The fall 2024 semester is in full swing here in WVU’s English department, and the new semester brings in a fresh cohort of talented MFA students! This year’s MFA students are from all over the country – and world! Keep reading to learn a little more about the 7 incredible candidates admitted into our MFA program.
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CREATIVE NONFICTION:
Jane-Marie Auret focuses on nonfiction, realistic fiction, and satire. She has an infant daughter and a wonderful family.
Kelly Keel (she/her) is a memoirist. She has lived in nine states, visited eight countries, written well over seven original songs, is one of six children, can easily perform a five-minute stand-up comedy set, holds four college degrees, has three cats, two jobs, one child, and zero grandparents. When asked what she writes about, Kelly responded, “Don’t worry. It’ll all be known soon. Everything’s getting exposed.”
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FICTION:
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Nathan Johnson is a first-year fiction writer from Utah.
Sanchita Sahoo (she/her) is a fiction writer from New Delhi, India. She completed her undergraduate degree in English literature with minors in creative writing and international relations. Her focus is on the slice-of-life genre within South-Asian writing. When not camped out in bed with a book/TV show, she likes to cook, walk on sandy beaches and tend to her plants.
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POETRY:
Andy Kerstetter (he/him) is a writer originally from Corry, Pennsylvania. After earning a bachelor's degree in writing from Geneva College in 2010, he spent more than a decade working as a journalist in Pennsylvania, Wyoming, and Idaho. He is currently pursuing his MFA in Poetry at WVU. His poems have appeared in Gravitas, High Shelf Press, ellipsis... literature&art, and elsewhere. A chapbook, The Inferno Lessons, was published in 2020 by Kattywompus Press.
Emily R. Noe (she/they) is a recent graduate from Berea College, where they earned their BA in English and Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies. Born and raised in Kentucky, she spends her time cooking, crocheting, quoting Bob’s Burgers, and making art in any mode she can get her hands on. Along with her dog, Macy, they plan to explore West Virginia and its Appalachian culture.
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M.J. O’Brien comes to WVU by way of UNC, where he spent much time in the woods. He intends to keep doing so while pursuing his MFA in Poetry.