CCA MFA Program in Writing Newsletter: February 2014

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

wednesday, february 26 - thursday, march 6, 2014

Vol. 2, Issue 24

NEWS

Knopf will publish a new book by Emily Raabe (MFAW '03), Lost Children of the Far Islands on April 8! You can pre-order here.

Carville Annex will publish a book of autobiographical essays by Jordan Karnes (MFAW '12), It Hasn't Stopped Being California Here on March 15! Look below for associated readings.

PUBLICATION

Aimee Phan (MFAW Chair) wrote an essay for Talking Writing, "Why Mainstream Critics Fail Writers of Color" which was then picked up by Salon!

Candra Kolodziej (MFAW '09) has a new story, "Bones in the Belly" published on Hobart.

Jordan Karnes (MFAW '12) has two poems published in the first issue of The Juvenilia.

The Nigerian-Nordic Girl's Guide to Lady Problems, by Faith Adiele (MFAW faculty), is one of the inaugural titles from new e-publisher SheBooks. Available on nook and Kindle.

Here's an article by Max Cherney (MFAW '11) about the booming commercial surveillance industry for Motherboard.

KQED Pop's Emmanuel Hapsis (MFAW '09) on ladies' Olympic figure skating.

MEDIA

Excerpts from Cunt Norton by Dodie Bellamy (MFAW faculty) as well as its accompanying artist statement were features this week in the PEN Poetry Series, edited by Maggie Nelson.

Marissa Bell Toffoli (MFAW '06) has new Q&A's with Janet Burroway, Aria Cunningham, and Kenan Trebinčević on W³ Sidecar.

ON-CAMPUS

TUE 4: Roundtable: Graduate Lecture Series presents Olu Oguibe, Kemang Wa Lehulere, and Vaughn Sadie, 7pm in Timken (SF) more info

OFF-SITE

WED 26: Reading: Reading featuring David Brazil, Jackqueline Frost, Evan Kennedy 7:30pm at Canessa Gallery (708 Montgomery St, SF)

THU 27: AWP: Literary Politics: White Guys and Everyone Else with Aimee Phan (MFAW Chair), Lorraine Berry (moderator), Roxane Gay, Amy Hoffman, Mat Johnson, 12 - 1:15pm, Room 612 (Washington State Convention Center, Seattle)

THU 27: AWP: Reading Virginia's Mail: Letters and Journals as Creative Nonfiction with Faith Adiele (MFAW faculty), S.L. (Sandi) Wisenberg (moderator), Donald Morrill, Kenny Kruse, 1:30 - 2:45pm, Room 2B (Washington State Convention Center, Seattle)

THU 27: AWP: Anthology, featuring Aimee Phan (MFAW Chair), Alexander Chee, Paul Lisicky, Cari Luna and Vanessa Veselka, 9pm at Sam's Tavern (1024 E Pike St, Seattle)

THU 27: AWP Off-site: Reading: Ping Pong & Poetry Crush with Hugh Behm-Steinberg (MFAW faculty), Kim Addonizio, Joanna Fuhrman, Joe Hall, Cheryl Quimba, Adeena Karasick, Amy Lawless, James Maughn, Sampson Starkweather, Daniel M. Shapiro, J. Hope Stein, Rauan Klassnik, Janaka Stucky, Maria Garcia Teutsch, Peter Kline, Brittany Perham, 7pm at The Butterfly Lounge (1512 11th Avenue, Seattle) FB event

THU 27: Reading: Writing Without Walls: TAINTED LOVE, featuring Notty Bumbo, Lisa Gordon (MFAW '10), Yume Kim, Charles Kruger, Christine No, Susanna Solomon and David Welper, 7:30pm at Cafe du Soleil (200 Fillmore St, SF)

FRI 28: Open Mic: The San Francisco Queer Open Mic featuring music by Jade Way and writer performer Sevan Kelee, sign ups at 7pm and begins at 7:30pm, at The Modern Times Bookstore (2919 24th St, SF)

FRI 28: Reading: Under the Influence Under the Influence • Round 11 featuring Liz Mayorga (MFAW '13 ) ~ Sherman Alexie, Jane Gregory ~ Nathaniel Dorsky, Agnes Martin + Stuart Sherman, Evan Kennedy ~ George Herbert and Melissa R. Sipin ~Roberto Bolaño, 7:30pm at The Emerald Tablet (80 Fresno Street, SF) FB Page

