NMSU Writers | New Mexico State University - BE BOLD. Shape the Future. MFA. Creative Writing. Poetry. Fiction. Apply.

New Mexico State writers – M.F.A., M.A., and B.A. Programs

Lee K. Abbott (B.A. English) was the award-winning author of seven books, including his collected stories, “All Things, All at Once.” Was director of Ohio State University’s MFA for decades.

Camille Acker (M.F.A. Fiction) is the author of the short story collection “Training School for Negro Girls.” Has two books forthcoming from Penguin Random House (see “Student Stories” link for more information).

Victoria Barrett (M.F.A Fiction) is the publisher of acclaimed press Engine Books.

Rus Bradburd (M.F.A. Fiction) is the author of “All the Dreams We’ve Dreamed” and three other books.

Travis Brown (M.F.A. Poetry) is the author of the poetry collection “In the Village That is Not Burning Down.”

Will Clattenburg (M.F.A. Fiction) is the author of the novel “The Last Time Around” and the short story collection “The Art of Fugue.”

Kara Dorris (M.F.A. Poetry) is the founding editor of the journal Lingerpost. She is also the author of 6 books including, When the Body is a Guardrail, and Have Ruin, Will Travel.

Valerie Fioravanti (M.F.A. Fiction) is the author of the short story collection “Garbage Night at the Opera.”

Carrie Fountain (B.A. Theater) is the author of the novel “I’m Not Missing,” as well as three books of poetry.

Jeff Frawley (M.F.A. Fiction) was a 2010-2011 Fulbright scholar in Creative Writing, living and working on his novel in Budapest, Hungary.

Casey Gray (M.F.A. Fiction) is the author of the novel “Discount.”

Carrie Grinstead (M.F.A. Fiction) is the author of the story collection “I Have Her Memories Now.” (See “Student Stories” link for more information)

Becky Hagenston (M.A. Fiction) is the author of three story collections, including “Scavengers,” which won the Permafrost Prize.

Kevin Honold‘s first book of poems, Men As Trees Walking, won the 2010 Ohio State University Press/The Journal Prize Award. He is also the author of the award-winning memoir “The Rock Cycle” and the novel “Molly.”
Phil Hurst (M.F.A. Fiction) is the author of the memoirs “The Land of Ale and Gloom,” and “Whisky Boys,” as well as the novel “Regents of Paris.”

LouAnne Johnson (B.A.) is the author of the memoir “My Posse Don’t Do Homework,” (which was made into the feature film Dangerous Minds), and the novel “Muchacho.”

Savannah Johnston (M.F.A. Fiction) is the author of the short story collection “Rites.”

Tyler Julian (M.F.A. Fiction) is the author of the poetry collection “Wyoming.”

Krystal Languell (M.F.A. Poetry) has published four books of poetry, most recently Systems Thinking with Flowers, selected by Rae Armantrout as the winner of the first fonograf editions book contest

Evan Lavender Smith (M.F.A. Fiction) is the author of the memoir “From Old Notebooks” and the novel “Avatar.”

Kathleen Lee (M.A. Fiction) is the author of the novel “All Things Tending Towards the Eternal” and the short story collection “Travel Among Men.” She is the founder and publisher of Blue Edge Books.

Goldberry Long (M.A. Fiction) is the author of the novel “Juniper Tree Burning.”

Jill McEldowney (M.F.A. Poetry) is the author of the poetry chapbook “Airs Above Ground” and the full-length book “Otherlight.”

Mike Meginnis (M.F.A. Fiction) is the author of the novels “Fat Man and Little Boy” and “Drowing Practice.”

Carrie Murphy (M.F.A. Poetry) has published a chapbook, “Meet The Lavenders,” and two books, “Pretty Tilt” and “Fat Daisies.”

Joey Nicoletti (M.F.A. Poetry) most recent book of poetry is the collection “Fan Mail.”

Alexander Parsons (M.A. fiction) is the author of the AWP Prize winning novel “Leaving Disneyland” and the novel “Malpais.”

Barry Pearce (M.F.A. Fiction) won the prestigious Nelson Algren Grand Prize for his story “Chez Whatever” in 2019.

Ramona Reeves (M.F.A. Fiction) won the Drue Heinz Prize for her short story collection
“It Falls Gently All Around.” (See “Student Stories” link for more information)

LeCroy Rhyanes (M.F.A. Poetry) started Voices Behind Walls, a creative writing workshop in juvenile detention centers in the Southwest that encourages offenders to express themselves through poetry. Lee, along with NMSU Literature graduate Justin DeSenso, was also instrumental in helping to create “Hip-Hop Stacks,” a catalog of hip-hop literature, music, art and scholarship now located at the NMSU library.

Brooke Sahni (MFA Poetry) her full-length poetry collection, Before I Had the Word, was selected by Maggie Smith as the winner of the 2020 X.J. Kennedy Poetry Prize from Texas Review Press. She is also the author of Divining (Orison Books, 2020), which won the Orison Chapbook Prize.

Joseph Scapellato (M.F.A. Fiction) is the author of the novel “The Made Up Man” and the short story collection “Big Lonesome.”

Andrew Scott (M.F.A. Fiction) is the author of the short story collection “Naked Summer” and the editor of the collection “12 Bar Blues.”

Henry Shukman (M.A. Fiction) wrote the story collection “Mortimer of the Maghreb,” the novel “The Lost City,” and the memoir “One Blade of Grass,” among other books.

Patrick Stockwell (M.F.A. Fiction) is the author of the award-winning novella “The Light Here Changes Everything.”

Jill Stukenberg (M.F.A. Fiction) is the author of the novel “News of the Air.”

Joshua Wheeler (M.F.A. Poetry) is the author of the nonfiction book “Acid West.”

Robert Wilder (M.A. Fiction) is the author of the novel “Nickel” and the nonfiction books “Daddy Needs a Drink” and “Tales from the Teacher’s Lounge.”

Scroll to Top