 Desai and Kiran Desai—Anita Desai, Eugene, Oregon. Free admission. pm. “grande dame” of South Asian diaspora writers, is the critically-acclaimed author The Inprint Studio Series, new this year, Monday, November 6—American poets of 14 books, including The Clear Light of features some of the most exciting emerg- Denise Duhamel and Stephen Dunn— Day, Diamond Dust, Fasting, Feasting, and ing voices in the literary arts, as well as Duhamel is the author of five volumes of her most recent The Zigzag Way. Three of alumni from the UH CWP, offering Hous-

CWP NEWS 4 Calendar for Reading Series Fall 2006/Spring 2007

9/13: Poetry and Prose John Weir/Bob Phillips, M.D. Anderson Library, UH Campus 9/17: Inprint/MRB Series Zadie Smith, Cullen Theatre, Wortham Center

9/27: Inprint Studio Bob Hicok, DiverseWorks

10/4: Poetry and Prose Inprint Reading, M.D. Anderson Library, UH Campus

10/9: Inprint/MRB Series Joan Didion, (Tentative)

10/11: Mitchell Ctr. Performance Anne Waldman, Mitchell Center for the Arts, UH Campus

10/19: Inprint Studio Farnoosh Moshiri, The Honors College, UH Campus

10/26: Inprint/MRB Series Barry Lopez/Antonya Nelson/Debra Gwartney, Brown Auditorium, MFA, Houston

11/1: Poetry and Prose 1st-year CWP students, The Honors College, UH Campus

11/6: Inprint/MRB Series Stephen Dunn/Denise Duhamel, Stude Concert Hall, Rice University

11/8: CWP Brian Barker/Wayne Miller, Location TBA

11/13: Inprint/MRB Series Richard Ford, Brown Auditorium, MFA, Houston

1/22: Inprint/MRB Series Terrence McNally, Alley Theatre

2/8: Inprint Studio Andrew Feld/Pimone Triplett, The Honors College, UH Campus

2/21: Poetry and Prose Toni Nelson/Karen Brennan, The Honors College, UH Campus

2/26: Inprint/MRB Series Alicia Gaspar/Luis Urrea, Alley Theatre

3/7: Poetry and Prose Inprint/Michener Winners, M.D. Anderson Library, UH Campus

3/22: Inprint Studio Fox Gordon, The Honors College, UH Campus

3/26: Inprint/MRB Series Anita Desai/Kiran Desai, Alley Theatre

4/16: Inprint/MRB Series Mary Oliver, Alley Theatre

5/5: Inprint Studio Laura Kasischke, DiverseWorks tonians the opportunity to hear firsthand the UH CWP. Triplett is author of the col- by an award from the National Endow- tomorrow’s great writers today. The read- lections The Price of Light and Running the ment for the Arts, “which believes that a ings, presented by Inprint, in association Picture. Feld is author of Citizen. Time: 6 great nation deserves great art.” Inprint with DiverseWorks, The Honors College pm. also receives in-kind support from the Al- and the Creative Writing Program at the Thursday, March 22—Memoirist and ley Theatre, Continental Airlines, Hines, University of Houston, are free and open essayist Emily Fox Gordon, who studied Houston Chronicle, and KUHF 88.7 FM, to the public and include: at the UH CWP, is the author of Mocking- The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, as Wednesday, September 27—Poet Bob bird Years: A Life in and out of Therapy and well as other support from the Texas Com- Hicok is author of Insomnia Diary, Plus Are You Happy?: A Childhood Remembered. mission on the Arts and The City of Hous- Shipping, The Legend of Light, and Animal Time: 6 pm. ton through the Cultural Arts Council of Soul. Time: 7:30 pm. Thursday, April 5—Writer Laura Ka- Houston/Harris County, the Convention Thursday, October 19—Fiction writer sischke has authored Be Mine, The Life Be- and Entertainment Facilities Department, Farnoosh Moshiri, a graduate of the UH fore her Eyes, White Bird in a Blizzard, and and the Theatre District. CWP, is author of the novels At the Wall Suspicious River. Time: 7:30 pm. of the Almighty, The Bathhouse, The Crazy  Inprint, Inc., has moved to new offices. Dervish and the Pomegranite Tree and The Inprint Brown Reading Series receives Visit them at their new home at 1520 W. Against Gravity. Time: 6 pm. generous underwriting support from The Main, Houston, TX 77006. Thursday, February 8—Poets Pimone Brown Foundation, Inc., and Weather- Triplett and Andrew Feld are graduates of ford International, and is also supported

CWP NEWS 5ews New Studio Reading Series

The UH Creative Writing Program and Inprint are beginning a new stu- dio reading series this year, and we are Chitra Divakaruni’s children's novel, very excited about it. The series will The Conch Bearer, has now been trans- be housed in smaller, more intimate lated into 14 languages. Her new chil- Here's a photo of Mark reading in a church in Manchester, England, in May: notice the seri- venues, and the series readers will also dren's novel, The Mirror of Fire and do a residency as part of their visit. Dreaming (Fall 2005), was selected ous gestures. One goal of the series is to promote as a Book Sense Pick. Her novel, The greater contact between the visiting Mistress of Spices, was made into a film writers and UH faculty and students. by Gurinder Chadha and Paul Berges And this series allows us to realize a (the makers of the movie “Bend it Sometimes Good Ideas Work dream that we have had for some time: like Beckham”). She was awarded the to bring back UH Creative Writing South Asian Literary Association's alumni and to have them read at UH. Several years ago at the suggestion of Distinguished Award Achievement for Robert Boswell, the Creative Writing This year more than half of the read- 2006. ers will be UH alumni. As part of the Program began Masters Workshops series we will have two residencies in that were designed for students near the completion of their degrees to fiction, two in poetry, and one in non- Mark Doty's new prose book, Dog fiction. workshop their whole manuscripts. Years -- part memoir, part essay on the The wisdom of creating a course that ways canine companionship matters allows a teacher and a small group of The series has a great line-up for its in- in human lives -- will be published augural year, and these readers set the students to focus on the manuscript as by HarperCollins this coming spring. a whole has been borne out by Mark tone for what we believe will be one Amy Hempel Here's how described Doty’s first Masters Workshop in po- of the best series in the country. The the book in a pre-publication blurb: series will feature Bob Hicok (Insom- etry. As the student and alumni notes "Mark Doty moves lyrically from the will tell you, already the manuscripts nia Diary, The Legend of Light, Animal weight of a dog's head in one's hand Soul, Plus Shipping), and Laura Ka- of 3 of the students (Laurie Clements to the enduring questions of religion, Lambeth, Michael Dumanis and Da- sischke (The Life Before her Eyes, Gar- the soul, and connection. Evocative, dening in the Dark, Suspicious River, vid Vance) from that workshop have compassionate, a love story both in- won national competitions and will be Fire and Flow, Boy Heaven, White Bird timate and grand, this is a beautiful in a Blizzard, Dance and Disappear, published as books. That is remark- book." New poems appear or will able, and we suspect the number of Be Mine, Housekeeping in a Dream, shortly in The American Poetry- Re Wild Brides, What It Wasn’t, Fatale books resulting from that workshop is view, McSweeney's, The Harvard Di- not finished yet. Beruheung). UH alumni featured in vinity School Bulletin, Five Points, the series are: Farnoosh Moshiri (At The London Review of Books, and the Wall of the Almighty, The Bathhouse, elsewhere. During the last year, Mark's Against Gravity, The Crazy Dervish and been reviewing new books of poems Flynn collaborated on “Darwin’s the Pomegranate Tree), Andrew Feld for O: The Oprah Magazine (believe Nightmare”, a documentary film (Citizen: Poems), Pimone Triplett (The it or not). that was nominated for an Academy Price of Light, Ruining the Picture), and Award. There was an interview with Emily Fox Gordon (Are You Happy?: A The strangest moment of his literary him in the March/April edition of The Childhood Remembered, Mockingbird year took place at Columbia Univer- Bloomsbury Review. Years: A Life in and out of Therapy). sity, where a panel in which he partici- pated to celebrate the Fiftieth anniver- For the dates and locations of the sary of the publication of "Howl" was Tony Hoagland received the 2005 readings, please refer to the Calendar disrupted by angry clowns who felt Mark Twain Award for humor in of Readings in this year’s Newsletter. Ginsberg was being co-opted by the American poetry by Poetry Magazine. We hope to see many of you there. literary establishment. Honest. The awards were given in . Also in October, 2005, he gave a read- ing and a talk at the Folger Shake-

