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STATEMENT OF SOLIDARITY

We believe our Program is made stronger by the diverse communities that call our nation home. We recognize the cultural, artistic and economic contributions of immigrants and refugees. We cherish and will defend fundamental Constitutional rights, like due process and religious freedom that are foundational to our democracy. We stand in solidarity with immigrants and refugees and indigenous and marginalized people, our neighbors, friends and family members.

Our Students

Emily Alexander, Poetry '19 Emily is a writer, a clumsy waitress, and an overly enthusiastic foodie.

Dee Allen-Kirkhouse, Creative Nonfiction '19 Dee is working on a collection of essays about growing up in Crockett, California during the 1950’s and 60’s. An adjunct professor of English at DVC for over 25 years and a freelance journalist; her work has appeared in Runner’s World, Diablo and a variety of other magazines.

Devan Brettkelley, Fiction '19 Devan Brettkelly grew up in Maine and writes fiction about cold places. She graduated from Scripps College in 2016 with a BA in English and Environmental Analysis. She hopes to get a dog some day.

Darrion Theodore Carlyle, Fiction '19 I am Darrion Theodore (@theodoreaux), I was born and raised in LA, I like cats and socks and run-on sentences, I cook food for thought, roses smell me, and "the Lord will perfect that which concerneth me." (Psalm 138:8 KJV)

Mandie Caroll, Nonfiction '20 Mandie is a single mom, writer, and laugh-lover. She calls out BS, and owns up to hers. She writes essays in pursuit of social change. She also gladly shares homemade salted caramel blondies and high-fives in pursuit of surviving (maybe even thriving in) yet another day of the Trump presidency.

Alliah Robelle T. Castro, Fiction '20 Lia is born and raised in the Philippines. At 5 years old, she would always find herself writing stories on pieces of paper, stapling them together and later on, giving them away to her friends. Now, a graduate from De La Salle University with a BA in Literature, she continues to write and hopes that one day, she would make a novel.

Michael DuBon, Creative Nonfiction ‘19 At his most natural, Michael DuBon is always laughing and smiling. He hopes to share the smiles and laughter through his writing. He received his BA in Spanish and English from the University of Nevada, Reno. He keeps busy all day, and winds down with comic books and video games.

Caeden Dudley, Poetry '20 Caeden is a queer poet from the East Coast. They graduated with a BA in English from East Carolina University. After a long day, they enjoy listening to lofi music and playing video games.

Guy Duran, Creative Nonfiction ‘19 Ever since 6th grade, Guy Duran wanted to be a writer. He also wanted to live forever. His love for music is unwavering and his heart is full of passion. When he isn’t rocking out on his Bass or writing about the world around him, you can find him either outside hiking in Mother Nature or rock-climbing at his favorite gym.

Sterling Farrance, NonFiction ‘20 Sterling is always tinkering with something: his prose, a song, or some retro gaming console in desperate need of repair or modification. When his MFA is complete, he plans to teach, and of course, he hopes to write, and write, and write. His work has been published in Dragon Poet Review and Diablo Valley College's Ink.

Rachel Feinberg, Fiction ‘20 Rachel (@starrymouth) writes Young Adult Fiction about witty/sarcastic/dorky characters trying to figure out life. When she’s not writing or reading or attempting to be an adult, she games. She has a weakness for fantasy RPGs.

Jordan Galerkin, Fiction ‘19 On career day in first grade, Jordan dressed as a writer in a striped turtleneck and overalls with a pencil tucked behind her ear. Although her fashion sense has changed, her career goals haven't. Jordan gets some of her best ideas at night while walking her cat Beyoncé.

Sage Giordano, Poetry '20 Sage received their BA in Creative Writing from Elms College. Their poetry appears or will appear in a number of journals and reviews. They like hiking, biking, and the sound of this fountain they are sitting next to right now.

Nick Golden, Nonfiction ‘20 Self-proclaimed (and frequently mentioned) nerd - Nick loves books, movies, sports, history, being weird, and poor timing with laughs. Some authors he likes are Stephen King, Kurt Vonnegut, and J. R. R. Tolkien – just some underground authors. He lives in Oakland and works for a NPO in Alameda.

Conner Hayes, Fiction ‘20 Conner is mostly a writer, sometimes a singer-guitarist in pop-punk bands, an ex-collegiate basketball student-athlete, and always a soul who left his heart in San Francisco. He graduated from Birmingham-Southern College in 2017 with a B.A. in English, and he plans to pursue a Ph.D in the subject after completing his M.F.A.

Alyssa Johnson, Fiction '19 Alyssa has done some things and plans to do many more. She can often be found staring off into space.