FRI 28: AWP: Family Trouble: Memoirists on the Hazard and Rewards of Revealing Family with Faith Adiele (MFAW faculty), Joy Castro (moderator), Ralph Savarese, Sue William Silverman, Stephanie Elizondo Griest, 10:30 - 11:45am, Room 602/603 (Washington State Convention Center, Seattle)

FRI 28: AWP: Rigor Mortis or Rigor Vitalis? Signs of Life in the Creative Writing Classroom with Tom Barbash (MFAW faculty), Amy Lemmon (moderator), Mairéad Byrne, Lesley Lesley Jenike, Matt Donovan, 10:30 - 11:45am, Room 3A (Washington State Convention Center, Seattle)

FRI 28: AWP: Booksigning: Tom Barbash (MFAW faculty), 12 - 12:30pm, Table P28 in the Bookfair room (Seattle, WA)

FRI 28: AWP: Booksigning: Caroline Goodwin (MFAW faculty), 12:30 - 1pm, Table P28 in the Bookfair room (Seattle, WA)

FRI 28: AWP: Building a Space for Comics in the Creative Writing Program with Matt Silady (MFAC Chair), Justin Hall (MFAC faculty), Nathan Holic (moderator), Jeffrey Chapman, Leslie Salas, 1:30 - 2:45pm, Room 3B (Washington State Convention Center, Seattle)

FRI 28: AWP: Beyond the "Axis of Evil:" Shattering the Stereotypes of Iran and Iranians Through Fiction with Anita Amirrezvani (MFAW faculty), Jasmin Darznik (BA WRLIT faculty), Persis Karim (moderator), omif fallahazad, Marjan Kamali, 1:30 - 2:45pm, Room 303 (Western New England MFA Annex)

FRI 28: AWP: Writing Comics the AWP Way with Justin Hall (MFAC faculty), Jeffrey Chapman (moderator), Nathan Holic, Rich Shivener, Rebecca Claire Stephens, 3 - 4:15pm, Room 2B (Washington State Convention Center, Seattle)

FRI 28: AWP: Art School Writing Faculty Caucus with Hugh Behm-Steinberg (MFAW faculty) (moderator), Monica Drake, Sophia Kartsonis, Grant Hier, Ryan Van Cleave, 6 - 7:15pm, Room 611 (Washington State Convention Center, Seattle)

FRI 28: AWP: Reception: California College of the Arts Reception, 7 - 8:15pm, Issaquah A & B, Sheraton Seattle Hotel. FB Event

FRI 18: AWP Off-site: VONA/Voices and Dismantle Launch Party at AWP with Faith Adiele (MFAW faculty) and others, 9pm at LovecityLove (1430 Summit Ave, Seattle)

TUE 4: Reading/Lecture: Literary Lecture Series with Faith Adiele (MFAW faculty), 11:15am, Santa Monica College (HSS 165, 1900 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica)

TUE 4: Reading/Release Party: Eleven Eleven Issue #16 Release Party, featuring Kate Robinson, Nana Twumasi (MFAW '07), Lewis Ellingham, Kenneth Wong and Emily Meg Weinstein, 7:30pm at City Lights (261 Columbus Avenue at Broadway, SF) FB Event

COMING UP

3/7: Reading: MFAW 3rd Student Reading, readers TBA, 6pm at the MFA Writing Writers' Studio (SF)

3/7: Reading: Quiet Lightning: Issue #50 of sparkle + blink with Chloé Veylit (MFA '13), Matt Leibel, Monica Mody, Cosmo Spinosa, Moneta Goldsmith, Geraldine Kim, Lex Kosieradzki, RJ Ingram, Siamak Vossoughi, Tomas Moniz, Michael Cooper, Teresa K Miller, 7:30p at San Francisco Center for the Book (375 Rhode Island, SF) more info

3/7: Reading: Ugly Duckling Presse - San Francisco Spectacular with Dodie Bellamy (MFAW faculty), Tom Comitta (MFAW '11), Micah Ballard, Brent Cunningham, Patrick Dunagan, John Sakkis, Cedar Sigo, Sara Wintz and others, 7:30pm at The Green Arcade Books Ideas Goods (1680 Market, SF) FB event

