WCSU MFA

08/13/2026

Cheers to a groundbreaking achievement! ✨ WestConn MFA mentors Cha McCoy and Layla Schlack have won a 2026 James Beard Media Award for Wine Pairing for the People, a book celebrating wine pairings beyond traditional European cuisine.

Their unique approach puts African, Caribbean and other culturally rich foods at the center of the conversation, proving there’s a place for every food, every culture and every table. 
The book brings together McCoy’s passion for wine and global food traditions with Schlack’s storytelling and editorial expertise, creating a fresh perspective on the relationship between food, wine and culture.

We’re proud to celebrate this incredible achievement and the impact their work is making in the culinary and literary worlds. 🌍🍽️

08/03/2026

“There’s no dipping your toe in. You have to surrender to the process.” -Stephanie Wytovich

Before we departed Boyds Mill, MFA mentor Stephanie Wytovich (“On the Subject of Blackberries”) led a workshop on underworld journeys—ones we have as writers, ones our characters have, and the rich history of these journeys as stories themselves. The WCSU MFA program thanks the amazing authors, faculty, and students for their openness, authenticity, support, and knowledge throughout the week. And of course, a huge thank you to Boyds Mill for their generosity, wonderful food, and inspirational atmosphere.

08/02/2026

“Form creates tension. Rather than limiting imagination, constraints sharpen it.” -Lindy Ryan

Saturday started with Lindy Ryan’s workshop on Hermit Crab essays which focused on the art of using form as a device for storytelling. With Anthony D’Aries asking the questions, our panel of authors Melanie Brooks, Caroline Harper New, and Nina St. Pierre talked through balancing our creative and professional lives. Maria Zegarelli, Isabella Bullock, Nicole Jabanoski, and Maggie Milekic read amazing theses and our last night at Boyds Mill had an open-mic and a talent show!

08/01/2026

“Monsters give us a freedom purely human characters can’t.” -Caroline Harper New

We kicked off Friday at Boyds Mill with Caroline Harper New, the Housatonic Book Award winner in poetry for her collection, “A History of Half-Birds.” The workshop encouraged the full exploration of monsters, liminality, and using our fears in our work. We then had the privilege of listening to Angela Laurio, Casey Jordan, and Junichi Takagi read their theses. Enrichment project presentations followed, a unique part of the MFA program in which students venture outside of writing to foster inspiring experiences. After dinner, we heard poems from Caroline Harper New and had a captivating Q&A. We ended the night with more reading by the fire.

07/31/2026

“Trust the author to tell the story, but don’t trust the story. We don’t come to horror to be comfortable.” -Lindy Ryan and Stephanie Wytovich

Residency kicked off yesterday with authors Lindy Ryan (“Dollface”) and Stephanie Wytovich (“On the Subject of Blackberries”) talking through the horror genre, publications, agents, editing, and trusting our guts. After lunch, poet Joan Kwon Glass discussed the sovereignty of the poetic line and how using other inspiring lines can lead to generation. The night finished with Melanie Brooks reading from her memoir, “A Hard Silence,” and Joan Kwon Glass reading poetry from “Daughter of Three Gone Kingdoms.” An informative and personal Q&A followed with the authors, and then the entire MFA community roasted marshmallows and read works in progress.

07/30/2026

“The true rabbit hole may need the strictest boundaries.” - Nina St. Pierre

Yesterday, two talented and honest nonfiction writers hosted amazing workshops here at residency. Nina St. Pierre, whose debut memoir “Love is a Burning Thing” won the Housatonic Book Award for Nonfiction, discussed research and rabbit holes. MFA Mentor Melanie Brooks used her experience and book, “Writing Hard Stories” to teach the MFA community about the art of a good interview. The night closed out with an enthralling reading of Nina’s memoir and a student open-mic.

07/29/2026

Last night, WCSU kicked off its MFA Summer Residency at Boyds Mill with dinner and a faculty reading. Follow along to hear about the workshops, readers, and amazing week we have in store!

07/27/2026

Our 2026 Summer Residency kicks off tomorrow night at Boyds Mills! Looking forward to an incredible week of workshops, craft talks, panels, and readings by Lindy Ryan, Joan Kwon Glass, Nina St Pierre, Caroline Harper New, Melanie Brooks, and Stephanie M. Wytovich.

Safe travels, all! See you soon.

WCSU MFA Western CT State University WCSU School of Arts & Sciences westconnmedia The Department of Creative and Professional Writing Highlights Books Oscar Wilde House Bram Stoker Festival Poor Yorick Journal

06/19/2026

Congratulations to MFA alum Layla Schlack on winning a James Beard Award! 👏👏👏

Western Connecticut State University
WCSU Writing Department
WCSU MFA

Norwalk food writer and editor Layla Schlack won a 2026 James Beard Media Award, for a book she co-wrote with Cha McCoy.

The book, "Wine Pairing for the People: The Communion of Wine, Food, and Culture from Africa and Beyond," won in the Beverage without Recipes category.

The awards are intended to honor "excellence in books, broadcast media and journalism covering food or drink-related content," according to the James Beard website.

More: https://www.thehour.com/food/article/james-beard-award-norwalk-writer-22306103.php

06/17/2026

Our summer residency is sold out! Can’t wait to return to Boyds Mills. The full schedule is in our bio and up on our website. Looking forward to workshops and readings by Lindy Ryan, Stephanie Wytovich, Melanie Brooks, Joan Kwon Glass, as well as our Housatonic Book Award winners, Caroline Harper New and Nina St. Pierre! We’ll also celebrate the retirement of beloved MFA mentor, Anne Westrick, and of course, our fabulous thesis students. 👏

If you’re thinking of joining our MFA and would like to visit residency for a day, feel free to contact MFA Coordinator Anthony D’Aries at [email protected].

https://www.wcsu.edu/writing-mfa/

The Department of Creative and Professional Writing Western CT State University westconnmedia WCSU MFA Lindy Ryan Stephanie M. Wytovich Nina St Pierre Boyds Mills The Barn at Boyds Mills Caroline Harper New Anthony D'Aries Melanie Brooks Joan Kwon Glass Anne Westrick WCSU School of Arts & Sciences School Of Graduate, International, and Career Studies Bram Stoker Festival Poor Yorick Journal