CWP NEWS 6 speare Library in Washington D.C. as Book for Daniel Stern, it is being pub- New CWP Undergraduate part of receiving the O.B. Hardison lished by The Sheep Meadow Press. Faculty Member Hired Award, given annually to an American He also has a story in the spring issue poet for dual achievements in both of The Kenyon Review. Starting in Fall 2006, Aaron Reynolds teaching and writing. In September, (PhD, S2006) will assume the teaching 2006, his craft book on poetry, Real Adam Zagajewski has had several pub- and advising responsibilities that Glenn Sofistikashun, will be published by lications this year. He published Al- Blake handled so well. Aaron graduated Graywolf Press. teny, poems in Polish (Krakow, 2005), with his doctorate in fiction in Spring both Deseo, poems, and Defensa del 2006, and he is at work revising his Ardor, essays, in Spanish (Barcelona, manuscript "Wildside". We are delight- Antonya Nelson’s book, Some Fun, 2005), and Povratak, poems, in Bos- ed to welcome Aaron to this position. came out in March of this year. A nian (Sarajevo, 2006). Residencies, couple of her stories and essays are workshops and reading locations in- due out soon. She had an essay in La- cluded Leukerbac, Switzerland, Bar- dies Home Journal and stories in Tin celona and , Spain, Dublin, House, Glimmer Train, Sonora Re- Ireland, Rome, Italy and Nuremberg, view, and O Magazine. She’s at con- Leipzig and Berlin, Germany. ferences this summer in Napa Valley, Fall 2006 Portland, Oregon (Tin House confer- ence), Vermont (both Bread Loaf and John Weir, Associate Professor of Eng- the Post Graduate Program at Mont- lish at Queens College/CUNY, will pelier) and will be reading at the New teach two graduate workshops: one in Yorker Festival in October. fiction and one in nonfiction. John has a BA from Kenyon College and an MFA from Columbia University. He has published two novels: The Irrevers- Robert Phillips’ eighth poetry col- ible Decline of Eddie Socket (1989) and lection, Circumstances Beyond Our What I Did Wrong (2006). His short Control, is out from Johns Hopkins fiction has appeared in numerous lit- University Press. It has been nomi- Then & Now: Prof. Robert Phillips with John erary journals, including Gulf Coast, nated for next year’s Pulitzer Prize Updike in 1984 (above) and at the Honors Bloom, Word: The Literary Magazine, and received a very good review in the College in 2006. Fruit, and Playgirl. His nonfiction Houston Chronicle. His next book, has appeared in Triquarterly, The New titled Are Those Real Poems or Did You York Times, and Rolling Stone. His Write Them Yourself, is a collection of work has been anthologized in such personal essays. The title comes from works as The Columbia Reader in Les- a question he was asked by a young bian & Gay Studies: Lesbians & Gay man after giving a lecture. It will be Men in American Society, Politics and published by Texas Review Press. the Media; Gay Men at the Millennium and Beyond Queer. He has received a One of Prof. Phillips’ short stories was Photo by Bill Monroe National Endowment for the Arts fel- made into a short film this year. Re- lowship and a Lambda Literary Award leased as “Teacher’s Pet”, it is an East for Best First Novel. At Queens Col- End Film Makers Production and will lege, he served as Associate Chair, be entered in film festivals. . 1999-2005. He also has a well-earned In Fall 2005, Richard Siken, whose reputation as a stellar teacher of cre- Several of Prof. Phillips' poems were collection of poems, Crush, was select- ative writing. read by Garrison Keillor on "The ed by Louise Gluck as the winner of Writer's Almanac" (National Public 2005 Yale Younger Poets series, offered Jane Miller is Professor of English at Radio). a residency in poetry. In Spring 2006, the University of Arizona, where she Grace Paley, author of several collec- directed the Creative Writing Program tions of short stories, including Enor- from 1999-2003. She is the author of Daniel Stern is the subject of a 336 mous Changes at the Last Minute, The 9 books: A Palace of Pearls, Wherever page festschrift that includes works by Little Disturbances of Man, and Later You Lay Your Head, Memory at These scholars, artists, friends, professors and the Same Day, offered a residency in Speeds: New and Selected Poems, August students writing in his honor. Titled A fiction. Zero, Working Time: Essays on Poetry,

CWP NEWS 7 Culture and Travel, American Odal- isque, Black Holes, Black Stockings, The Great Leisures, and Many Junipers, Heartbeats. She has received numer- ous awards for her work, including a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, two National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, a Lila Wallace—Reader’s Digest Writer’s Award, and a Pushcart Prize. She has been a visiting poet at San Francisco State University and the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop on several occasions. At Goddard College, she was poet and Director of Women’s Studies. Her poems have ap- peared in over 100 journals and have been frequently anthologized. At UH, Jane will be teaching a graduate poetry workshop and a graduate seminar in Modern Thought.

Spring 2007

Karen Brennan is a Professor of Eng- lish at the University of Utah, where she also directed the Creative Writing Program. She has an MFA from God- dard College and a PhD in English (with an emphasis in Critical Theory) from the University of Utah. She has published poetry The Real is Enough, Here on Earth, fiction Wild Desire, non-fiction Being With Rachel, A Sto- ry of Memory and Survival and work that combines fiction and non-fiction, The Garden in Which I Walk. She has taught at the University of Arizona, Southwest Texas State University and Warren Wilson College. In addition to teaching creative writing, she also teaches courses in modernism, post- modernism and 20th Century British and American literature. Her work has been published in a wide ranging selection of journals, and it has been anthologized in several important an- thologies. She has received a National Endowment for the Arts Award in Fic- tion, a PEN Syndicated Short Fiction Prize, and an AWP Award Series Win- ner in Short Fiction, and her memoir was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. At UH, she will be teaching both a poetry and a fiction graduate workshop.

