Current Students

Emma Arnesty-Good

Creative Nonfiction '23

mfa program, mfa degree, saint mary's college of creative writing

Kehinde Badiru

Poetry '23

Kehinde Badiru is a poet and writer from Lagos, Nigeria. Kehinde’s poem has recently appeared in Oyez Review, Visual Verse and forthcoming elsewhere. His recent work, An Assortment of Poetry Genres is a collection of essays and poems. When Kehinde is not writing or working, he enjoys graphic designing, editing, visiting Smoothjazz shows, and making music.

Sanne Bergh

Creative Nonfiction '22

Sanne Bergh is a first-generation American writer who grew up on the coast of Half Moon Bay with roots in the Netherlands. She lived in Hawaii for the better part of her twenties, joined Peace Corps in Mongolia, hiked from Mexico to Canada, and is both a dog and cat person. She has a BA in Literary Journalism from UC Irvine.

Carly Blackwell

Fiction '23

Carly Blackwell is a graduate of University of Central Florida and finally making her way back to the superior coast pursuing her MFA in fiction in hopes of becoming the next Angie Thomas. When she’s not writing, she’s quoting Marvel movies, ignoring her book buying bans and playing with her dog.

Lena Carlson

Creative Nonfiction '23

Miller Carr

Poetry '23

Katie Doarn

Fiction, '22

Originally from Ohio, originally originally from Virginia, Katie is new to the Bay Area and excited to pursue her MFA in Fiction. When she’s not buried in a book, she can be found exploring the natural world or baking cinnamon rolls. YA is her jam, and she hopes to one day publish a novel or two.

Edith Friedman

Poetry '22

After trying her hand at lawyering, organizing, and managing projects for social change, Edith is thrilled to be writing instead of wishing she were writing. When not at the computer, she enjoys her adventurous family, making dinners and dust-catchers, and dancing.

Rosi Garcia

Poetry '23

Rosi Garcia is from Redding, CA and just graduated with her BA in English. Her favorite activities are writing, running, going to the beach and spending time with her dog, Shadow.

Jenyth Gearhart-Utchen

Poetry '22

Jenyth serves as the Poet Laureate of San Ramon, and her poetic work includes traditional and experimental forms for multiple voices and occasions. A multi-genre writer and teacher, she recently completed a memoir about the first class of recruited female athletes at Stanford. Volleyball is her life metaphor.

Faith Hanna

Creative Nonfiction '23

Shelby Hartness

Poetry '23

Shelby Hartness (she/her) is a writer from Northern California. Her words appear or are forthcoming in passerbuys, The Skirt Chronicles, & D Magazine.

Danielle Herrera

Fiction '22

Dani is from the simmering Central Valley of California and graduated from Azusa Pacific University in 2018 with her BA in English. She writes short stories and flash fiction, and her work is forthcoming in Crack the Spine. If not writing, find her listening to true crime podcasts or napping in the sun.

Bixby Jane

Poetry '23

Born in Redwood City, Bixby has lived up and down California, most recently in Los Angeles. He believes in the healing power of mushrooms, looking at art, escaping to the ocean and is curious about the connection between walking and writing. New poems are forthcoming from des pair books quarterly.

Emily Jewett

Creative Nonfiction '23

Emily Jewett is an alumna of University of San Diego Class of 2021, where she majored in English with a concentration in creative writing. She loves to write memoir and profiles that analyze the human condition. Her favorite genres of literature include Gothic novels and Romantic poetry.

Anoop Judge

Fiction '23

Anoop Judge is a 2019 Pushcart Prize nominee and a recovering litigator. She is the author of two novels: The Rummy Club, which won the 2015 Beverly Hills Book Award, and The Awakening of Meena Rawat (Black Rose Writing press; May 2021). Lake Union Publishing has acquired the rights to her third novel: No Ordinary Thursday.

Christa Laib

Creative Nonfiction '23

Christa Laib is pursuing an MFA after decades of work as a copywriter and editor for companies big and small. A California native, her stories are rooted in the western landscape and explore themes of constancy and impermanence, germination and decline. She lives in Berkeley with her husband, daughter, and cat. She can be found online here.

Nick Minges

Poetry '23

Nick Minges is a surrealist poet in Davis, CA. He has a bachelor’s degree from Sacramento State and his work has been in Coffin Bell, The Bat City Review, Sheepshead Review and others. He read and copy-edited for the late Levee Magazine. He loves documentaries and flips balisongs on Instagram.

Roulon McClennon

Fiction '22

As a novelist, screenwriter, poet and journalist, Roulon has a penchant for writing great stories that he really feels passionate about. With 14 screenplays, over a two dozen poems and a novel with another novel on the way, Roulon has clearly established his path toward living his dream in writing.

