Madhav Sharma (he/him) joined our MFA program in the Fall 'of 2021. He was born in Bhutan and, as a young teen, fled the country due to its oppressive regime. He spent decades in Nepalese refugee camps before coming to the US where he works with refugees who have gone through what he himself went through. He lives in Philadelphia with his family. He is a creative nonfiction student in our program, writing a book about his life experiences.

Emilie Lygren (she/her or they/them) joined our MFA this Spring ‘22 as a poetry student. She already has two books to her name. Her poetry collection, What We Were Born For, published by Blue Light Press, was recently chosen by poet Naomi Shihab Nye as one of the Young People's Poet Laureate book picks on behalf of the Poetry Foundation.

Almedia Knight-Oliver (she/her) is a poetry student in her third semester of our MFA program. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and was part of our first cohort. Almedia is beloved for her fantastic poetry and wise contributions to class discussions based on 86 years of life experience! She is a great inspiration and proof that there's no age limit to pursuing an MFA or higher degree.

Elaina Whitesell (she/her or they/them) is a third semester poetry student in our MFA. She joined our first cohort in Spring ‘21. She is a poet and musician. Together with her partner Joey, she forms the band Magenta Moon. You can find some of her music under “Soul Bone News” on our home page as well as below.

AntwanPenn (he/him) joined us as a PhD student in Vedic Science, wishing to explore creative process and the craft of poetry more in-depth before finishing his dissertation. He instantly bonded with our students and was thrilled with the transformational power of our residencies.

Tamlin Orion Day (he/him) is a graduate of MIU’s BA and BFA programs in creative writing. He has worked as an editor at iPhone Life Magazine, as a sensitivity reader, as an editor, copy-editor, and freelance writer, as a founding member of Fairfield Speakeasy, as a slam poetry coach, an artist. He has been published in Breathe Free Press.

Emmy June Breffle (ze/zir, they/them, or she/her) is our resident prophet, cake and lasagna baker, singer, tiny house dweller, art book maker, gardener, and free spirit who asks the best questions of our guests, celebrates everyone on their birthdays with songs that extend to the ancestors, and writes inspired lyrical prose.

Kai Black (they/their) is a Black Queer Nonbinary MFA Creative Writing Student at MIU, in Fairfield, IA, where they study Poetry and Speculative Fiction. They are also a blogger for their personal blog “The Lazy Hoe” and a social commentator on all things sex, entertainment, social issues, and anything that affects their identity and navigation in this world. You can follow them on Twitter @TheLazyHoeKai or IG @TheLazyHoe. This is their debut publication.

Aliyah Warwick j(she/her) oined the MFA in Creative Writing at MIU in 2021 in a dual genre track, poetry and creative nonfiction She has been published in Zenith Literary Magazine, Volume 2, and is also our dept. administrator.

Minca Borg (she/her or they/them) joined our MFA in Spring ‘21. She has a background in sustainability, writing, and sciences, and a great interest in journalism. She is a dual genre student (poetry and creative nonfiction), who is curious about all of life and nature and science, loves exploring the borderlands between genres and the cracks between different ideas and sensory things.

Maggie Ventsias (she/her) earned her BA in Art and her BFA in Professional and Creative Writing, as well as her MA in Studio Art from MIU. She’s currently pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing, graduating in 2022. She is a creative nonfiction and fiction student in our program, working on a memoir about raising seven teenagers in the nineties with a best friend she met online after both escaped abusive relationships.

Angela Sickler (she/her) came to our program in Spring ‘21 as a fiction student. She also writes powerful creative nonfiction and hybrid pieces about family memories and history. Angela already holds a graduate degree in Literature, English from the Loyola University Chicago.

Anne Noble (she/her) joined our program as a fiction writer in Fall ‘21. She is working on a novel about mothers, daughters, and life choices. She came to our program with an extensive background in art and design and loves multigenre and cross-media works.

Jim Turner (he/him) joined our program in Spring ‘21. He is studying creative nonfiction, writing down his family stories. Jim already published a book about education, drawing on his many years of experience as a school teacher.

Star Gillorie (she/her) joined us this Spring ‘22 semester as a fiction student. She is a musician and worked with sound and film; she also holds a PhD in Vedic Science from MIU.

Chris Vasques (he/him) joined our program in Spring ‘21 as a fiction student. Chris loves speculative fiction and engages in elaborate world building for his stories. He is also a game developer, a realtor, and a business man. He also has an extensive history in instructional design.

Sherri Shields (she/her) joined us as a dual genre student in Fall of ‘21. Sherri is interested in young adult and children fiction as well as creative nonfiction.

Claudie Sossah (she/her) joined our program in Fall ‘21. She hails from Togo and lived for a long time in Paris, France. Her international and multi-lingual background resonates in her stories, which always feature strong, resourceful heroines who break with tradition and don’t need to be saved..

Sunita Martin (she/her) started our MFA in Spring ‘21, focusing on creative nonfiction. She is highly accomplished at writing funny and pithy pieces that read like columns and has started work on a memoir about growing up in an unusual small town in the middle of nowhere. She is currently deferring her studies, but she will be back.