MFA Writers

Writers often share work in readings, but how often do we write stories that are designed to be read aloud? Lewis Millholland tells Jared about preparing for a reading by creating a piece “that was short, had a lot of repetition, no dialogue, and noticeable voice changes.” Millholland also discusses drawing inspiration from Harvard Business Review case studies, bumping into Salman Rushdie at the S...

Florida is more than a setting in Taylor Melia Elyse Mahone’s fiction. It’s wild, prehistoric, and supernatural. It’s a place where alligators are dinosaurs in the night, and the universe might just be carried on the back of one. Taylor draws on the landscape, mythology, and Gothic strangeness of her home state to build stories.  In this episode, Jared and Taylor talk about the intimate writing co...

In this episode, Jared and Shipra Agarwal talk about writing desire, shame, and female sexuality within collectivist cultures, and how those themes shape Shipra’s writing. They discuss the complicated responsibility of writing about India for a Western audience and the pressure to represent an entire culture. Shipra shares why she believes the answer is not to shy away from writing about home, but...

In this episode, Mohammad Hakima tells Jared about immigrating to the United States from Iran, experiencing culture shock in America, and the very different mechanisms of social control he encountered in each country. They discuss the freedoms that can be hard-won in Iran versus the subtler pressures of American life, including what Mohammad calls “manufactured desires”: the ways culture and consu...

katie wills evans is a second-year MFA candidate in fiction at the University of New Orleans who considers herself a poet and teacher above all else, having spent the last fourteen years working with teenagers in New Orleans public schools. Their short story "Something for the Children" was a finalist in Writer's Digest's 2024 Short Short Story contest, their poem "meth addicted fish" was a finali...

In our Season 7 premiere, Jemimah Wei talks about her debut novel, The Original Daughter , and how growing up in Singapore shaped the way she thinks about storytelling, identity, and our relationship with technology. She and Jared also explore what Singapore can teach us about the rapidly changing world of AI, the ways technology is training us to move faster than we were meant to, and how reading...

On this episode, Jonny Teklit sits down with Jared to talk about crafting odes to small, granular subjects, sharing his personal productivity tips and the common writing advice that doesn’t work for him. Plus, Jonny discusses the pros and cons of UW-Madison’s rotating genre admissions policy and reflects on how Lynda Barry’s comics class changed his perspective on creative talent, revision, and ex...

15 years after her MFA, and 4 years after scrapping a book that just wasn’t working, Meghan Perry’s debut novel WATER FINDS A WAY is receiving strong positive reviews, including a coveted Kirkus star. She joins Jared to talk about the realities of post-grad writing, going “scorched earth” on revision, and the process of turning short stories into a full-length novel. Plus, she talks about groundin...

Poets are known for considering form in their writing, but form is also critical in fiction. In fact, for Tyler R. Moore, form tells us the most about the story. “It’s the structure, scaffolding, bones, and architecture.” In this episode, Tyler tells Jared about approaching each story with a different structure, including his recent piece told exclusively through voicemails. Plus, Tyler discusses...

How do voice-driven writers find their characters? Austin Tucker tells Jared how he uses collage and research into his characters’ life histories to craft voices that are often “on the edge of collapse.” Plus, Austin discusses the pros and cons of a small program with 6-8 students in each poetry workshop, healthcare access as a PhD student, and opportunities to design and teach composition, worksh...

What does it mean to honor the reader? In this episode, Rey M. Rodríguez joins Jared to discuss why writing is, at its heart, a sacred act. They explore the profound influence Rey's mother had on his creative life, his journey as a writer, and how the Institute of American Indian Arts helped him deepen his understanding of storytelling, identity, and justice. Along the way, Rey reflects on the...

Integrating elegy, ekphrasis, and dance notation, Oli Peters’s thesis project is a multilingual, multi-genre exploration in translation and lyric poetry. In this episode, she shares how her program encourages creative experimentation, even when she submits work that feels “absolutely unpublishable, verging on unreadable.” Plus, she discusses her courses in Medieval manuscripts and theater, univers...

