CofC MFA in Creative Writing

The happiest day as the Class of ‘26 received their diplomas! At the ceremony, fellow writer, Professor Melissa Hughes, delivered a moving Commencement Address, featuring a poem from Ada Limón. We’re so proud of Lindsey Copeland, Mary McCall, Carson Oliver, Jimmy Passaro, and Grace Stroup and so grateful for our time together in Charleston. Congratulations to these exceptional writers!

A full house for the end-of-the-year MFA Thesis Reading! There was spectacular fiction and poetry from the Class of ‘26, cheered on by their classmates, professors, and alums. (And by some incoming students too!)

Thanks to Lindsey Copeland, Melissa Hughes, Mary McCall, Carson Oliver, Jimmy Passaro, and Grace Stroup for a wonderful night. It’s been a joy working with you!

New issue of swamp pink—*26*— is out now! Thanks and congratulations to this year’s amazing editorial assistants and to our brilliant managing editor, Jonathan Bohr Heinen!

A beautiful morning strolling, birding, creating, and learning at Stono Preserve! Thanks to professor Matty Glasgow for providing somatic writing exercises and for reading a Lucille Clifton poem under the live oaks. And thanks to Professors Melissa Hughes and Maureen Hays for illuminating the many layers of life in this space.

Congratulations to writers Lindsey Copeland, Melissa Hughes, Mary McCall, Carson Oliver, Jimmy Passaro, and Grace Stroup for completing and defending their MFA theses! Thank you for sharing your work with us this year—we can’t wait to see what comes next!

What our MFA students are currently reading! 📖✨☕️

1. The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans (.l.evans)
2. Every Happiness, by Reena Shah ()
3. Katabasis, by R. F. Kuang ()
4. The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern ()
5. Her Body and Other Parties, by Carmen Maria Machado ()
6. Kafka on the Shore, by Haruki Murakami
7. What We Tried to Bury Grows Here, by Julian Zabalbeascoa ()
8. Chronicles: Volume One, by Bob Dylan ()
9. Evenings and Weekends, by Oisín McKenna ()

Have you read any of these books? What are you currently reading? 📚

On April 11, meet poets Matty Glasgow and Melissa Hughes, and Professor Maureen Hays, at Stono Preserve for an immersive learning experience. Scan the QR code above to register for a day of writing, birding, and community-building. All faculty and students are welcome at this free event!

🗓️ Saturday, April 11
🕦 9 AM - 1 PM
📍 Stono Preserve

Congratulations to Anjali Chanda and Melissa Hughes, this year’s winners of the MFA Prizes in Fiction and Poetry! We’re grateful to our judges, Afsheen Farhadi and Luiza Flynn-Goodlett, for their time and care.

Check out issue no. 25, available now! Congratulations to the featured writers and poets—and to our incredible editorial assistants!