MFA | Apr 2026

As we approach this summer’s residency, I find myself reflecting on a year that has been both demanding and deeply rewarding. Serving as acting program director during Dorian Elizabeth Knapp’s sabbatical has offered a perspective I hadn’t fully anticipated—one that has brought me into closer contact with every facet of the program, and more importantly, with each of our current students.

This season marks a particularly meaningful milestone: the graduation of our inaugural cohort. To see this group reach the culmination of their work is to witness, in real time, what we hoped this program could become. They arrived when much was still taking shape, when processes were evolving and traditions had yet to be established. They helped build the foundation—through their writing, their questions, their patience, and their belief in what this program could be.

On the administrative side, the year has been, at times, a lesson in logistics—calendars, coordination, and the quiet, often invisible work required to keep a program running smoothly. There have been challenges, certainly. But those moments are balanced, and more than balanced, by the privilege of sustained, meaningful engagement with our students. The chance to stay in regular conversation with each member of the cohorts—to see projects develop, voices sharpen, and confidence grow—has been the most gratifying part of this role.

Looking ahead, this summer’s residency feels like a turning point. It will be our third, but in many ways, it represents the model we have been building toward. We are welcoming an exceptional group of visiting writers whose work will challenge and inspire us, and for the first time, our graduating cohort will take a central role in the residency experience—offering evening readings and leading craft talks that reflect the depth and range of their work.

The first two years of the program were, by necessity, something of an anomaly as we established and grew our cohorts. This summer, we step into a rhythm that feels both earned and enduring—a structure that will guide future residencies and continue to strengthen the sense of community that defines this program.

It has been an honor to serve in this role during such a formative time. I look forward to celebrating with many of you in the months ahead and to seeing how the next chapter of this program—and your work—continues to unfold.

Aaron Angello

angello@hood.edu

Remember the Ladies
Co-produced by Hood College Theatre and FCC Theatre; written and directed by Hood Professor Suzanne Beal, Ph.D. Based on letters and diary entries of women who were crucial to the founding of the United States. Free and open to the public; Black Box Theater, basement Tatem Hall

• April 24, 7 p.m.
• April 25, 7 p.m.
• April 26, 2 p.m.

Christopher Kondrich

• April 24, 6 p.m. | People’s Book, Takoma, MD
  With Taylor Johnson

• May 2, 5 p.m. | Politics & Prose, Washington D.C.
  With David Baker & Sandra Beasley

• May 8, 5 p.m. | The Ivy Bookshop, Baltimore, MD
  With Lillian-Yvonne Bertram & Lindsay Bernal

Dorian Elizabeth Knapp

• Sunday, May 10, 4 p.m. | HOT L Poets Series at The Ivy Bookshop, Baltimore, MD
  With Poet Elizabeth Hazen
• Saturday, May 16, 11:15 a.m. | Gaithersburg Book Festival, Edgar Allan Poe Pavilion, Bohrer Park
  With Christopher Kondrich; reading following by book signing

Readings by Our Inaugural Cohort | All in the Black Box Theater, Tatem Hall, Hood College campus

• June 21, 6:30 p.m. | Emily Holland and Izzy Peroni
• June 23, 6:30 p.m. | Jackie Douge, Sullivan McGee and Nicole Abuhamada
• June 25, 6:30 p.m. | Laurie Ward, Maui Smith and Johnathan Alexander

• Elizabeth Ambos ’27 read her poem “Star Fruit Augury” at an on-line reading party on April 11. This poem was a finalist in the 17th annual narrative poetry contest sponsored by Naugatuck River Review.
• Shaylynn Marks '27 has been accepted for an Editorial Fellowship with WWPH. Her poem Ode to Hagerstown, has been recently accepted in Anti-Heroin Chic’s Issue 39—set to be released in May.
• Laurie Ward '26 read her short story "The Hidden Cost of Strength" at Hood College's SPIRE Symposium (Scholarship, Performance, Innovation, Research and Experience). Her essay, "Bernie" advanced to the second of three rounds in the Erma Bombeck Writing Competition.

Pride 2026: Poetry & Prose Contest

Theme: Transmission: Do You Read Me?

In the face of turbulent times, Washington Writers’ Publishing House invites trans, nonbinary, intersex, and other gender expansive writers to send us writing that represents them and their stories. This year for Pride, we wish to focus on highlighting and uplifting trans voices in our community. We believe that trans writing does not have to be about the trans experience explicitly, so please send everything–your joy, fear, love, resistance, dreams, and otherwise. We want to read what is true to you. Featuring poetry judge and MFA residency professor Mae Moll.

Free to submit | Submission deadline May 11

• Lone Peak Literary Magazine | submissions now open
• Sequestrum Literature & Art | accepts submissions year-round
• Torch Literary Arts | rolling submissions
• WWPH Writes | rolling submissions

This contest is made possible thanks to the janet jai Memorial Fund for Visual Poetry, funded by her husband, Richard Krepski. The winner will receive $500; an unpaid honorable mention will also be selected for publication.

The theme for this year's contest is unlikely connections. Maybe your flight was cancelled, and you met the love of your life in the airport, or you had a life-changing conversation with a stranger in a bar. Maybe what you connected with isn't human at all. It could be another animal, an art piece, or a location. Send us great poems that embody serendipity or zemblanity.

For more information about this exciting new visual poetry contest, visit Pergola Lit.

Not ready to invest in a full master's program? This is the program for you. Over nine dynamic days, you’ll engage in up to 23 hours of curated programming that blends hands-on feedback with exposure to today’s literary landscape. Participate in an intensive faculty workshop. Gain insight from industry professionals. Experience award-winning writers up close.

Register today.