Megan Jade Mock Noble

Creative Nonfiction '22

An East Bay native, Megan grew up in El Cerrito and studied English and Creative Writing at UC Berkeley. She spent her high school years and college summers at her local pool, teaching swim lessons. When she’s not writing or in the water, Megan can be found anywhere in the sun, probably singing Taylor Swift.

Roz Naimi

Poetry '23

Roz Naimi is a poet from Los Angeles, CA.

Hannah Onstad

Fiction '23

Hannah is a content strategist and writer covering media, technology, and culture. She is based in Northern California and has lived on both coasts, in the UK, and in Spain. She is currently working on her first novel.

Cy Ozgood

Poetry '23

Cy Ozgood has been a performance artist, a farmer, an educator, an astrologer and a caregiver but they have always been a poet. They have roots in New Jersey, Washington and Wisconsin, where they organized The Midwest Small Press Festival in 2012 and 2013. They have published several chapbooks.

Jennifer Pollock

Fiction '23

Jennifer worked in media and content marketing for 15 years and is (finally) focusing on her own writing. She has three wild boys under three and writes about motherhood, mental health, and the general hilarity that is modern day life.

Sarah Ray

Poetry '23

Sarah Ray graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a degree in teaching. After raising kids, teaching, running a tutoring business, and writing poetry in her spare time she is thrilled to be launching her writing career. Her other hobbies include gardening, bird watching, and looking up the etymology of words.

Carolyn Rinetti

Creative Nonfiction '23

Carolyn Waugh Rinetti is a former history teacher. A fourth generation Californian, she is on the board of the Oakland Ballet Company. Her current writing project is inspired by the examination of family letters from World War II and what they reveal about our nation’s transformative time.

Jon Seiser

Creative Nonfiction '22

Jon is a California native and military veteran. He loves good strong coffee, a cool ocean breeze and the solitude of the open road.

Bobbi Solano

Fiction '23

Bobbi is 23 with a B.A. in English from CSU Stanislaus, where she also minored in Journalism. Before transferring to Stan State, she studied Animal Science at Cal Poly SLO. After changing paths, she found a new life and energy in writing. She is thrilled to start this adventure.

Anna Nicole Torres

Fiction '22

Anna earned her bachelor's in Human Development at UC Davis before deciding to pursue an MFA in Creative Writing. Her work can be found in The Sad Girls Lit Club and Forum Magazine. When she’s not writing, Anna loves to travel, visit Disneyland with friends, or sit down and watch a good movie.

Jo Unruh

Creative Nonfiction '22

After years in the military and private sector, Jo broke from her external programming to pursue her dream of being a writer. Jo has a B.S. in English from Annapolis and an MBA from ASU. Through her writing, she hopes to empower others to speak up and to be authentic.

Dakota Valdez

Poetry '22

Dakota received her BA in English from St. Mary’s in 2017. She enjoys writing poetry and memoir. Dakota is a high school English teacher in the Bay Area, as well as a local artist. She paints bridal jackets, bakes a mean dessert, and always has a quote for every occasion.

Soledad Vargas

Poetry '22

Soledad is a California native with a BA in communication studies from Stanislaus State. She mostly writes confessional poetry so the best way to know her is through her writing. Music, plants, trying new recipes, and resting make her happy.

Wesley Wang

Poetry '22

Wesley Wang is a poet from San Francisco and received his BA in English from UC Davis. He is often inspired by everyday experiences and the mundane. In his free time, he enjoys finding new music to listen to, playing video games, and talking with friends.

Samantha Weiland

Creative Nonfiction '22

Samantha is a strong-willed Oregon native with an affinity for rocky road ice cream and spending time in the great outdoors. She would tell you more about herself but she has to take her dog, Bear, for a walk.

Hannah Wohlenberg

Creative Nonfiction '22

As a native Californian who was born in Sacramento, became a dedicated Angeleno during her undergraduate days at Loyola Marymount, and who now claims the SF Bay Area as her home, Hannah is pretty much a move-to-New-York-away from being a brown Joan Didion. In addition to writing, Hannah loves to run, cycle, swim in Lake Tahoe, sip good coffee, and watch sunsets.

Liala Zaray

Poetry '22

Liala is a Bay Area native who recently graduated from UC Davis with an English major. Her work touches on inter-generational trauma carried through the Afghan diaspora and the responsibility of healing. She appreciates a good cup of chai and loves listening to the rubab.

Katie Zeigler

Fiction '22

Katie M. Zeigler is a writer and professor living in Walnut Creek, CA.. She received her BA and MA in English from Stanford University and can't wait to be a student again after (ahem) many years. She serves as the Literary Consultant for Town Hall Theatre in Lafayette and, when not writing, she keeps busy educating her teenage sons on the wonders of 80s music.

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Curated and hosted by a committee of graduate students, the Graduate Student Reading Series showcases the dynamic and welcoming arts community here at Saint Mary’s College.

Thank you to this year's Graduate Student Reading Series Committee.

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