3/7: Reading: Live at 851 featuring Melissa Broder, Ben Mirov (Eleven Eleven #14 contributor), Mike Kitchell and Lucy Tiven, 8pm at The Squat (849 Haight St, SF)

3/10-14: Thesis Candidacy Review Meetings

3/10: Reading: Words As Works/Punk Hostage Press featuring Alexandra Naughton, SB Stokes (Eleven Eleven #14 Contributor), Joel Landmine and Kimberly Kim (MFAW '11), 7pm at Pegasus Books Downtown (2349 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley)

3/13: Conversation: REEL WARRIOR: with Pratibha Parmar (MFAF visiting artist) and Allan deSouza, 7pm at Brava Theater Center (2781 24th Street, SF) more info

3/14: MFAW Writers Series presents Julie Patton, 4:30pm in the MFA Writing Writers' Studio, 195 De Haro (SF) (MORE INFO/FB EVENT)

3/14: Reading: Soft Water Studios presents Femme Fantasy with presentation/reading by Amber DiPietra (MFAW '04) and other events, 6 - 10pm at Soft Water Studios (515 22nd Street, Saint Petersburg, FL) FB Event

3/15: Book launch/Reading: Carville Annex presents Jordan Karnes and Ryan Funk (both MFAW '12), APQ Commune Inquiry Release Party, 12pm at SF Botanical Gardens Redwood Grove (SF) more info

3/16: Small Press Traffic presents Renee Gladman and Evelyn Reilly, hosted by Joelyn Saidenberg, 5pm at Artists' Television Access (992 Valencia, SF)

3/21: Book Release Reading: A History of Broken Love Things by SB Stokes (Eleven Eleven #14 Contributor) featuring readers Cassandra Dallett, Jennifer Brown, Zarina Zabrisky (Eleven Eleven #13 Contributor), Sonya Renee Taylor, Mk Chavez, Yume Kim, Tara Rose, Carmella Suzanne Fleming, Lauren Traetto, Dana Andrews, Alexandra Naughton and Hollie Hardy, 6:30-9pm at Monarch (101 6th St, SF)

3/24-28: SPRING BREAK

3/27: Reading: Writing Without Walls: "A Certain Kind of Madness," readers TBA, 7:30pm at Cafe Du Soleil (200 Fillmore St, SF)

3/27: Reading: Carville Annex presents Jordan Karnes (MFAW '12), Junior Clemens (MFAW '10), and others, 7pm at Unnameable Books (NYC) more info

3/29: Reading: Carville Annex presents Jordan Karnes (MFAW '12), Molly Prentiss (MFAW '10), Nabil Kashyap, Iris Cushing, 2pm at TBD (NYC) more info

4/3: Lecture: Graduate Lecture Series presents Hunter Lovins, 7pm in Timken (SF) more info

4/10: Lecture: Graduate Lecture Series presents Helen Molesworth, 7pm in Timken (SF) more info

4/10: Lecture: City Arts & Lectures presents Tony Kushner in conversation with Steven Winn, 7:30pm at Nourse Theater (275 Hayes St, SF) (See Classifieds below for Student Discount)

4/11: Final Unbound Thesis Due

4/17: MFAW Writers Series presents Akhil Sharma, 4:30pm in the MFA Writing Writers' Studio, 195 De Haro (SF) (MORE INFO/FB EVENT)

4/18: Word.World 2014, thesis readings by students in CCA's MFA Program in Writing, 7pm (SF)

4/19: Literary Festival: 4th SF Diasporic Vietnamese Literary Festival with Anhvu Buchanan, Thao P. Nguyen, Kim Thuy, Bich Minh Nguyen, Phong Nguyen, Masahiro Sugano, 8 - 10pm at the African American Art & Culture Complext (762 Fulton)

4/24: Graduate Lecture Series presents Anne Carson, 7pm in Timken Lecture Hall (SF) more info

4/25: Word.World 2014, thesis readings by students in CCA's MFA Program in Writing, 7pm (SF)

4/27: Small Press Traffic presents Lisa Robertson and Jeff Derksen, hosted by Dodie Bellamy (MFAW faculty), 5pm at Artists' Television Access (992 Valencia, SF)

5/2: Word.World 2014, thesis readings by students in CCA's MFA Program in Writing, 7pm (SF)

5/9: Reading: ENGAGE: Teaching Creative Creative Writing with Matt Iribarne (MFAW faculty) presents Oakland School for the Arts students, 2p in the Writers Studio (195 De Haro, SF)

5/5-9: Final Thesis Review Meetings

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

wednesday, february 19 - thursday, february 27, 2014

Vol. 2, Issue 23

NEWS

Will you be at AWP 2014 in Seattle this year? Let us know! We're hosting a reception and would love alums and students to be there. See below for dates/times.