This week, we’re joined by YA author Caroline J. Trussell to talk about what it really means to write and publish beyond the debut. The conversation explores the pressure and possibility of a second book, the realities of building a career in YA, and why mental health and representation remain central to her work. We discuss the lasting influence of books you read when you are young, the importanc...

Marisol Aveline Delarosa joins Jared to discuss what it means to be a nonfiction writer in a time that often feels chaotic and unkind. They talk about pursuing a second MFA in travel writing, building a creative life in New York City, and becoming her truest self by committing to a writer’s life. Marisol reflects on how writers meet the moment, balancing rage, fear, and joy, and what it means to b...

What does poetry look like when it starts with an equation? Brad Hoge joins Jared to discuss how his background in wetland ecology, biogeochemistry, and science education shapes the way he writes. Brad approaches poetry as a space for questioning and meaning-making. They discuss the challenges of writing about climate change, the psychology behind science denial, and how creativity lives at the ce...

In this instant classic episode, Wilson M. Sims and Jared talk about the step-by-step process of getting an agent, what they do (or know they shouldn’t do) when a story isn’t working, how MFA programs are like basketball drills, and approaching craft discussions in ways that are more flexible and time-varying than declarative and concrete. Plus, Wilson discusses making lasting connections with fac...

Self-proclaimed “protest poet” Komal Bukhari tells Jared what this title means to her and how, in her view, speaking truth to power is not an act of bravery—it’s a way of being. They also discuss Komal’s process, how she approaches the heavy themes of her work with patience to avoid burnout, and how MFA deadlines complicate this process. She also tells Jared about teaching creative writing versus...

Award-winning cinematographer Michael Fitzer joins Jared to talk about his work in the film industry and how it compares to writing about their own experience in the US military. Michael shares what it’s like to build a creative career in Louisville, Kentucky’s growing film scene. He also reflects on how the magic of the Spalding Low-Residency MFA transformed his writing path, offering guidance an...

LA-based spoken word poet edwin bodney joins Jared to explore what it really means to build an authentic writing life rooted in connection and community. edwin shares their journey to finding an artistic home at Da Poetry Lounge and why discovering the right community can shape your craft, confidence, and longevity as a writer.  They also tackle the question, “Do you need an MFA to be successful?”...

MFA Writers is going to Canada! Neil Griffin, wildlife biologist turned poet and essayist, tells Jared about how both ecology and writing require patience, openness, and vision. Plus, Neil talks about whether “creative nonfiction" is a useful label, the pros and cons of a small program, and UVic’s emphasis on training students in creative writing pedagogy. Neil Griffin is a poet, essayist, an...

Following Venezuela’s disputed presidential election, debut author Alejandro Puyana returns to the show to discuss his novel, which explores the revolutionary lives of both ordinary and extraordinary Venezuelans over the span of fifty years. He also shares insights with Jared about the rewrites he made to his MFA thesis before publication, the experience of collaborating with an editor, and the jo...

Memoirist and director of the Institute for American Indian Arts MFA program Deborah Jackson Taffa talks to Jared about her new book, Whiskey Tender. Deborah shares how memoir writing is a form of familial and historical preservation, and offers advice on having difficult conversations with the real people who appear in our creative nonfiction. Plus, she discusses the value of the low-res IAIA pro...

Tyler Ayres draws on his extensive resume in manufacturing, Chinese translation, and hospitality to inform his workplace fiction, exploring interpersonal conflict, pressure, and bonds. He joins Jared to discuss the craft behind these stories, as well as his experience with granular writing study (think: syllables, punctuation), Chatham’s focus on nature and travel writing, and the opportunity to t...

Many people pursue an MFA to have time to write (time enough at last!), but how much time does an MFA student really have? Josephine Gawtry talks to Jared about the day-to-day demands of an MFA program and creating space in her schedule to experiment with her statement-based poetry. Plus, she discusses Colorado State’s supportive community, a doubt-free workshop environment, and lessons learned fr...

Rone Shavers joins Jared for our annual application episode to discuss the differences between MFA and PhD applications and programs. Rone and Jared talk about how to choose the right program, put together the best application, and get the most out of your time in a program. Before that, they discuss Rone’s “funky” novel Silverfish and how getting over the pressure of making a commercially viable...