MFA Third Year Reading

��ˮ����Ƶ Arts Association is hosting a public reading in celebration of third-year MFA students from the University of Alaska ��ˮ����Ƶ Department of English. The event featured a rich array of original fiction, nonfiction and poetry, shared by Rachel Blume, MFC Feeley, Dr. Kathy Kitts, Nóra McIntyre, Rachel McKinley, Manuel A. Melendez, Tim Ott and Zeke Shomler. These emerging writers, nearing the completion of their Master of Fine Arts degrees, will offer the audience a glimpse into the voices, themes and forms that shape their creative work. Held as part of ��ˮ����Ƶ Arts’ monthly literary series, the evening serves as a showcase of talent, growth and storytelling rooted in the Alaskan experience and beyond.

The MFA third-year reading will be held on April 18 from 6:00-8:00pm in the Bear Gallery, located on the third floor of the Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts in Pioneer Park.

The reading is presented in collaboration with the English Graduate Organization (EGO), a student-led group that supports and promotes graduate student work in the UAF English Department. EGO coordinates readings, workshops and community events throughout the academic year, providing a platform for graduate students to share their scholarship and creative work with the wider ��ˮ����Ƶ community. Their next event, a craft talk with writer Mary Knight, will take place on April 25 from 3:00-4:00pm in Room 660 of the Student Success Center and is open to the public.

Meet the Readers

Rachel Blume

Rachel Blume is a mom and writer from the Texas Gulf Coast. She earned her MFA in fiction from the ��ˮ����Ƶ. Her works can be found in “Cirque,” “Skipjack Review,” “Flora Fiction,” “Glass Mountain,” “Continue the voice,” and elsewhere.

MFC Feeley

MFC Feeley is an MFA candidate at UAF. She has published in Best Micro-Fictions, SmokeLong, Ghost Parachute, Pulp Literature, Brevity Blog, and others. 

Dr. Kathy Kitts

Dr. Kathy Kitts is a retired planetary geologist who has served as a science team member on the NASA Discovery Mission Genesis, among others. She is currently pursuing her MFA in Creative Writing at UAF. Her latest speculative fiction has appeared in Compelling SF, James Gunn’s Ad Astra, and Amazing. She hates it when people say, “It ain’t rocket science,” because that’s what she’s good at. 

Nóra McIntyre

Nóra McIntyre came to UAF to study fiction and ended up falling in love with many genres and forms. Anyone who has ever spoken to her for more than five minutes knows that she is obsessed with horror. When she is not watching horror movies or writing weird stuff, she can be found fencing, eating little treats, and roaming the woods. 

Rachel McKinley

Rachel McKinley is a writer, educator, and mother to four small humans. Her nonfiction explores a variety of themes, including family, longing, and belonging, often through the lens of the natural world. In her spare time, she enjoys running, baking, and watching musicals. 

Manuel A. Melendez

Manuel A. Melendez is a hybrid writer born and partially raised in Camagüey, Cuba. He is getting his MFA in Poetry from the ��ˮ����Ƶ. He has been published in Carolina Muse Literary & Arts Magazine, WayWords Literary Journal, Apricity Magazine, Dream Noir Magazine, Superstition Review, and Midway Journal. He has received several awards for his writing (across multiple genres), including The 3rd and 4th Annual Derick Burleson Poetry Contest Awards, the E. L. Bartlett Contest for Literary Criticism Award, and The Farthest North Fiction Contest Short Story or Single Chapter Award. He dreams of one day living in a world where poetry can take permanent physical shape, but he settles for a fierce latte, vibrant verses, and being penniless but ravishing on his deathbed. 

Tim Ott

Tim Ott grew up in rural Iowa, studied at St Olaf College in Minnesota, and received an MA in Slavic Languages and Literature from the University of Washington. He taught English in China and the Russian Federation, was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Rwanda, and instructed for several years with the Northwest Outward Bound School in Oregon. He is focusing on fiction and has a goal of creating “laughter through the tears.” 

Zeke Shomler

Zeke Shomler earned a Combined MA/MFA from UAF in Fall 2024. He’s now working toward an M.Ed. in Secondary Education. A Pushcart nominee, his poetry has appeared in AGNI, Folio, South Florida Poetry Journal, The Columbia Review, and elsewhere. 

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at UAF is a three-year program focused on fiction, nonfiction and poetry. With a strong emphasis on both creative practice and critical inquiry, the program offers students close mentorship with faculty, opportunities for teaching experience, and a supportive community of writers. Located in the heart of Alaska, the program encourages students to engage with the unique cultural and environmental context of the North while developing their voices as artists.