Despite a summer full of challenges and changes, the time has arrived for fall semester to start again here at WVU. The WVU MFA program is especially excited to get back to work and meet the new class of MFAs. This year WVU welcomes six new writers. Get to know our new class better below!
Fiction:
Anna Schles graduated from West Virginia University with her B.A. in English and History and her M.A. in English. Her hometown is Charleston, West Virginia. When not reading or writing, she enjoys drawing, listening to music, playing chess, (over)analyzing popular culture, and trying to make her friends laugh.
Grace Smith is a writer and teacher from Baltimore, Maryland. Before beginning her MFA candidacy in fiction, she taught French at a middle school in Baltimore County, where she co-founded the school’s first Genders and Sexualities Alliance, coached the Spirit Squad, and organized a student trip to Paris.
Leslie and two cats, Tricky and Puddy, came all the way from Denver, Colorado. She's excited about workshops, becoming part of the writing community here, and of course the prospect of meeting the Mothman (who, in her opinion, is obviously the best cryptid). She’s also very interested in getting involved with the Appalachian Prison Book Project we have here at WVU, run by Professor Katy Ryan. Leslie has a strong interest in corresponding with and supporting imprisoned people, and prison abolition. Her favorite thing to read and write is short fiction. The last book she finished reading was Rion Amilcar Scott's The World Doesn't Require You.
Poetry:
Maryelizabeth Koepele grew up in Huntington, New York. She received her B.A. from Washington and Lee University in 2017, with majors in Classics and Religious Studies. When not reading or writing, she is usually running or hanging out with her dog Pepper, who is scared of squeaky floors and overly-realistic statues.
Ashley Preece is from North Carolina. She and her dog, Eli, have recently made the move to Morgantown and are excited. She has seven more dogs back home. Ashley usually reads poetry and mystery novels, but has recently decided to check out some YA books. She is most looking forward to finding out more about herself and who she is as a writer.
Liam Wholihan is a handyman, martial arts instructor, and musician coming to Morgantown from his family home in Annapolis, Maryland. What time he has he spends wandering the mountains or building himself the furniture he refuses to buy. He's simply delighted to share the act of making with the other writers here, and looks forward to finding ways to be of service during his time here.