PUBLICATION

Megan Taylor (MFAW '09) has an article, "Clothes Optional," in the Summer/Fall 2013 issue of Wilder Quarterly.

Anne Lesley Selcer's (MFAW '13) poems, from the Hearts Desire reading are posted as "New poems by Anne Lesley Selcer" and "More Anne Lesley Selcer," on THE DISINHIBITOR blog.

Katie Wudel (MFAW '06) has a new post, "Precision and Splendor" on Our Minutes, of which she is also Managing Editor; she also has a story, "Halves & Wholes" in the Tenth Anniversary issue of Fairy Tale Review.

Laura Schadler (MFAW '07) has a story, "The Lighthouse Keeper's Wife" up on Better #4 which includes text, audio, and video of her reading on the beach!

A couple pieces from Kevin Killian (MFAW faculty); a review of Michael Robison's The Dark, Krystle for Dirty Looks NYC and an Amazon review of British Pottery and Porcelain.

MEDIA

Stephen Leeper (MFAW) shares some wisdom in the blog post "Ten Surprising Desires of Muslim Men," by Ayesha Mattu and Nura Maznavi on the Huffington Post Religion blog; he was also interviewed for an article about Salaam, Love on Public Radio International.

David Aloi (MFAW '09) is featured with his significant other on the Refinery29 post, "5 S.F. Couples Share Their Fave Hobbies."

Catch video of Hugh Behm-Steinberg (MFAW faculty) reading at the Bernal Yoga Reading Series on February 1, 2014.

ON-CAMPUS

WED 19: Workshop: Res/Art Workshop and Presentation, 5-7:30pm at the Florence and Leo B. Helzel Boardroom/Timken (SF) (INFO/RSVP)

WED 19: Screening: Spectrum Queer Media celebrates Audre Lorde's 80th birthday with a special screening of "Audre Lorde: The Berlin Years," 8-10pm at Timken (SF)

FRI 21: MFAW Writers Series presents Max Posner, 4:30pm in the MFA Writing Writers' Studio, 195 De Haro (SF) MORE INFO / FB Event

FRI 21: Reading: MFAW 2nd Student Reading, featuring Natalie Catasus (MFAW '14), Alicia Franco (MFAW '14), Berenice Freedome (MFAW '15), Allie Chandler (MFAW '15), Phil Lumsden (MFAW '15), Evan Adams (MFAW '15), Zane Hawley (MFAW '14), Kat Croswell (MFAW '14) and Jenny Goldsmith (MFAW '14), 6pm at the MFA Writing Writers' Studio (SF)

FRI 21: Launch: Samizdat Literary Journal with readings by contributors Caroline Goodwin (MFAW faculty), Kimberly Kim (MFAW '11), Melissa Kuhn (MFAW '13), Stephen Leeper (MFAW '15) among others, 6:30pm at Spice Monkey Cafe (1628 Webster, OAK) INFO

SUN 23: Open Studios: CCA Graduate Students in Fine Arts open their studios, 1-4pm at 185 Hooper St, SF

TUE 25: Exhibit/Lecture: Swissnex San Francisco and the CCA Wattis Institute for Contemporary Art presents "Digital Promises in Art Book Publishing," 6-9pm at The Wattis (360 Kansas St, SF) (INFO/RSVP)

OFF-SITE

WED 19: Reading/Release Party: The Gorilla Press presents the Yesterzine 3 Release "Camber" featuring Jennifer S Cheng, Alexandra Naughton, Tomas Moniz, and Kwan Booth, 7-9pm at the Make-Out Room (3225 22nd Street, SF)

THU 20: Reading: MFA Mixer featuring Candace Eros Diaz, Sean Patrick Negus, Eva Mejia, Jennifer Williams, Nicole Henares, Max Lemanowicz, Sarah Lyn Rogers, Rinidad Escobar, Juliana Delgado Lopera, Kristin McCandless, 7pm at The Cat Club (1190 Folsom St, SF)

