#AWP19 Lightning Readings by Writer to Writer Mentee Alumni

#AWP19 LIGHTNING READINGS

BY WRITER TO WRITER MENTEE ALUMNI

Lightning Readings

Quick reads performed by published writers from the AWP Writer to Writer Mentorship Program. We invite you to enjoy a mix of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction from these talented writers. Organized and emceed by alumni P.D. Keenen.

#AWP19 Portland, Oregon
Saturday, March 30th, 2019
1:30pm-2:45pm
BOOKFAIR STAGE 2: THE ZACHARY A. DOSS STAGE

About Writer to writer:

AWP’s mentorship program, Writer to Writer, matches emerging writers and published authors for a three-month series of modules on topics such as craft, revision, publishing, and the writing life. We hope you apply and join our growing community.

PARTICIPATING MENTEE ALUMNI:

(Alphabetical by first name)

Ainsley McWha lives in southeast Idaho where she teaches creative writing at the College of Eastern Idaho. Her essays appear in current issues of Tahoma Literary Review and Grist—both available at the AWP book fair. Her MFA in Creative Nonfiction is from The New School. Find her at ainsleymcwha.com.

Amanda Niehaus* is an Iowan native living in Brisbane, Australia. Her creative work is published in AGNI,Creative Nonfiction, NOON Annual.She won the 2017 VU Short Story Prize. Her first novel, The Breeding Season (Allen & Unwin), debuts this September. amandacniehaus.com

Ananda Lima’s* work has appeared or is forthcoming in The American Poetry Review, Colorado Review, Rattle, Jubilat, Hayden’s Ferry, Hobart and elsewhere. Her chapbook Translation won the 2018 Vella Chapbook Contest (Paper Nautilus). She has an MA in Linguistics (UCLA) and is finishing an MFA in fiction (Rutgers University, Newark).

Cynthia Huijgens* is a fourth generation Southern California native living in Brussels. Her first work of nonfiction: My Grandmother’s Memoir: Reflections on Four Generations and the Recipes That Brought Them to the Table, was published in December 2018. For more info, visit cchuijgens.com.

Irene Hoge Smith*, a writer and psychotherapist from Washington, D.C., was a Spring 2016 mentee, working with Claude Clayton Smith. Her essays have appeared in journals including Prick of the Spindle, Vine Leaves Literary Journal, and Stonecoast Review. She is completing a memoir. Visit online at supermoonblog.wordpress.com.

Judith Sara Gelt* has been writing for 14 years since retiring from a career in education. While she hated being a beginner at something again, her passion kept her at her keyboard. Her memoir is the end result of approximately 514 drafts. Read more at judithsaragelt.com.

Kristine Jepsen* is a grant writer and farm businessperson in Iowa. Her nonfiction has won the Diana Woods Memorial Award at Lunch Ticket and the flash competition at Sweet: A Literary Confection. Her essay, Jaw Wiring: What You Need to Know, is a chapbook. kristinejepsen.com

Laura Laing* graduated in 2018 from Goucher College’s MFA program in Creative Nonfiction. Her essays have been published in The Rumpus, Full Grown People, Consequence, and Creative Nonfiction. She is currently working on a memoir incorporating narrative structure with explorations in abstract mathematics. See her work at lauralaing.com.

Michael Allyn Wells* is a spring 2017 W2W Alum. He lives in Kansas City, MO. His poetry has appeared in Rockhurst Annual Fine Arts Review, Rose& Thorn Journal, Boston Literary Magazine, Punchnel’s Magazine, Montucky Review, Remington Review, Gravel A Literary Review, and Nude Bruce Review. Visit: michaelwells.ink.

Minadora Macheret is a PhD student in Poetry and Teaching Fellow at the University of North Texas. She received the James Merrill Poetry Fellowship from Vermont Studio Center. Her work has appeared in Tinderbox, Connotation Press, and elsewhere. She is the author of Love Me, Anyway (Porkbelly Press, 2018).

P.D. Keenen’s* poems can be found in Mare Nostrum X and in the MONA museum. Keenen was selected by @foundpoetryrev as a Found Poetry Scout. Keenen can be found online at pdkeenen.com or at a library doing book research. Send coffee and chocolate.

Preeti Parikh* is a poet, essayist, and current MFA candidate at the Rainier Writing Workshop. Her poems have been published in Mom Egg Review, Literary Mama, Cincinnati Walking Sonnet Project, and elsewhere. Born and raised in India, Preeti now lives in Ohio. To learn more visit preetiparikh.com.

Sarah Leamy is the award winning author of Van Life, When No One’s Looking, and Lucky Shot. She’s reading Bang Bang, published in Bunbury Magazine in the UK, and an excerpt from Van Life, a finalist in the 2018 NM/AZ book awards. Find out more at sarahleamy.com.

Tiffany Palumbo* is a creative nonfiction author who specializes in essays about trauma, fundamentalism, and her fur children. The Portland native will be graduating from the University of Kentucky this spring, after which she will pursue a career in writing and editing. Read more at tiffanypalumbowrites.com or on Twitter: @pretentiouswrit.

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