ANNOUNCEMENTS BARON WORMSER, 1948-2025 Baron Wormser, former Poetry faculty member at Stonecoast, passed away on October 7th. He had an extraordinary impact on his students at Stonecoast (even those of us who weren’t his students!). Some of the online obituaries and remembrances can be found at Vox Populi, Seven Days, and the Poetry Society of …
ANNOUNCEMENTS STONECOAST ALUMNI SEMINAR SERIES BEGINS! Conventional Creativity: Tropes as a Generative Tool Tuesday, August 12, 2025 7:00-8:30 p.m. ET / 4:00-5:30 p.m. PT Led by Beth Anderson (Popular Fiction, Summer '23) Sign Up Here Is it possible to incorporate tropes into your work without cheating the writing process, your imagination, or your readers? Absolutely. …
ANNOUNCEMENTS STONECOAST SUMMER 2025 RESIDENCY As we prepare for Stonecoast's Summer 2025 residency (June 12–21, 2025), we’re excited to share a few highlights we think will make our time on USM’s Portland Campus especially memorable. We’re delighted to welcome our newest faculty member, candice iloh, along with distinguished guests Debra Spark, Lewis Robinson, Julia Bouwsma, and Matthew J.C. Clark, each bringing a …
ANNOUNCEMENTS IOTA SHORT FORMS BEGINS SUNDAY WRITING SESSIONS Penny Guisinger (Creative Nonfiction, S’13) and Suzanne Strempek Shea (Faculty 2003-2021) are offering free monthly online writing sessions through Iota Short Forms. Led alternately by these two Iota Co-Directors, plus some special guests here and there, the sessions will consist of writing time with or without prompts. You’ll …
ANNOUNCEMENTS As we prepare for the winter 2025 residency (January 10–January 19, 2025), here are just a few of the highlights we are looking forward to. This winter, Stonecoast will once again gather at the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport, Maine, where students and faculty can enjoy the cozy atmosphere and the welcoming tradition of afternoon …
ANNOUNCEMENTS MESA VERDE WRITERS CONFERENCEMesa Verde Writers Conference is getting ready for its third year. They hope to add a one-day literary festival featuring up to 30 writers offering pop-up workshops and readings. Anyone interested can contact Lisa C. Taylor (Poetry, S’04). They are still looking for next year's poet so please send Lisa an …
ALUMS J Brooke (Poetry, S’19) interviewed the great Morgan Talty (Fiction, W’19) about his debut novel Fire Exit for The Rumpus! If you haven’t read the interview (which coincided with the book’s June 4 release date) read it here. If you haven’t read Fire Exit, READ IT! Additionally J’s poem "My Avatar (aka afab perpetrates heteronormative …
ANNOUNCEMENTS The second Mesa Verde Writers Conference opens for registration on March 1st. We have new faculty and it will be held in the same gorgeous location (Harmony Barn) in the mountains. Delicious locally sourced meals are included! This conference fills quickly so interested people are advised to register early. We can only take 26 …
ANNOUNCEMENTS In response to the Lewiston-Auburn mass shooting that rocked the Maine community in October, Rogue Owl Press---helmed by Stonecoast alums Frank Ard, Popular Fiction (S’14); Joseph Carro, Popular Fiction (W’15); and Rebecca McKenna, Fiction (S’14)---is publishing a charity collection with 100% of proceeds benefiting Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit organization which advocates for gun control …
ANNOUNCEMENTS CLIFFORD ROYAL JOHNS (POPULAR FICTION, W’18) Cliff’s wife, Barbara Johns, wanted to share this sad news with the Stonecoast community: Cliff got ill at the end of April and died of liver cancer June 23. He was never in pain, but he quickly lost over 50 pounds, was weak, and did not want visitors. He was …
Stonecoast Community Blog 