CWP NEWS 8 CWP NEWS 9 Talk Issue of TriQuarterly, edited by Nonfiction this year. Sarah Vowell Barbara Hamby and David Kirby. was the judge of the competition. He’s also had poems appear in Third Nina was asked back to be on staff at Coast and West Branch. the Bread Loaf Writers Conference Charles Alcorn has been appointed in Vermont in August. She was in by UH-Victoria to be the Managing Brad Hipps’ big news this year is that charge of the Blue Parlor Reading Editor of the American Book Review, he and his wife, Laura, had their first series. a literary journal that transferred its child, a son, born May 25th. His editorial offices from Illinois State to name is Walker Stroh Hipps. David MacLean has an essay forth- UH-Victoria. He received his Ph.D. coming in Quarterly West. in Fiction in May of this year. Andrew Kozma had poems pub- lished in Pebble Lake Review, Lil- Kimberly Meyer had work pub- David Bernardy received his Ph.D. ies and Cannonballs, Backwards lished in Crab Orchard Review and in Fiction in May of 2006. He cur- City, Buffalo Carp, Meridian, Third The Southern Review and an es- rently lives in Minneapolis, Minne- Coast, Illya’s Honey, Zone 3 and Best say on ants, motherhood, and free sota, where he received a Minnesota New Poets 2005. Two of his poems will previously published in Fourth State Arts Grant to fund a research- were nominated for Pushcarts and Genre was nominated for a Pushcart gathering kayak trip through the Ev- his play, “Waiting for Engines” was Prize. Her greatest accomplishment erglades in December. produced by Unheard Voices in the this year, however, was learning to spring. spin yarn--and that's not a meta- Casey Fleming won runner-up for phor. She's now a proud member of Fourth Genre’s 2006 Editor’s Prize Laurie Clements Lambeth gradu- the Contemporary Handweavers of in Non-fiction. ated with her PhD in December. Houston. Her poetry manuscript, "Veil and Jennifer Grotz is a new assistant pro- Burn", was selected by Maxine Ku- Keya Mitra received a Fulbright fessor in poetry at the University of min as the winner for the National grant to India in creative writing for North Carolina, Greensboro. In the Poetry Series. It will be published next year. Her work appeared this past year, her poems have appeared next year by University of Illinois year in Ontario Review and Orchid or are forthcoming in Image, New Press. Alongside Mark Doty and and, as of May, was forthcoming England Review, Cincinnati Review, James Hall, Laurie presented a talk in Confrontation and Event. Also, and American Literary Review. Her on writing poetry and nonfiction at her short story collection was one of reviews and translations have ap- this year’s AWP conference. four finalists for the Mary McCarthy peared in Boston Review, The Wash- And there’s more. After reading Prize (through Sarabande Books). ington Post, Circumference and Laurie’s lyric nonfiction piece inThe She will be published in Best New Agni Online. She completed her Iowa Review, a literary agent tracked American Voices 2007. Ph.D. from the University of Hous- her down to ask if she was interested ton this past December, and began in signing with her, and after “a great Brian Nicolet reported that the Se- teaching in the Warren Wilson MFA talk on the phone”, Laurie signed wanee Writers’ Conference offered Program this past spring. She is the the contract. She’s working on the him one of the first-year M.A./ assistant director of the Bread Loaf book now. Aside from the nonfic- M.F.A. scholarships. There were Writers Conference. Along with Ed- tion piece in The Iowa Review, this only four offered! He was also cho- ward Hirsch and Adam Zagajewski, past year she’s had poetry appear in sen to attend the 2006 Krakow Po- she administers the Krakow Poetry The Bark, Isotope, and a poem is etry Seminar. Seminar. forthcoming from Indiana Review. Amanda Nowlin-O’Banion told us James Allen Hall received his Ph.D. James May has a poem, “Untitled that a chapter, “The Walls, Texas”, in May and has joined the English Drawing, 1987”, forthcoming in from her novel has been accepted for faculty of Bethany College in West The Texas Review. an anthology of essays and fiction Virginia. Two of his poems, "A inspired by Johnny Cash, Literary Fact Which Occurred in America" Nina McConigley was the honor- Cash. BenBella is putting it out in and "Portrait of My Lover Singing able mention for the Womens’ Writ- September. in Traffic," will appear in the Ulta- ers Conference Prize for Creative

CWP NEWS 10 Emily Perez is moving to Seattle in Northwest Review, Eleven Eleven, Banishing the American workshop where she will begin a teaching job and Night Train. format in favor of semi-formal panel at the Lakeside School. This year her presentations and the lively conver- work has appeared in Bat City Re- Tiphanie Yanique had nonfiction sations that always follow them, this view, The New Hampshire Review, published by MaComere: Caribbean year’s Seminar engaged participants DIAGRAM, Poems & Plays, and is Feminist Journal, poetry in SaltHill, in a large array of thoughts and prov- forthcoming in Third Coast. and a story, “How to Escape from a ocations. What is a poet with his- Leper Colony”, won the 13th An- tory? Without history? Can art ad- Brian Russell had a poem published nual Boston Review Short Story dress suffering? Can poets talk about in the spring issue of Columbia Po- Contest. The story came out in the Guantanamo? After Auschwitz, can etry Review. May/June 2006 issue. She will be truth really equal beauty? Are emerg- the Parks Fellow in Creative Writing ing American poets radical or just David Vance presented a paper titled at Rice University next year. insincere? Are established American "Questing/Questioning the Invisible poets truth-telling or merely humor- Divine: A View of Emily Dickinson's less? Who are the Polish poets caus- Epistemological Double-Vision" at ing such a ruckus in Warsaw? And the annual New England American The 2006 Krakow Poetry why? And what is the state of poetry Studies Association Conference in Czeslaw Milosz Worcester in Fall 2005. That paper Seminar in Poland without ? was chosen for inclusion in an an- thology of work from the confer- As always, Jennifer Grotz did a stun- ence due out later this year. David ning job as the seminar’s administra- also took on editorial responsibili- tive director. UH Grad students in ties (shared with his wife, Catherine attendance included Craig Beaven, Kasper) for the journal American Jericho Brown, Darin Ciccotelli, Letters & Commentary. In Spring Farnoosh Fathi, Peter Hyland, An- 2006 he wrote a critical introduction drew Kozma, James May, Brian to Mark Nowak's poetry for an an- Nicolet, Paul Otremba, Vanessa thology due out from Wesleyan (eds. Stauffer, Bradford Gray Telford, Claudia Rankine and Lisa Sewell) to and Sasha West. Rounding out the be published this fall and he chaired UH contingent were CWP alum a panel at AWP on inter-media po- Mira Rosenthal, and Literature Pro- etry and poetics. Most exciting, his fessor David Mikics. poetry manuscript, “Vitreous”, was chosen by Mary Jo Bang as winner - Bradford Gray Telford of the 2005 Del Sol Press Prize and is slated to be published in Novem- ber. “Vitreous” was also a semi-final- ist for the Walt Whitman Award and a portion of it was a finalist for the This year’s Seminar (directed by Tupelo Press Snowbound Chapbook Adam Zagajewski and Ed Hirsch), Prize. Starting in Fall 2006, David the first since the death of Milosz has a 1-year Visiting Assistant Pro- in 2004, featured faculty members fessorship at the University of Texas Jorie Graham, Philip Levine, Pa- at . tricia Hampl, and UH Professor Tony Hoagland along with Polish Gemini Wahhaj was an honorable writers Julia Hartwig, Krystyna Mi- Bradford Telford, Tony Hoagland, mention in Atlantic Monthly’s stu- lobedezka, Dariusz Suska and Jacek Darin Ciccotelli dent writing contest in fiction and Gutorow. a finalist in Glimmer Train’s spring 2005 fiction context for new writ- ers. Her fiction came out this year

