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The newsletter of the Spalding MFA in Writing Alumni Association
For all alums of the Naslund-Mann School
October 2025 Issue
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Fall residency events (in Louisville and on Zoom)
Nov. 5, 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT: Virtual faculty reading feat. Angela Jackson-Brown, Jeremy Paden, Nancy McCabe, Ellen Hagan, Kira Obolensky, and Sam Zalutsky. Watch your email for a Zoom link!
Nov. 10, 5:15 p.m. on campus: Faculty reading: Kenny Cook, Keith S. Wilson, Erin Keane, Lesléa Newman, Bruce Marshall Romans, Larry Brenner.
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Nov. 11, 6:00 p.m. at the Brown Hotel: Distinguished Visiting Writers Irene Sankoff and David Hein, writers of Broadway hit musical COME FROM AWAY. Interviewed by Larry Brenner. A book signing follows.
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Nov. 12, 5:15 p.m. on campus: Faculty reading: Lee Martin, Lynnell Edwards, Whitney Collins, Charlie Schulman, Kathleen Driskell.
Nov. 13, 11:15 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. on campus: Carmichael's Book Fair! Featuring books by faculty and guest authors.
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Nov. 13, 5:15 - 6:15 p.m. on campus: Distinguished MFA Alumni Lecturer Julie Nichols (SW '15), pictured here, on how to master storytelling with the three-act structure, no matter what genre you're working in!
Nov. 13, 6:45 - 8:45 p.m. at Noble Funk Brewing: Alumni Gathering at Noble Funk! Pizza, appetizers, and drink tickets. The MFA Alumni Association hosts.
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And more opportunities for alumni!
By Dec. 1: Prose writers: Apply for the Full-length Manuscript Workshop, held virtually June 20 - 27, 2026.
Dec. 31: Deadline to submit a proposal for March 21 virtual Business of Writing Seminars. Topics include submitting work for publication and ways to generate income with your writing. Find full info in the proposal form.
Save the date! May 28 - 29, 2026: Class reunions for 2006, 2011, 2016, and 2021 grads. Rediscover the cushy Brown Hotel couches, rekindle connections, get inspired at curriculum sessions, and enjoy a reunion lunch hosted by the MFA Alumni Association!
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Giving Day 2025: Record-setting generosity!
The Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing received $14,460 in gifts on Giving Day, Oct. 1-2, making it our largest Giving Day ever! Thanks to your generosity, the Naslund-Mann School's Blue & Gold general fund, the MFA Alumni Association Fund, and scholarships all benefit.
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Vietnam enrichment trip
Alumni, students, faculty, and staff traveled to Vietnam in September to explore Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, ride in sampans on the Mekong Delta, make banana flower salad and bun cha in a cooking class, and kayak and swim during an overnight cruise on Ha Long Bay. One alum called it "one of the best experiences of my life"!
| | Clockwise from top left: The group at Hanoi's Temple of Literature; in a sampan on the Mekong Delta: Josephine Greenfield (CNF), Al Greenfield, Alice Covington (F '13), Toni Menk (P '15); at a cooking class in Hanoi: Maria Ramos (F), Amy Cornell (CNF), Dianne Timmering (F '06), Amanda Byrne (W4CYA), Kathleen Driskell (Chair), Josephine Greenfield, Alice Covington, Toni Menk, Andrea Custer (W4CYA '23), Marie Ruf (CNF); kayaking on Ha Long Bay: Dianne Timmering; deplaning in Hanoi: Erin Keane (faculty, P '04), Andrea Custer, Kathleen Driskell, Alice Covington, Dianne Timmering; tour guide Mr. Hung in Ho Chi Minh City. | | |
Florida alumni gathering
Six alumni gathered for a weekend in September in Weeki Wachee, Florida, the mermaid capital of the world. Michele Zakis (W4CYA '18) made it happen. Funding for alumni gatherings is made possible through the MFA Alumni Association.
| | Jenny Luper (F '11), Marjetta Geerling (W4CYA '11), Karin Goodwin (W4CYA/CNF '13), Noelle Sciulli (F/PW '20), Michele Zakis (W4CYA '18), Phil Cohen (F '16) | | |
Planning an alum opportunity? Let us help!
If you’re organizing a gathering, online writing meet-up, or other event primarily for alumni, loop in Katy Yocom or MFA Alumni Association Director Marjetta Geerling so the Alumni Association can support you! We can provide
1. Announcement of your event in News from Home
2. Zoom links for virtual meetings
3. Contact information for alums to invite to regional gatherings
Financial support upon request, thanks to your generous donations!
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Weekly
Sunday, 6 – 9 p.m. ET, Write with Me! hosted by Chella Courington
Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET (30-60 minutes), Write with Me! hosted by Diana McQuady
Friday, 10 a.m. ET (around 75 minutes), Write with Me! hosted by Terry Price.
Monthly
First Mondays, 7:30 p.m. ET, hosted by Noelle Sciulli. First Monday: Submit Your Work!
| | Know a writer who’s ready for Spalding? | | |
The latest issue of Life of a Writer is here! See what everyone’s been up to.
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Life of a Writer deadlines have changed! Mark your calendar and send us your news. Your literary news makes the program more attractive to prospective students, adding value to all of our degrees. It’s an upward spiral!
