MFA Payday

CW: death, alcohol Here's one of my earliest poems, "Renewal," inspired by the movie "Logan's Run." This was first published by aesterion out of California in their Spring 2026 issue.  I hope you enjoy it! 

Drema reads her poem, "Sonshine," about a face painter who tells a story about a opossum and her dog. CW: death While this is not a polished reading, it is heartfelt and I hope it might ease your pain if you've suffered loss.  This first appeared on my blog, then recently was published by Bards Against Hunger. 

Today I’m sharing a reading of my (Drema's) poem White Lake Fish . Poetry found me again last spring, and I’ve been following where it leads. Content note: this poem deals with death.

"Control: The Language" Read by the author, Drema Drudge, on a chilly winter's day. This was one of the earliest poems she (I) wrote. At least recently. 

A flash of memory. A poem that knows exactly how it feels to be struck by something you didn’t see coming. In this brief reading, I share Some Said It Thundered , a poem about those sudden sparks that keep echoing long after the moment passes. Think Back to the Future , but make it poetry. Make it personal. Happy holidays, friends, and may your heart stay just flammable enough. Keep creating!  “So...

Read by the author, Drema Drudge, on a fall night on a porch while listening to the leaves fall, with a raspy throat but a determined heart. Because the muse is always with us.  Written and read by Drema Drudge. © 2025. All rights reserved.

Just sharing another poem, "Fight Me in the Waffle House Parking Lot at Dawn," first published by The Daily Drunk. Many thanks to them.  As I say before I read the poem, this came to me while I was on cold medicine and was awake at maybe three a.m. and this little critter just showed up.  I really like it. Oh, and the onion rings line? Like someone taking out their earrings for a fight,...

In this mini episode, Drema Drudge reads her original poem, All In , recorded live from her porch with a very vocal bird as uninvited co-host.  A quiet reflection on mutual wisdom. Background ambiance includes a determined bee and a loud, possibly judgmental bird. Written and read by Drema Drudge. © 2025. All rights reserved.

Andrew Najberg returns with a couple of short readings from his forthcoming releases and a discussion of the origins of his novels.  You don't want to miss this!  www.mfapayday.com 

Our guests on this episode are the co-hosts of Once upon a Disney Podcast, Larry Brenner and Andie Redwine.   Check out their Facebook fan page https://www.facebook.com/onceuponadisneypodcast, and listen to their podcast most any place where podcasts can be heard. 

Here's an interview with the co-host of MFA Payday, Drēma Drudge.  Her bio:  "Welcome! I’m Drēma Drudge, author. From reading cereal boxes on the breakfast table when I was a wee thing to reading my first chapter book in a mimosa tree which birthed my love for novels and twinned it with my affection for trees, the written word and I have been fast friends forever. I’ve also been writing...

Recently we had a fascinating conversation with Helen Zuman.  Bio: After graduating from Harvard in 1999, Helen Zuman joined a cult—oops!—stayed for five years, then composted the stinky guck of that experience into fertile soil via Mating in Captivity, her award-winning memoir. Next, she published What Is a Sex Cult? How Cults Reveal Our Culture. As of 2023, she is working on a novel, provisional...

Just stopping in to say a quick hey from a beach on Lake Michigan and encourage you to find your happy place  and tell you to take a well-deserved artist's date! 

Friend of the podcast, Chella Courington, returns to read from her “Hearts Forged in Resistance.” Chella Courington returns to our podcast to share her latest release, a dynamic volume of poetry called “Hearts Forged in Resistance,” pre-order price guaranteed until September 8, 2023. The book will be released by Finishing Line Press on November 10, 2023.  Listen to us speak with Chella about her h...

Patricia Hudson  has been a freelance writer for more than 30 years. She's written for magazines ranging from Country Living to Women's Sports and Fitness, but her favorite assignments focus on historical topics. She was a contributing editor at Americana magazine for more than a decade, writing about historic preservation, folk art, and travel destinations for history lovers. As a frequ...

On this episode we talk with author Anne Armistead. Take a listen!  From Anne:  Welcome to my writing journey! I write love stories, set in the past and present. I earned my English literature degree from the University of Georgia and my MFA in Creative Writing from Spalding University. I am a member of the Atlanta Writers Club, Georgia Romance Writers, and the Historical Novel Society. When I&apo...

We recently interviewed the fabulous, talented, and hilarious Kate Beer writing as Eliza MacArthur.  The quote in the title "Everything is a love story" is her sharing the best advice she received in grad school from the amazing Kenny Cook!  Eliza MacArthur is a writer of romance and humor. She lives in the mid-south with her husband, two feral werewolf children, and two doodles who, if...

On today's episode we speak with author Teddy Jones about writing no matter your age. She was a joy to interview, and what a lovely voice she has.  Teddy Jones is the author of five published novels, Halfwide; Jackson’s Pond, Texas; Slanted Light, the second in the Jackson’s Pond, Texas series; Making It Home, the third, and Well Tended; as well as a collection of short stories, Nowhere Near....

On this episode, Barry and I talk with a wonderful writing duo, Ted Chiles and Chella Courington. Chella Courington (she/her) is a writer and teacher whose poetry and fiction appear in numerous anthologies and journals including DMQ Review , The Los Angeles Review , and Anti-Heroin Chic . She was raised in the Appalachian south and now lives in California with another writer and two feline boys. H...

Today, we speak with Ashley B. Davis about self-publishing and more.  Ashley B. Davis writes the ordinary and extraordinary. She has poetry and short work appearing in Trembling With Fear, The Grey Rooms Podcast, Months to Years, Liquid Imagination, Jamais Vu, and Eunoia Review. When she is not living in fictional worlds, she lives with her partner, her seven-year-olds, and two rescue cats in sout...

Elizabeth Burton is a working writer whose fiction and non-fiction have appeared in numerous literary journals and anthologies. She holds an MFA from the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing at Spalding University. She lives and teaches in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, with her husband and a plethora of animals. On this episode, Elizabeth shares with us literary journal submission etiquette, as well...

The delightful Melissa Hamilton joins us on this episode to talk about her MFA experience, her work in science, puppetry, and planning unicorn parties! 

Have you published everything you wanted to in 2022?  Let’s submit everything on your computer BEFORE the end of the year!  We’ve just put the finishing touches on the six-week Pitch Your Pants Off Challenge from Nov. 1 to Dec. 15 which contains the same steps we’ve used to publish nearly everything we’ve written since we graduated with our MFA’s.  This is a complete challenge that gives you every...

Andrew Najberg is the author of the speculative horror novel Gollitok (Cactus Moon Press, 2023), the collection of poems The Goats Have Taken Over the Barracks (Finishing Line Press, 2021), and the chapbook Easy to Lose (Finishing Line Press 2007). His short fiction has appeared in Prose Online, Psychopomp Review, Bookends Review, Wondrous Real,  Utopia Science Fiction and others.  His poems have...

On this, episode one of MFA Payday, we interview Matt Berman who sees himself has half writer, half photographer. We love this deep dive with Matt into how his after-the-MFA journey has developed.  Join us here and over at mfapayday.com. There, you can get your very own "Pitch Your Pants Off" FREE submission tracker when you sign up for our newsletter.