CWP NEWS11 Poetry

This year, the Creative Writing Berry, Lauren E., M.F.A. Program welcomes 21 new stu- B.A., Florida State Univ. Fall 2005 dents- ten in fiction, ten in poetry Charara, Hayan S., Ph.D. and one in creative non-fiction. Selena Flowers, M.F.A., Poetry M.A., New York Univ. Kelly Ann Holt, M.F.A., Poetry B.A., Wayne State Univ. Fiction Laurie Clements, Ph.D., Poetry Elliott, Katherine E., M.F.A. Jennifer Grotz, Ph.D., Poetry Bivens, Marantha F., M.F.A. B.A., Univ. of Virginia Joni Tevis B.A., Florida State Univ. , Ph.D., Poetry/Non-Fic- tion Foster, Eva L., Ph.D. Robert Vellani, Ph.D, Fiction Cantrell, Jennifer J., M.F.A. M.F.A., Univ. of Maryland M.A., Univ. of Missouri B.A., Oklahoma State Univ. B.A., Central Missouri State Univ. Spring 2006 Goldman, April E.,M.F.A. Gonzalez, Manuel A., M.F.A. B.A., Rice Univ. Randi Faust, M.F.A., Fiction B.A., Univ. of Oklahoma Tiphanie Yanique Galiber, M.F.A., Higdon, Stacey A., M.F.A. Fiction Johnson, Brianne A., M.F.A. B.A., Univ. of Alabama Jennifer Hannah, M.F.A., Fiction M.S., Joint Military Intelligence Nina McConigley, M.F.A., Fiction College Miyagawa, Yu, M.F.A. Kelly Moore, M.F.A., Poetry B.S., Georgetown Univ. B.A., Johns Hopkins Univ. Sarah Perez, M.F.A., Poetry Joshua Rivkin, M.F.A., Poetry Johnson, Garrett D., M.F.A. Moore, Kelly L., Ph.D. Giuseppe Taurino, M.F.A., Fiction B.A., Univ. of Houston M.F.A., Univ. of Houston B.A., Univ. of Tennessee Charles Alcorn, Ph.D., Fiction Jorgensen, Mari E., Ph.D. David Bernardy, Ph.D., Fiction M.A., Brigham Young College Shaw, Kent D., Ph.D. Amber Dermont, Ph.D., Fiction B.A., Brigham Young College M.F.A., Washington Univ. in St. James Hall, Ph.D., Poetry Louis Miho Nonaka, Ph.D., Poetry Keliher, Irene R., M.F.A. B.A., Univ. of Missouri Aaron Reynolds, Ph.D., Fiction B.A., Scripps College Ranjana Varghese, Ph.D., Fiction Siegel, Matthew S., M.F.A. Lombardi, David J., Ph.D. B.A., State Univ. of New York at M.F.A., Eastern Washington Univ. Binghamton B.A., Miami Univ.-Oxford Non-Fiction Voorhees, Coert A., M.F.A. B.A., Middlebury College Lee, Lisa S., M.F.A. J.D., Santa Clara University Yapa, Sunil S., M.F.A. B.A., Univ. of California-Berkeley B.A., Pennsylvania State Univ.

Joshua Rivkin, Giuseppe Taurino

CWP NEWS 12 The Creative Writing Program’s AWP 2006 2005-2006 writing competitions were judged by Kioko Mori for non- The UH Creative Writing - Pro fiction, Darin Strauss for fiction and gram, along with Inprint and Gulf Donna Masini for poetry. Coast, was a major sponsor of the The winners were: 2006 AWP convention in Austin, Nicky Beer, Brian Barker, Wayne Miller TX. Over 50 UH graduate students Michener Fellowship in Honor were able to attend the convention, of Donald Barthelme and they had their registration fees Bradford Hipps- Fiction waived because of our sponsorship Inprint Fellowship in Honor of the convention. UH faculty gave of Donald Barthelme several prominent readings. Chitra Jericho Brown- Poetry Divakaruni, Tony Hoagland, and Toni Nelson were among the con- Barthelme Memorial Fellowships vention’s featured readers. Other Sponsored by Inprint, Inc. faculty and students participated Andrew Kozma- Fiction in various panels. The UH recep- Claudia Rankine, David Vance Aaron Reynolds- Fiction tion was well-attended, as many old Miah Arnold- Non-Fiction friends got together and also made Kate Schmitt- Poetry new friends with the current faculty Jeanine Walker- Poetry and students. The convention was a major success for the University of Brazos Bookstore/Academy of Houston and demonstrated again American Poets Prize what an important, influential and Brandon Lamson vital program exists here. Honorable Mentions: Lacy Johnson and Sasha West Elline Lipkin, Laurie Newendorp, Laurie Lambeth

A Book for Daniel Stern

Sheep Meadow Press announced a December release date for the publication, A Book for Daniel Stern, a volume honoring the life and work of the CWP’s senior faculty member in fiction. The festschrift includes fiction, poetry, and both personal and critical essays from Stern’s closest friends, his esteemed colleagues, and former stu- dents. The editorial assistant for the book was Ph.D. candidate, Jericho Brown. A personal and moving tribute from Elie Wiesel introduces the book and it closes with an afterword by the distinguished critic Frank Kermode, who, considering Dan’s life and work together, says of him, “one of the most original men I’ve ever known.”

Daniel Stern said, “The festschrift, A Book for Daniel Stern, was born in the minds and hearts of Pam Diamond, a former student, and the poet Stanley Moss. The idea quickly spread to other students, past and present, colleagues and friends, writers all. My first reaction was, ‘I don’t deserve this—at least while I’m alive.’ But then I real- ized, ‘I don’t have to deserve it, just to accept it.’ He concluded, “My reactions now are simple: pleasure, pride, and gratitude.”

Events celebrating the publication in Houston and in New York City are now being planned by the University of Houston and Sheep Meadow Press. A Book for Daniel Stern will be distributed by the University Press of New England (www.UPNE.com, 1.800.421.1561) and listed with the University Press Catalogue this December.