January 15
April 15
July 15
October 15
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Enrichment Trip 2026: Edinburgh and the Lake District
Next September's enrichment trip takes us to Edinburgh and the Lake District, the lands of William Wordsworth, Beatrix Potter, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and more. Details coming soon!
| | | | The Fall 2025 issue of our award-winning literary magazine launches this month, featuring lyric, prose, drama, reviews, and more. Watch your inbox! | | |
We are grateful to all who have supported the Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing and the Spalding MFA Alumni Association in the current year:
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Anonymous
Elaine Alexander (PW ’24), in honor of Barbara A. Wilson
Amber Anderson (Smith) (F ’18)
Donna Gay Anderson (PW ’18)
Michelle Barger (F ’23)
Beth Ann Bauman (W4CYA faculty)
Catherine Bendl (PW ’24)
Catherine Berresheim (CNF ’13)
Kelsey Blair (CNF ’24)
Katie Boyer (F ’16)
Cindy Brady (F ’13)
Virginia Brown (F)
Elizabeth Burton (F ’16)
Shawna Casey (PW ’12)
Nancy Chen Long (P ’12)
Tne Rev. Kenneth L. Chumbley (F ’25)
Whitney Collins, faculty (F ’18)
Amy Cornell (F ’25)
Jill Cox-Cordova (F ’17)
Andrea Custer (W4CYA ’23)
Debra K Dean (poetry faculty)
Daniel DiStasio (F ’05)
Joan Donaldson (CNF ’08)
Professor Kathleen Driskell, Chair
Dr. Lynnell Edwards, Associate Programs Director, and Wes Edwards
Vanessa Elie (W4CYA ’23)
Janelle Fila (W4CYA ’17)
Mary Sophie Filicetti (F ’24)
Amanda Fillebrown (CNF ’24)
Jeffrey and Michael Fischer-Smith (PW ’17)
Anne Marie Fowler (P ’04)
Judy Galliher (CNF ’24)
Marjetta Geerling (W4CYA ’11)
Karen George (F ’09)
Holly Gleason (CNF ’15)
Stacey Goldstein (W4CYA ’24)
Bill Goodman (CNF ’12)
Karin Goodwin (W4CYA/CNF ’13)
Alice Gorman (CNF ’05)
Nathan Gower (F ’08)
Steve Halvonick (CNF ’04)
Mitzi Hanna (CNF ’24)
CoCo Harris (F ’06)
Colleen S. Harris (P ’09)
Dave Harrity (P ’07)
Lennie Hay (P ’19)
Robin Herskowitz Heald (W4CYA ’06)
Jason Hill (F ’14)
Lisa Hockstein (F ’22)
Lynn Hoffman (W4CYA/SW ’15)
Annie Howard (CNF ’24)Patricia L. Hudson (F/CNF ’19)
Laura Irmer (P ’24)
Angela Jackson-Brown, faculty (F ’09)
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Bonnie Omer Johnson (F ’04)
Kathryn T. Jones (CNF ’19)
Williamaye Jones (F ’16)
Erin Keane (P ’04, poetry faculty)
Katie Massa Kennedy (P ’24 )
Jennie Kiffmeyer (PW ’18)
Jessica Love Kim (W4CYA ’16)
Sam Krauss (SW ’22)
Hilary Kretchmer (F/SW ’24)
Jennine "Doc" Krueger (P ’18)
Harriet Leach (P ’06)
James Long (P ’24)
Jenny Luper (F ’11)
Eric Mabie (F ’25)
John Maclay (PW ’22)
Mark Madigan (P ’17)
Michael Malone (CNF ’10)
Karen Mann, Administrative Director
Bobbie Marquis (F ’25)
Lori Marra (PW ’25)
Lee Martin (fiction, CNF faculty)
Joan McBride (P ’24)
Lisa McCormack (F ’24)
Precious McKenzie (W4CYA ’20)
Diana McQuady (F ’14)
Toni Menk (P ’15)
Faith Miller (F ’25)
Angela Mimms (CNF ’15)
Dymon Moore (F ’24)
Dr. Rob Mullins Jr. (F ’21)
Padmaja Naidu (F)
Andrea Nasfell (SW ’15)
Julie Nichols (SW ’15)
Greg Pape (poetry faculty)
Jasmine Plaskon (P ’21)
Terry Price (F ’06)
Erin Reid (F ’13)
Abigail Rudibaugh (P ’24)
Susan Ryan (CNF ’15)
Delaney Saalman (F ’25)
Leslie Santamaria (W4CYA ’22)
Ann Schwarz (W4CYA ’17)
Mervyn Seivwright (P ’19)
Kim Shaver (P ’18)
Lori Siekmann (PW ’18)
Gene Marie Smith (board member)
Diane Sweeney (F ’07)
Kathleen Thompson (F/P ’03)
Irene Turner (F ’25)
U. S. Bank
Tess Wardell (W4CYA ’24)
Melanie Weldon-Soiset (P ’24)
Troy Wilderson (F ’17)
Liz Wilks (W4CYA ’21)
Betty Jean Wolfe (CNF ’13)
Katy Yocom (F ’03), Associate Director of Communications and Alumni Relations
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Represent
Would you like some Naslund-Mann School brochures to take with you to conferences? Email Karen.
When you publish or produce, please include “Spalding University low-residency MFA” or “Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing at Spalding University” in your bio. It helps make the degree more valuable for all of us!
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