Ashland University MFA Program

Ashland MFA faculty members, alumni, and administrators are represented on more than a dozen panels and off-site readings at the AWP Conference in Seattle, Washington  February 26-March 1, 2014. Here are the poetry and nonfiction sessions you won't want to miss: Thursday, February 27 9:00 am to 10:15 am  R126. What Was Is: The Use of Present Tense in Creative Nonfiction Room 202, Western New England MFA Annex, Level 2 (Kate Hopper, Hope Edelman, Bonnie Rough , Marybeth Holleman, Ryan Van Meter) This panel of memoirists and essayists will consider what happens when we write about past events in the present tense. When does present tense provide needed immediacy, and when does it limit an author’s ability to write to the true story? We will explore the benefits, challenges, and drawbacks of using present tense as we craft our lives on the page, and we will discuss how tense affects other craft issues, such as voice, reflection, and structure. 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm Sar...

Each month, the Ashland MFA Program receives calls for submissions and contest deadlines, which it publicizes in its monthly newsletter . Listed below are this month's calls for submissions. Tupelo Quarterly Poetry Contest Deadline: February 19, 2014 Judge: Alicia Ostriker First prize: $1,000 The Tupelo Quarterly Poetry Contest is open to anyone writing in the English language, whether living in the United States or abroad. Translations are not eligible for this contest. Poets submitting work for consideration may be published authors or writers without prior book or journal publications. Multiple TQ editors will consider each entry and select 20 finalists. From the finalists, contest judge Alicia Ostriker will select a winning poem and three runners-up. At no time will our judge have any identifying information about the authors. Results will be posted online in the third issue of Tupelo Quarterly , on April 15, 2014. For complete guidelines, please click here . Winter T...