- Jericho Brown

CWP NEWS 13 issue at Richmond Hall, the Menil Collection’s fluorescent-light installa- tion by artist Dan Flavin. The event included readings by James Hall, Nina Swamidoss McConigley, and Gulf Coast has received a great deal Miho Nonaka, as well as music by of recognition for literary excellence saxophonist Kelly Dean. If you are in the last few years. In an August in the Houston area and would like 2004 article for The Boston Globe, to be notified of upcoming readings, literary critic and editor Sven Birkerts fairs, and events, please email us at listed Gulf Coast as an “established [email protected]. player in the progressive mainstream” alongside such well-known publica- Be sure to check out recent and up- tions as Gettsyburg Review, Plough- coming issues of Gulf Coast. The shares, and Tin House. Some of the spring issue (Volume 18.2) featured earliest work of Jay Hopler (winner new work by Stephanie Dickinson, of the 2005 Yale Series of Younger David Hernandez, Michael Kardos, Poets award), Allan Peterson (winner Sarah Manguso, Davis McCombs, of the 2005 Juniper Prize), and David Daniel Nester, Minnie Bruce Pratt, Roderick (winner of the 2006 APR/ Arthur Saltzman, Tracy K. Smith, Honickman Prize) first appeared in G.C. Waldrep, and Mark Yakich. Gulf Coast’s pages. Interviews, essays, The fall issue (19.1) promises to be and poems from Gulf Coast issues one of our best yet, as it showcases are regularly featured on Poetry Dai- our contest winners, chosen by Eavan ly. Recent grants from the National Boland, John D’Agata, and Antonya Endowment for the Arts and The Nelson, as well as interviews with Cullen Foundation reflect both local emerging authors Gail Caldwell, and national support. Subscriptions, Christina Henríquez, and Ander submissions, and sales have nearly Monson. The issue also features the tripled in recent years. Once again, photographs of Amy Blakemore, Gulf Coast Table at the AWP Book Fair the journal will increase its print run who was chosen for the 2006 Whit- to respond to this demand. ney Biennial, as well as work by au- thors Julie Agoos, Catherine Barnett, Locally, Gulf Coast helps to make the Eula Biss, Stephen Burt, Gabrielle literary arts a vital and vibrant part of Calvocoressi, Victoria Chang, Arka- Houston. The annual reading series dii Dragomoshchenko, Elaine Equi, at Brazos Bookstore was voted “Best Laura Kasischke, Farnoosh Moshiri, Reading Series” by Houston Press Meghan O’Rourke, Emily Raboteau, in September 2004, and our read- Tomas Salamun, Aurelie Sheehan, ers also appear on KUHF’s “Front and Susan Wood. Subscriptions to Row.” On October 20th, 2005, Gulf Coast are offered to UH CWP the Gulf Coast Gala took place at affiliates for a special price of $25 for the exclusive Bayou Club, featuring two-years (a savings of $7 off the cov- readings by Justin Cronin and Mark er price) and $13 for one-year ($3 off Doty, as well as a special tribute to the cover price). Send check or money Karl Kilian. (Those interested in at- order along with subscription address tending this year’s event should con- to: Gulf Coast, Department of Eng- tact Gulf Coast for ticket and table lish, University of Houston, Hous- prices.) Lastly, this past year marked ton, TX 77204-3013. Also check out the start of a new tradition. In April, our website at: www.gulfcoastmag.org Gulf Coast launched its Spring 2005

CWP NEWS 14 Charlotte Berkowitz (M.A., 1986) Tracy Daugherty (Ph.D., 1985) is completed a PH.D. in English at UH Chair of the English Department at after receiving her M.A. She has pub- Oregon State University, where they Alan Ainsworth (Ph.D., 1996) has lished four interconnected essays have a “thriving” new MFA Program just completed editing an anthol- on the literary capacity of the Torah in Creative Writing. He recently re- ogy, 75 Arguments, for McGraw-Hill to humanize mankind by facilitating ceived a 2006 Guggenheim Fellowship which ought to be available this fall. a regenerative return to the mother for his writing which he plans to use to The anthology is designed for first year since 2003. The most recently pub- complete a biography of Donald Bar- argument and analysis courses. Two lished piece is called "A Feast of Hu- thelme. His latest book, a short story of his poems were included in Time manizing Words: How the Torah Can collection called Late in the Standoff, Slice, an anthology of Houston poets, Free Man from Slavery to His Image. was favorably reviewed in the New which included many UH faculty and Or, On Finding Fresh Milk in Joseph's York Times Book Review. He has a alums. He continues to be chair of Cup." It appears in the spring, 2006, piece forthcoming in McSweeney’s English at Houston Community Col- issue of the journal of the NAHE Magazine and is currently at work on lege Central. (National Association for Humanities a new novel. Education), Interdisciplinary Human- Christopher Bakken (Ph.D., 1999) ities. Robin Davidson’s (Ph.D., 2001) been has two new books appearing in late really busy this past year and it sounds 2006. His second book of poems, Shannon Borg (Ph.D., 1999) report- like she won’t slow down in the com- Goat Funeral, is being printed by ed that her first book of poems,Corset , ing year. She’s just completed her Sheep Meadow Press. And The Lions’ was released in May from Word Tech’s first year as an Assistant Professor of Gate: Selected Poems of Titos Patrikios, Cherry Grove Collections. English at the University of Houston- of which he is the co-translator, will Downtown, and has enjoyed the year be printed by Truman State Univer- Katherine Pannill Center (M.A., and her colleagues there enormously. sity Press. His new poems have ap- 1999) sold her first novel, The Bright She will serve as the Interim Director peared recently or are forthcoming in Side of Disaster, to Random House in a of the Cultural Enrichment Center Gettysburg Review, The Paris Review, two-book, hardcover deal. It is sched- for UH-Downtown in 2006-2007 Southwest Review and PN Review(U. uled to come out for summer 2007. while Jane Creighton (UH Alum, MA K.) and he is a regular contributor The other book is scheduled for 2008. 1991) spends the academic year as a of reviews to Contemporary Poetry Fulbright scholar in Krakow, Poland In Review (www.cprw.com). - Jane Creighton (M.A., 1991) got a (Typically she directs this center.). topher and Kerry Bakken welcomed Fulbright Lecturing Award and will Robin hopes to keep UH-D's collabo- their second child, Alexander Oscar, be spending the coming academic year ration with Inprint, Inc. alive during into the world last November. teaching at Jagiellonian University in Jane’s absence. She will also help co- Krakow. “Hurrah!” ordinate Houston Poetry Fest which is Kerry Neville Bakken’s (Ph.D., 2000) hosted annually on UH-D's campus. debut story collection, Necessary Lies, Deborah Cummins (M.A., 1994) She will serve as a new member of the was reviewed in the April 24th issue of still serves on the board of The Poetry 2006-2007 Board of Directors of the Publishers Weekly. The reviewer said, Foundation. She was the foundation’s Writers in the Schools program and is “Bakken’s quiet exploration of life’s first Chair of the Board from 2001 looking forward to it. bookends makes for an auspicious first – 2005. Her second book of poems, Robin’s chapbook entitled “Kneeling outing.” And she has a new baby. See Counting the Waves, was released in in the Dojo” was selected as a finalist Christopher’s news above. June from Word Press and is available for The Center for the Book Arts Po- through their website and through etry Chapbook Competition judged Brian Barker’s (Ph.D., 2004) book, Amazon. In July, Garrison Keillor by Jean Valentine and Sharon Dolin The Animal Gospels, was published by featured one of her poems on “The in March 2005. In April, 2005, she Tupelo Press in April. In the fall he’ll Writers’ Almanac”. Her work has also was invited to participate in the April be starting as an Assistant Professor appeared in The Yale Review, TriQuar- Conference 10 ("Language and Iden- and Coordinator of Creative Writing terly and New England Review. She tity: English and American Studies in at Murray State University in Murray, and her husband reside in Evanston, the Age of Globalization"), an inter- KY. IL, and Deer Isle, ME. national literary conference sponsored by the Jagiellonian University. She