MON 24: Reading: Reading featuring Trisha Low, J. Gordon Faylor and Kate Robinson (Eleven Eleven #16 Contributor), 8pm at the Public School (2141 Broadway St, Oakland)

TUE 25: Reading/Launch: Pilgrimly by Siobhan Scarry featuring readers Hugh Behm-Steinberg (MFAW faculty) and Anita Lahey, 7:30pm at Russell Books (734 Fort Street, Victoria, British Columbia)

WED 26: Reading: Reading featuring David Brazil, Jackqueline Frost, Evan Kennedy 7:30pm at Canessa Gallery (708 Montgomery St, SF)

THU 27: AWP: Anthology, featuring Aimee Phan (MFAW Chair), Alexander Chee, Paul Lisicky, Cari Luna and Vanessa Veselka, 9pm at Sam's Tavern (1024 E Pike St, Seattle)

COMING UP

2/28: Open Mic: The San Francisco Queer Open Mic featuring music by Jade Way and writer performer Sevan Kelee, sign ups at 7pm and begins at 7:30pm, at The Modern Times Bookstore (2919 24th St, SF)

2/28: Reading: Under the Influence Under the Influence • Round 11 featuring Liz Mayorga (MFAW '13 ) ~ Sherman Alexie, Jane Gregory ~ Nathaniel Dorsky, Agnes Martin + Stuart Sherman, Evan Kennedy ~ George Herbert and Melissa R. Sipin ~Roberto Bolaño, 7:30pm at The Emerald Tablet (80 Fresno Street, SF) FB Page

2/28: AWP: Family Trouble: Memoirists on the Hazard and Rewards of Revealing Family with Faith Adiele (MFAW faculty), Joy Castro (moderator), Ralph Savarese, Sue William Silverman, Stephanie Elizondo Griest, 10:30 - 11:45am, Room 602/603 (Washington State Convention Center, Seattle)

2/28: AWP: Rigor Mortis or Rigor Vitalis? Signs of Life in the Creative Writing Classroom with Tom Barbash (MFAW faculty), Amy Lemmon (moderator), Mairéad Byrne, Lesley Lesley Jenike, Matt Donovan, 10:30 - 11:45am, Room 3A (Washington State Convention Center, Seattle)

2/28: AWP: Booksigning: Tom Barbash (MFAW faculty), 12 - 12:30pm, Table P28 in the Bookfair room (Seattle, WA)

2/28: AWP: Booksigning: Caroline Goodwin (MFAW faculty), 12:30 - 1pm, Table P28 in the Bookfair room (Seattle, WA)

2/28: AWP: Building a Space for Comics in the Creative Writing Program with Matt Silady (MFAC Chair), Justin Hall (MFAC faculty), Nathan Holic (moderator), Jeffrey Chapman, Leslie Salas, 1:30 - 2:45pm, Room 3B (Washington State Convention Center, Seattle)

2/28: AWP: Beyond the "Axis of Evil:" Shattering the Stereotypes of Iran and Iranians Through Fiction with Anita Amirrezvani (MFAW faculty), Jasmin Darznik (BA WRLIT faculty), Persis Karim (moderator), omif fallahazad, Marjan Kamali, 1:30 - 2:45pm, Room 303 (Western New England MFA Annex)

2/28: AWP: Writing Comics the AWP Way with Justin Hall (MFAC faculty), Jeffrey Chapman (moderator), Nathan Holic, Rich Shivener, Rebecca Claire Stephens, 3 - 4:15pm, Room 2B (Washington State Convention Center, Seattle)

2/28: AWP: Art School Writing Faculty Caucus with Hugh Behm-Steinberg (MFAW faculty) (moderator), Monica Drake, Sophia Kartsonis, Grant Hier, Ryan Van Cleave, 6 - 7:15pm, Room 611 (Washington State Convention Center, Seattle)

2/28: AWP: Reception: California College of the Arts Reception, 7 - 8:15pm, Issaquah A & B, Sheraton Seattle Hotel.

3/4: Reading/Release Party: Eleven Eleven Issue #16 Release Party, featuring Kate Robinson, Nana Twumasi (MFAW '07), Lewis Ellingham, Kenneth Wong and Emily Meg Weinstein, 7:30pm at City Lights (261 Columbus Avenue at Broadway, SF)