It’s summertime in Laramie, which means our MFAs have oodles of time to write, read, travel, and explore the world. To find out what the 2019 cohort is up to this summer, we did a quick interview with them— check it out below!

LINDSAY LYNCH, MFA, FICTION

If you were a kitchen utensil, which one would you be? Teaspoon, small but exact.

Now, if your writing were a kitchen utensil, which one would it be? A colander, letting out all the excess until I’m left with random bits of interesting junk.

What are you working on? My thesis, which is a collection of short stories. I will probably end up writing a few essays on art to avoid said thesis.

Am I allowed to ask how it’s going? I recently read Lauren Groff’s By the Book where she said that she deals with writer’s block by just reading a lot of books. I thought this was a good approach, but now I’ve read over 13 books in a month and have written, maybe, 3 pages. Oops.

Tell me your favorite adjective? Lugubrious.

Yay or nay: semi-colons? Yay semi-colons! I have a favorite semi-colon and it’s in the first line of Shirley Jackson’s Haunting of Hill House: “No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream.”

Got any summer plans? I will be traveling to Amsterdam and Paris with the plan to sit in art museums and write until someone kicks me out. I will also be road-tripping to Napa Valley later this summer to attend the Napa Valley Writer’s Conference.

What’s your favorite mode of transportation? Trains.

Are we having fun yet? 

Recommend a book? What We Lose by Zinzi Clemmons.

FRANCESCA KING, MFA, FICTION

If you were a kitchen utensil, which one would you be? As a child practicing my violin scales (badly), my mother would often shout from the kitchen “Francesca, is your brain a sieve?” Even though I imagined for the longest time that a sieve was a kind of animal— a cross between a seal and a manatee— I still have a certain affinity with it.

Now, if your writing were a kitchen utensil, which one would it be? Perhaps a lemon squeezer? This current novel is squeezing the life from me… (in a good way, of course…).

What are you working on? I’m currently revising some of the vignettes I produced in Brad Watson’s Secret Life of Movies seminar last semester. Not sure what I’ll do with them, though I’m thinking about producing a chapbook either relating to my experience as a Londoner in Laramie, or about my childhood. Also, a novel. Though, in its early stages.

Yay or nay: semi-colons? Far superior to the lesser colon.

Got any summer plans? I was planning on attending the Arctic Circle Residency, but had to postpone to 2019 for funding, so I have 14 blank weeks in my planner! I’m staying around Laramie, working in the garden for the first time in my life, writing in Night Heron, going to the (blissfully empty) gym.

What’s your favorite mode of transportation? The underground system in London, for sure. Bring on Christmas 🎅🏼

Are we having fun yet? Always 😉

Recommend a book? I enjoyed Room by Emma Donoghue and have since been searching for another novel with a child protagonist. Only Child by Rhiannon Navin was published a couple of months ago and certainly filled that gap.

It’s summertime in Laramie, which means our MFAs have oodles of time to write, read, travel, and explore the world. To find out what the 2019 cohort is up to this summer, we did a quick interview with them— check it out below!

JENNY ZHANG, MFA, NONFICTION

First off, if you were a kitchen utensil, which one would you be? I have always felt great affinity with the wooden spatula, in that we’re both reliable, easy to clean, and good for stir frying.

Now, if your writing were a kitchen utensil, which one would it be? Definitely a colander. Draining, but with a purpose.

What are you working on? My goal is to finish the first draft of my thesis by the end of summer. I’m also dabbling in writing trashy erotica to keep me somewhat sane in the inbetweens.

Am I allowed to ask how it’s going? Yes! It’s going OKAY, and I say that with some trepidation, because is it ever supposed to go better than awful? Mostly, I’m adjusting to not having hard and fast obligations for the next few months – it’s weird to go from a set schedule to what feels like infinite free time. I have to remind myself that it’s fine to just relax. I get to write at a leisurely pace, I’m not as anxious about finishing things, I’m exploring, and I’m failing a lot. I’m learning to be okay with it.

Tell me your favorite adjective? Cacophonous.

Yay or nay: semi-colons? Sure, why not? I’m a recovering dash addict, but everyone’s invited to the party!

Got any summer plans? Austin is my home base for the summer, and I plan on being near some sort of water feature every day. (That’s something I missed while in dry, windy Laramie.) My big trip is in July – I’m going to China to visit my family and do research for my thesis (thanks, Dick Cheney!).

What’s your favorite mode of transportation? Biking. I like knowing that I can leave of my own accord anytime.

Are we having fun yet?

Recommend a book? Night Sky with Exit Wounds by Ocean Vuong.

TAYO BASQUIAT, MFA, NONFICTION

If you were a kitchen utensil, which one would you be? Spatula.

Now, if your writing were a kitchen utensil, which one would it be? Can opener. That manual kind that won’t stay on the can, leaves sections of the lid attached and thus requires a hammer to finish the job.

What are you working on? Right now, Wilderness First Responder certification.

Am I allowed to ask how it’s going? I have fake blood stains on my hands.

Tell me your favorite adjective? Stippled.

Yay or nay: semi-colons? No to semis, yes to lots of colons except in titles.

Got any summer plans? Write the first draft of my thesis and lead outdoor adventures for adults.

What’s your favorite mode of transportation? Walking.

Are we having fun yet? [Edit: Tayo didn’t answer this, which I presume means he’s having all the fun.]

Recommend a book? Stoner by John Williams.