CWP NEWS 15 presented and published, as part of two children. Her first novel, Love the 2006 American Poetry Anthology the conference proceedings, a paper Walked In, was published by Dutton Award. Also, Michael's first full-length entitled "Hope Leslie: Catharine Ma- in January of 2006. Marisa spent the collection of poems, My Soviet Union, ria Sedgwick's Response to the Epic." month of January on a national book won the 2006 Juniper Prize for Poetry In spring 2006, she finished a manu- tour and was glad to get home and from the University of Massachusetts script of poems entitled "The Shadow continue work on her second novel, Press, and is forthcoming from UMass of What Burns" and has just begun which is under contract at William in Spring 2007. New poems have ap- seeking publishers. She asks that you Morrow, where she moved to stay with peared in Alaska Quarterly Review, please keep your fingers crossed for her. her editor. She plans to deliver it in Pleiades, Post Road, and elsewhere. She adds, “I am sad to report that I do the fall. She left her teaching job at not yet have a published book of po- the University of Delaware last year in Annie Finch (M.A., 1986) published ems of my own--the greatest grief...” order to write full time, which, accord- three books in the last year: a book of Robin has been collaborating with ing to Marisa, has been great. essays and poems, The Body of Poetry: Ewa Elzbieta Nowakowska of Kra- Essays on Women, Form and the Poetic kow's Jagiellonian University on a Renee Dodd’s (M.F.A., 2004) novel, A Self (Poets on Poetry Series, University book of translation. They are translat- Cabinet of Wonders, will be published of Michigan Press); an anthology co- ing from Polish the entire poetic vol- by The Toby Press, September 2006. edited with Deborah Brown and Max- ume 1999 and selected poems from The Toby Press's website is http://www. ine Kumin, Lofty Dogmas: Poets on Po- subsequent volumes (Ja meaning "I" tobypress.com/, and Renee’s website, etry (University of Arkansas Press) and and Gdzie Indziej meaning "Some- which she tries to keep up to date with a translation of the Complete Poetry of where Else") by Ewa Lipska. The book writing-related news, is http://www. the very sexy Renaissance poet Louise is entitled The New Century: 1999 and reneedodd.com. Labé (University of Chicago Press). Other Poems. They also have a recent Annie is enjoying her new job as Di- translation, "No One," forthcom- Barbara Duffey (M.F.A., 2005) is rector of the Stonecoast low-residency ing in Literary Imagination . UH-D engaged to her partner, Andrew Bre- MFA, and she and Glen and their chil- nominated her for a 2006 National itenbach, and will be married in 2007. dren are well and love living in Maine. Endowment for Humanities summer She published an essay-review in Gulf She has a new website at anniefinch. stipend to support the completion of Coast (Summer/Fall 2006). Her po- com and has just started a blog there. this project. ems have also appeared in Indiana Re- She received a faculty development view, Blue Mesa Review and Epicen- Rebecca Flowers (M.F.A., 1994) award from UH-D and a John Woods ter. Barbara works as a grant writer in found out in July that her agent has scholarship from the Prague Summer the College of Education at UH, and gotten a book deal for her first novel Seminar to attend the four-week pro- teaches Technical Communications in –"whoo hoo!". There’s no title yet but gram this July in Prague--something the College of Technology. In Octo- it should be published by Riverhead she’s wanted to do for more than ten ber, 2005, she had three poems accept- sometime next year. years. She’s especially looking forward ed in Prairie Schooner and they should to the Czech literature course taught be forthcoming soon. Meg Franklin (M.F.A., 2000) says that by Petr Bilek of Charles University. her book is still a mess and being edited She hopes to present a paper there en- Michael Dumanis (Ph.D., 2005) is by her agent! She’s currently Assistant titled "Refugees of Reflection: Home now an Assistant Professor of Eng- Dean of Academic Affairs and Profes- and Exile in the Poems of Elizabeth lish and Creative Writing at Nebraska sional Lecturer of English at Marist Bishop, Ewa Lipska, and Liliana Wesleyan University in Lincoln. The College. She says, and we quote, “We Ursu". She attended the Poetry Fes- younger poets anthology he co-edited have a very successful lecture program tival at Round Top in early May, and with fellow CWP alum Cate Mar- in writing here, organized by me and felt restored by remembering “that in vin (MFA,1997), Legitimate Dangers: our faculty in creative writing.” the frenetic pace of daily university American Poets of the New Century, life, the life of poetry is the far most was released by Sarabande Books in Eva Ginzberg (M.F.A., 2001) has a substantitive one...” January 2006 and has garnered much story appearing in the new anthology, critical attention including reviews in Flash Fiction Forward, published by Marisa de los Santos (Ph.D., 1996) the San Francisco Chronicle, The Wall Norton. She’s living in Urbana, Illi- lives in Wilmington, Delaware, with Street Journal, and the Bloomsbury Re- nois, with her husband and son, and her husband, David Teague, and their view, a feature in American Poet, and teaches part-time at Parkland College.

