On April 27th, the MFA class of 2017 gave a reading of their thesis work in the Gold Ballroom of the Mountainlair. This group of seven graduates—Whit Arnold (nonfiction), Kelsey Englert (Fiction), Megan Fahey (Fiction), Elizabeth Leo (Poetry), Kelsey Liebenson-Morse (Nonfiction), Sarah Munroe (Poetry), and Andrea Ruggirello (Fiction)—were described as having a “seriousness of purpose.” They entered the program with other graduate degrees. Some left families or jobs. But they all came to WVU because they wanted an MFA community and three years to dedicate to the craft of writing. They, like all incoming graduate students, asked questions, “Are chickens allowed in the city limits of Morgantown?” All of them naturally wondered, “Will I be happy?” As Mary Ann Samyn, Director of the Creative Writing program said, “Time answered what we could not.” We look forward to hearing from them in the coming years.
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