April Newsletter
Happy Spring!
Remembering Sandy McWhorter
Sandy may not have begun her writing career until later in life, but she was always a writer. Sitting in my office over microwaved lunches, Sandy told me much about her life with her grandmother, being captivated as a kid by Star Trek, her love of Mothman, and her career in the Air Force. It was easy to tell that Sandy was a storyteller because even her spur-of-the-moment oral stories were colorful and rich. Sandy wasn’t the kind of writer who was always ready to talk about what she was reading or her favorite authors, but she was always ready to talk about writing. She loved English, with all of its weird convolutions, and loved playing with words. I wasn’t surprised to learn that she had published a small chap-book of poetry just after finishing her MFA in 2013, any more than I was surprised by its title: The Sci-Fi Dreams of a Little Girl, which was the winner of the 2016 Black Cat Moon Press’ poetry contest The Cat’s Meow: A Poetry Anthology Contest. I was a little more surprised to learn that her three novels were all from Christian-slanted romance publishers, but nothing could have shocked me more than to learn that Sandy had helped found the Mid-Ohio Writers’ Association and helped organize and run their writers’ conference from 2009-2011, perhaps because I only knew her from a certain point of view. To me, Sandy was the older woman who taught with me, who came to those free and open to the public events during the MFA Residency, who could go on about her new dog for an hour (easily), and who could never wait for summer to come so she and her “hubby” could get out on their boat. I am glad for those lunch hours, learning about just how much a person could pack into 73 years if they really tried. Sandy made good use of every minute given to her, I think, finding some kind of enjoyment even in learning the new Blackboard Ultra system. (Well, maybe.) We had already planned on continuing to go to the public library’s writing group through the summer, and she was waiting on me to finish up a new short story to run by her for feedback. I still have notes from her, waiting to be implemented. And that is how Sandy will carry on through the world: through her words, through mine, and through those of every writer she’s ever touched.
You always wanted to visit the stars, Sandy. I hope they shine just as brilliantly from where you are as you did in the lives of those you loved down here. Save a seat for me, I’ll bring lunch.
-Joline Scott-Roller
Programming updates
You might have noticed that this newsletter is now coming to you from Substack. We hope this change in platform will make our community more visible.
We went to AWP!
It was lovely to see everyone who could make it out to L.A. While we were there, we co-hosted a terrific reading with the Ashland Poetry Press, Black Fork Review, Muleskinner Journal, and Chestnut Review. The MFA’s featured writers were Isra Cheema (winner of APP’s 2024 Poetry Broadside Contest!) and Tess Taylor (current MFA faculty member!).
2025 Summer Residency
We are so excited to reunite with old friends and welcome new writers into our MFA community this summer! The 2025 summer residency runs from July 13 until July 25. We hope you are looking forward to it as much as we are.
Be on the lookout for more information about the Columbus Book Fest. It runs July 12-13 only an hour’s drive south of Ashland University and could be a great event to attend before heading up to the residency.
This year, we invited back MFA alums to join us again at the residency. If you know anyone who may have missed this invite, encourage them or your favorite MFA grad to come back to Ashland this summer! For more information, reach out to Chuck Carlise or Dinah Ward.
Calls for Submissions
We often get emails about submission opportunities; here, we pass them along to you.
Only Poems is inviting poetry submissions to their second annual Poet of the Year Prize. The Grand Prize winner will be named Poet of the Year and receive $3000. The winner will also receive a lifetime membership to Only Poems. Four finalists will be awarded $500 each. Learn more at onlypoems.submittable.com/submit/317445/5000-poet-of-the-year-prize
Deadline: April 30th, 2025
Desperate Literature welcomes entries for their annual 2025 Short Fiction Prize for new, innovative short stories under 2,000 words. With a first prize of 2000€, a stay at the Civitella Ranieri residency, and manuscript consultations, the goal of the prize is to give as much visibility and support to new writers and experimental writers. Two runners-up will receive €1000. Learn more at https://desperateliterature.com/prize/
Deadline: April 30th, 2025
Australian Book Review welcomes entries to the 2025 ABR Elizabeth Jolley Short Story Prize, one of the world's leading prizes for an original short story. The prize – worth a total of AU$12,500 – is open to all writers. The winner will receive $6,000; second place will receive $4,000 and third place will receive $2,500. All three shortlisted stories will be published in the Australian Book Review. Learn more at shorturl.at/bYaRy
Deadline: May 5th, 2025
Writing The Heartland is seeking creative nonfiction from self-identified Chicana/o/x/e and Latina/o/x/e writers and artists with connections to the Midwest. Whether your ties are lifelong, due to relocation, or the result of a chance encounter while passing through the heartland, we want to hear your stories. Learn more at www.writingtheheartland.com or contact Vanessa R. González at ramos328@umn.edu for more information.
Deadline: May 15th, 2025
Community News
Fiction faculty Naomi Williams's story "Sakura City" appears in Akashic Books' recently released Sacramento Noir, edited by John Freeman. Naomi's spending part of March at Moulin à Nef, an artists residency in Auvillar, France, run by the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts.
Alum Allie Stokes’s poem “If they chop open my body” appears in Issue 23.2 of Harpur Palate. Read the poem here.
Fiction student Marie Vibbert was Author Guest of Honor at the Cleveland ConCoction science fiction convention. Marie also had her short story “A True Account of a Pre-Teen Blob” published in Haven Spec. Read the story here.
Poetry faculty Marcelo Hernandez Castillo’s tenure as the guest editor for the Michigan Quarterly Review is coming to pass. The special issue Marcelo spent all of last year editing will soon be coming to print.
Fiction student John Sara recently had three pieces of poetry published. John’s piece "Texas Chainsaw-esque" was published in Volume 8 of Paper Dragon from Drexel University, and two other poems "Curiosity Shop" and "Danse Macabre in Crayon" were featured in the recently published 2023 issue of Prairie Margins from his alma mater, Bowling Green State University. Read “Texas Chainsaw-esque” here.
Fiction faculty Kyle Winkler has a new novel coming out on June 10 with From Beyond Press, entitled Enter the Peerless.
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