CWP NEWS 16 Emily Fox Gordon continues to teach Robert House got a 3-year, partial bled by these phenomenal people.” workshops at Inprint. She will join the tenure contract with Tidewater Com- Leah also received a CACCH Artist's Rice English department in the Spring munity College in Virginia Beach, VA. Grant of $7000 this year for work on 2007 as a visiting writer. Her second He runs the Tidewater Literary Festi- her (forthcoming) memoir. memoir, Are You Happy?: A Childhood val each year. Remembered (Riverhead), was pub- Robert Liddell (M.F.A., 2005) will lished in March and was favorably re- Cliff Hudder (M.F.A., 1995) is teach- be published in Best New American viewed by Elizabeth McCracken in the ing at Montgomery College in Con- Voices 2007. New York Times Book Review. Emily roe, TX where most importantly he presented a reading and book signing and his wife, Kazumi, had a baby boy Elline Lipkin’s (Ph.D., 2003) book, at Brazos Bookstore. on October 4, 2005, 6 lbs, 6 ozs, 19 The Errant Thread, was just published inches: Dylan Masaki Hudder. Cliff, this April by Kore Press. It won the Ben Grossberg (Ph.D., 2000) won along with CWP alumnus Dave Par- Kore Press First Book Award and was the Richard Snyder Publication Prize sons, is a Program Director for the chosen by Eavan Boland. Elline is for his book of poems, Underwater Montgomery County Literary Arts still working as a Lecturer for College Lengths in a Single Breath, from Ash- Council which schedules a monthly Writing Programs and Women's Stud- land Poetry Press. His book will be reading series and a yearly small press ies at UC/Berkeley and just completed published by Ashland Poetry Press in publisher’s conference at the college. a residency at the Virginia Center for Dec. 2006. There was a $1,000 cash . . But most important is the Dylan the Creative Arts. Last summer she prize, plus 100 copies of the published thing—he’s GREAT. was the 2005 Writer in Residence at book. The Snyder Prize is an annual, the Paper and Book Intensive in Colo- open competition, for unpublished Lance Larsen’s (Ph.D., 1993) second rado Springs. book-length collections of poetry. The collection, In All Their Animal Bril- book will be published in a paper edi- liance (2005), won the Tampa Review Ann McCutchen is still teaching cre- tion of 1,000 copies. Prize, the Utah Center for the Book ative nonfiction at the University of Prize, and was a finalist for the Texas North Texas, and has two essays forth- Gretchen Heyer (M.A., 2001) won Institute of Letters Prize. His recent coming: "Reaching For The End Of first place at the Mayborn Institute work has or will appear in Southern Time" in the summer 2006 issue of Writing Conference last summer. Un- Review, Agni, Poetry Daily, Georgia Image, and "Five Sketches With B" in fortunately, she notified us too late to Review, Western Humanities Review, the fall 2006 issue of Boulevard. be included in last year’s newsletter Prairie Schooner, Orion, Field, An- but we wanted to be sure to let every- tioch Review, and The Pushcart Book Leslie Miller (Ph.D., 1991) reports one know about it. of Poetry: the Best Poems from the First that her fifth full-length collection 30 Years of the Pushcart Prize. A recent of poems, The Resurrection Trade, is Rick Hilles has won the Agnes Lynch nonfiction piece on Robert Smithson’s forthcoming from Graywolf Press next Starrett Prize, one of the nation’s most "Spiral Jetty" was mentioned as a no- spring. Three poems from this col- distinguished awards for a first book table essay in Best American Essays lection that appeared in the Summer of poetry. His manuscript was select- 2005. 2005 issue of Prairie Schooner Maga- ed from several hundred submissions. zine were given the Edward Stanley The prize includes $5,000 and publi- Leah Lax (M.F.A., 2004) has a con- Award. Poems from this collection cation in the University of Pittsburgh tract with the Houston Grand Opera have also appeared or are forthcoming Poetry Series. He teaches at Vander- to write the libretto for a new opera. in Kenyon Review, North American bilt University It will be performed for the twentieth Review, Ploughshares, Antioch Re- anniversary of the Wortham Center, view and Nimrod. Kelly Holt (M.F.A., 2005) moved on November 10, 2007. The work- back to Fort Worth, TX, where she’s ing title is "Song of Houston," and Wayne Miller (M.F.A., 2002) tells us teaching college, writing part time at it is about the immigrant experience that his first full-length collection of a local community college and writing in Houston. She has been interview- poems, Only the Senses Sleep, will be and submitting poetry whenever she ing people in six different immigrant published by New Issues this October, can. She has poetry forthcoming in communities and letting their stories and his collaborative translation of I American Literary Review. write this for her. Leah says, “I've been Don't Believe in Ghosts, by Albanian amazed, moved, entertained and hum- poet Moikom Zeqo, is scheduled to

CWP NEWS 17 appear from BOA in late 2007. He’s directs with his super colleague and publications in 5 AM, Pleiades, Ox- also co-editing The New European Po- fellow UH Alum Cliff Hudder (MFA, ford Magazine and Columbia Poetry etry, which features European poets 1995). They reached the milestone of Journal. She’s also co-editor of Pool: who published their first books after over 100 visiting readers this past year. A Journal of Poetry based in Los An- 1970, and which Graywolf will pub- And he now has four grand-children. geles. lish in 2008. He lives in Kansas City He says, “It's been a banner year for with Jeanne Ouellette (who was a UH me.” Eric Shade (M.F.A., 1999) has had English/Creative Writing major and stories published recently in Greens- who just finished her M.S.W.) and Robin Reagler (Ph.D., 1995) con- boro Review and River Stix and has teaches at Central Missouri State Uni- tinues to blog about family, poetry, one coming out in Fugue this sum- versity, where he co-edits Pleiades: A and art on her websites, http://theo- mer. He won the Flannery O’Conner Journal of New Writing. thermother.typepad.com and www. Award for Short Fiction for his book, bigwindow.org. She has an essay Eyesores. The book came out in 2003 Farnoosh Moshiri’s (M.F.A., 2000) published in Confessions of the Other but he’s just now publicizing it. He third novel, Against Gravity, was pub- Mother (Beacon Press) this spring. In also has a novel finished and is look- lished by Penguin in January. She pre- the fall, she will begin her tenth year ing for an agent/publisher. He cur- sented a reading and had a book sign- as Executive Director of Writers in the rently lives in Pennsylvania but plans ing at Borders Books. Against Gravity Schools (WITS). to move to Tokyo this summer. is a novel, set in Houston in the early 90’s and was chosen as the season’s Pattiann Rogers (M.A., 1981) won Karen (Glazier) Shepard’s (M.F.A., pick for both Barnes and Noble and a 2005 Lannan Literary Award for 1992) third novel, Don’t I Know You?, Borders Books. her poetry. The award has a prize of is out from William Morrow. $125,000. Laurie Newendorp (M.A., 1992) had Arthur Smith (Ph.D., 1986) says that 2 poems out this spring- "Isotope" and Martha Serpas (Ph.D., 1998) taught he has had a few poems “here and "Dogwood". Both are Emily Dickin- as Visiting Associate Professor of Re- there”. A Pushcart XIII poem, “A son related. Laurie says that she loved ligion and Literature at Yale Divin- Little Death”, is being reprinted in the AWP because she got to see so many ity School in Fall 05. She says it was Pushcart Book of Poetry: The Best Poems people! Since she writes at home, she odd to return as a faculty member From the First 30 Years of the Pushcart leads a solitary life with Orpheus, her to a pivotal place she had studied as Prize. He says it was a “pleasant sur- dear black Lab companion who's hav- a student, but wonderful to be back prise.” ing a difficult spring at 14 ½ years. around scholars of theology. Her sec- ond collection of poems, The Dirty J.D. Smith (M.A., 1989) announced Dave Parsons (M.A., 1991) reports Side of the Storm, will be published that his second collection of poems, that he is semi-retired from teach- by W. W. Norton in November. The Settling for Beauty, was published by ing...teaching only one Creative Writ- New Yorker included some of her Cherry Grove Collections in April. It ing class and a Handball/Racquetball poems right after Hurricane Katrina. was also mentioned in the UH publi- class at Montgomery College each She has enjoyed the credit of being a cation, Collegium. More recently, his semester. “A dream schedule for me!!!” speed writer or prophet, but she says op-ed "Pop Viagra and Save a Rhino" He has a collection of poems entitled her part of Louisiana has been “flood- appeared in the May 23rd edition of Color of Mourning coming out hope- ing and eroding for fifty years.” The the Los Angeles Times. His children’s fully next year from Texas Review disappearance of her home has been picture book, The Best Mariachi in Press and individual poems of late are her primary subject. She has been on the World, has been accepted by Ra- forthcoming in Louisiana Literature, sabbatical in Oregon and will return ven Tree Press and will be published Descant, The Texas Review, In The Eye: to full-time teaching at the University in 2008. He is currently circulating a A Nature Anthology by Thunder-Rain of Tampa in the fall. third collection of poems and writing Publishing for Habitat For Humanity essays and both literary and genre fic- of Louisiana, and Beyond Forgetting: Patty Seyburn (Ph.D., 2003) will be tion. He and his wife, Paula Van Lare An Alzheimer's Anthology of Prose & starting her tenure-track position as were married in October, 2005. They Poetry edited by Holly Hughes. Assistant Professor at California State live in Washington, DC, with Roo the Dave is still very busy with the Writ- University in Long Beach, CA, in Fall Rescue Dog, a beagle mix. er's In Performance Series that he co- 2007. She has recent or forthcoming

