Last week Steve Huff and Christopher Kennedy talked about their involvement as teachers in MFA programs. This week, Harlow Crandall, Matt Kotula, and Carol McMahon talk about their experience as MFA students. We discuss the influence of MFAs on our writing, the community we experienced, and the dreaded workshop. All three poets share samples of their own work.
About Harlow Crandall
Harlow Crandall is a writer and musician based out of Rochester, New York. He received his MFA in poetry through Queens University in Charlotte North Carolina. He has been involved in the local music scene for the last ten years. Currently he is a member and primary songwriter of New City Slang.
About Matthew Kotula
Matthew Kotula is from Attica, NY. He currently lives in Rochester, NY where he teaches at SUNY Brockport and Genesee Community College. He received his MFA from Rutgers University, and writes fiction, poetry, and music. He is also a regular contributor to Great Lakes Brewing News. He is currently at work on his first novel.
About Carol McMahon
Carol McMahon has been a teacher in the Williamson School District for nearly 20 years. She has also taught youth writing classes at Writers & Books Literary Center in Rochester. A lifelong poet, she has been published in various journals (Lake Affect Magazine, HazMat, Blue Collar Review, IthacaLit) and has a chapbook, On Any Given Day, published by FootHills Press. Carol is currently working on her MFA in Poetry from the Rainier Writing Workshop in Washington State and will graduate on August 7th of this year.