Elli Levin, Fiction '20 Elli Levin loves cats and magic, but mostly cats. They’re five-foot-two, but if you ask, they’ll tell you five-foot-three. When Elli isn’t writing, they are probably running, climbing rocks, or making "bad" puns.

Julie MacKay, Poetry ‘19 Poet/ former English teacher/ amateur Oneironaut. Occasional hair stylist for fun, can generally be spotted trolling about San Francisco. Fond of obese cats and pickled things. Ennamored with questions and prose poems. Especially questions within prose poems.

Anna Morrison, Poetry ‘19 Anna lives with her partner in the Santa Cruz Mountains (with redwoods, their dogs, and many frogs). Her poems can be found in journals such as BOMB, Interim, Puerto del Sol, LUMINA, Prism Review, Shampoo, and Adrienne: A Poetry Journal of Queer Women. Passionate about small-press publishing, she’s served as an editor for Kelsey Street Press and currently works with Omnidawn.

Zoë Malia Ozoa Loos, Creative Nonfiction '19 Hi! I'm Zoë and I am a first year student studying Creative NonFiction Writing. I am so honored and privileged to be here and to learn more about writing while being surrounded by gifted peers and teachers. Getting my undergraduate degree from SMC in Environmental Studies and Ethnic Studies was absolutely essential to my growth as a engaged member of the world and now I am lucky enough to learn how to as James Baldwin says much better than I could, "alter, even but a millimeter the way people look at reality" and therefore try and change it.

Andrew Mercer, Poetry '20 My name is Andrew Mercer, but most people just call me Mercer. I'm a first year student trying to be a poet. I enjoy connecting and learning from others through food and words, going for walks with my anxious, super near sighted shepherd, and exploring new places with my incredibly talanted partner. I'm originally from Carson City, NV, and received my BA in English and History from Gonzaga.

Kayla Neer, Poetry '20 Kayla is a tall artist that writes short poems to compensate. They are published in Transfer magazine and are working to get to the point where lines from their work are tattooed out of context. They currently work as an editor for Foglifter journal and a deputy editor for MARY.

Florencia Orlandoni, Nonfiction '20 Born and raised in the hottest, most humid province of Argentina, Florencia migrated with her family to the San Fernando Valley right before turning 15. She’s lived in San Diego, Mexico City, Cuzco, New York and now resides in the East Bay. She rarely misses an opportunity to put her foot in her mouth.

Theo Pavlich, Nonfiction '20 Théodore Fahey Pavlich is a writer, theatre artist, and storyteller local to fourteen US ZIP codes. They’ve worked as a dog-walker, a baker, a stage-manager, a bookseller, a barista, a tailor, an electrician, a painter, a gift-wrapper, a nanny, and some jobs he shouldn’t mention legally. Thus, few things elude them more than briefly answering where he’s from and what he does.

Rebecca Samuelson, Poetry '19 Becca is a quiet young woman from Hayward, CA known for secret poems and sweaty palms. She enjoys laughing awkwardly, losing her voice at Giants games, and reading Young Adult novels. She loves making lists and aims to cross become a writer off of it.

Stella Santamaria, Poetry '20 Stella enjoys writing in the company of redwoods and roses. She believes that poetry should not be restricted only to paper or on a screen, but heard, sung, chanted, rapped, and performed. Santamaria thinks poetry is a forum where the world can be changed one space or letter at a time.

Katie Schwarz, Nonfiction '20 Katie Schwarz received her BA from the University of California at Berkeley and her LLM at the University of Glasgow. She’s worked as a paralegal, a journalist, a guitar teacher, and a bookseller. Throughout it all, she’s been writing...and perfecting her bop-it game.

Natalie Savio, Fiction '20 Natalie received her MA in English from UC Davis and her BA in architecture from USF. She likes places without bees and tidy spaces. She watches a lot of TV, and if you ask, she might say TV before bed is what keeps her grounded.

Terry Taplin, Poetry '19 Terry Taplin is the inaugural Lambda Literary Fellow at Saint Mary’s College. Terry serves as Poetry Editor for MARY: A Journal for New Writing, Co-Editor of Baest, and is the Social Media Manager at speCt books. .He holds a BA in Classical Languages: Greek and Latin. He is a former slam champion and the recipient of the Ina Coolbrith Prize for Undergraduate Poetry (academic year 2014-15). Terry’s work has appeared in PARADISE NOW and Baest: A Journal of Queer Forms and Affects. He is the author of fragmenta (Marigold 2016), and has a chapbook forthcoming from Nion Editions.

Thomas Wallace, Nonfiction '19 Tommy was a Communication Major as an Undergraduate at SMC before he was accepted into the MFA Program as a nonfiction candidate. On his free time, he’s known to be outside playing rugby or inside plying his trade. He’s currently working on a memoir on his experiences and evolution through playing the game