CWP NEWS 18 Amy Spade (M.F.A., 1997) has she traveled to the Nantucket Whal- had poems appear recently in Rose- ing Museum and to Staunton, VA, to bud, New Millennium Writings and do research on Melville and Woodrow Harpur Palate. Poems are forthcom- Wilson, thanks to the Minnesota State CWP Alumni Association ing in Connecticut Review and Po- Arts Board. Seeks a New Coordinator etry East. She also recently recorded a poem for “Writers in the Attic”, a Robert Tinajero (M.F.A., 2004) is cur- Glenn Blake played a crucial role in show on Connecticut Public Review, rently working on his Ph.D. in Com- helping start a much-needed alumni and read at Moe’s Books in Berkeley. position and Rhetoric at the Universi- She’s still teaching high school in Cali- ty of Texas-El Paso and teaching both association for the graduate Creative fornia. Composition and Poetry courses at Writing Program at UH. And just as the University. He also teaches cours- his work was bearing fruit, his life led Marilyn Stablein (M.A., 1984) has es at the El Paso Community College. him away from UH. We now need to had poems and stories published in Robert recently had a poem published find someone to replace Glenn and to Central Avenue, Ke5tra: Sound Lit- in the Texas Review and is still look- move the alumni association from its erature, Sin Fronteras, and New Per- ing for a publisher for his manuscript current state of planning to become spectives Magazine. In addition to "Love and Revolution" which came a functioning association to support readings and book signings, she pre- out of his MFA thesis. Robert will be UH alumni and to keep them con- sented her annual Day of the Dead getting married September 9, 2006, to nected to the program. If you are in- performance and installation. She has Cindy Duron, a nurse from El Paso. terested in taking on this leadership recently exhibited or will exhibit her Please visit his website at www.bluelet- role, please email Kathy Smathers assemblages and book art sculptures ters.com which has poetry, essays, ([email protected]). With the new in Woodstock, NY, Lexington, KY, links, a blog and some of his students’ studio reading series, which will bring Austin, TX, and Las Cruces, Corrales, essays. back UH alumni to read at UH and and Albuquerque, NM. She and her conduct residencies with our current husband Gary recently expanded their Jennifer Tseng’s (M.F.A., 2002) book, students, we are beginning to find used & rare bookstore, Acequia Book- The Man With My Face, was awarded ways to bring our alumni back to sellers, into Albuquerque where they a 2006 Beyond Margins PEN Award campus. It is an exciting time. We will host readings, art shows and lec- and was a finalist for the Texas Insti- have been busy and a little slow in tures. tute of Letters Helen C. Smith Memo- our organization, but we are deter- rial Award for best book of poetry for mined to establish a strong relation- Anna Stepanek (Ph.D., 2003) has a 2005. This fall she’ll be a visiting pro- ship with our alumni. What we need book coming out in October 2006. It fessor at The Colorado College. is help from those of you who are also is Three, Breathing and was selected by interested in participating in a strong Mary Ruefle as the winner of the Na- Randall Watson’s (Ph.D., 1995) latest alumni association. Please contact tional Poetry Series. book, The Sleep Accusations, was pub- us. We want to use this year to move lished by Eastern Washington Univer- the association from planning to real- Gail Donohue Storey (M.A., 1982) sity Press. ity, and we welcome and appreciate gave a Power Point presentation and your help. reading from her tragicomic memoir- Eric Miles Williamson (M.F.A., 1991) in-progress, about hiking the Pacific published his second novel, Two Up, Crest Trail with her husband, at the this year and Librarie Artheme Fayard Chautauqua Forum Series in Boulder, will publish the translation this fall CO, where she now lives. in Paris. Eric is Executive Editor of American Book Review and Associate Joni Tevis (M.F.A., 2001) is working Editor of Boulevard. At the Univer- on her Ph.D. here at the University sity of Texas, Pan American, he is As- of Houston and reports that this year sociate Professor of English, teaching she’s has essays accepted at Oxford contemporary literature and criticism. Tracy Daugherty, Rosselyn Brown, Glenn Blake and American, Conjunctions, Agni and He lives in McAllen, TX, with his Richard Lyons share a moment before a panel read- Bellingham Review. And this summer, wife, Judy, and their two sons. ing at the 2006 AWP Conference in Austin

CWP NEWS 19 0073019300 CWPNews University of Houston Creative Writing Program 229 Roy Cullen Building Houston TX 77204-3015

UnUniversity of Houston 2006-2007

Faculty M.F.A. Ph.D. Inprint Brown Reading Series

J. Kastely - Director Visiting Writers Robert Boswell On Leave UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON Karen Brennan Spring 2007 CREATIVE WRITING PROGRAM Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni 229 ROY CULLEN BUILDING Zadie Smith Mark Doty HOUSTON, TX 77204-3015 Joan Didion Nick Flynn (713) 743-3015 Barry Lopez Edward Hirsch On Leave [email protected] Stephen Dunn Tony Hoagland www.uh.edu/cwp Denise Duhamel Kathleen Lee Richard Ford ´ Cynthia´ Macdonald Emeritus Terrence McNally Jane Miller Fall 2006 Alicia Gaspar de Alba Antonya Nelson Inprint Studio Series Bob Hicok Luis Urrea Robert Phillips Anita Desai Daniel Stern Farnoosh Moshiri Andrew Feldon Kiran Desai John Weir Fall 2006 Mary Oliver Adam Zagajewski Pimone Triplett Emily Fox Gordon Edward Albee - School of Theatre Laura Kasischke

Application deadline for Fall 2007 Semester: January 15, 2007 Creative Writing Program

The Creative Writing Program is a constituent member of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts Teaching Assistantships´ and Fellowships available. The University of Houston is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity institution.  2006