Q: Hi! Thanks for doing this interview. Could you introduce yourself to us?

A: Thanks for asking me to do it! My name is Alyssa Evans and I am a student in the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing program at Alma College. I received my bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan in 2016 and earned a master’s degree in English from Grand Valley State University (GVSU) a couple of years later. When I’m not in class at Alma, I teach classes in English and writing at GVSU. I joined the Alma College MFA program in order to pursue my dream of writing for a living! I’m thrilled to be here.

Q: Your first residency in the MFA program was last winter — and it was actually the program’s first overseas residency, in Venice, Italy. What was it like to study in Venice?

A: It was amazing. Studying abroad was something I always wanted to do when I was in undergrad, but never got around to it. Joining the Alma College MFA program, I was able to combine my two biggest passions, which are traveling and writing. I appreciated how the director of the MFA program, Sophfronia Scott, embedded the culture of Venice into the program itself; by inviting guest lecturers from the area to speak with us, exploring the area and eating the food. It was great to meet my classmates and hang out with them in this beautiful setting. Overall, it was a great introduction to the program, and something that gave me a lot of confidence about my future in it.

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Q: Can you expand on your comments about the relationships you’ve built within the program? I understand you’ve had two faculty mentors since joining it, Shonda Buchanan and Leslie Contreras Schwartz.

A: Yes! Working with Shonda and Leslie have been encouraging and inspiring in different, interesting ways. The Alma MFA program offers three different concentrations: poetry, creative nonfiction and fiction. I’m concentrating my studies in poetry and creative nonfiction, and both Shonda and Leslie are world-class poets. It’s been really interesting to read their writing and learn about their interests, but they also offer incredibly insightful feedback on my work. I look back on the writing I did before I joined this program and what I’m doing now and the difference is truly noticeable.

Q: I understand you recently won an award for poetry and were published. Congratulations on that!

A: Thank you! I live near Grand Rapids, Mich., and I entered the 56th annual Dyer-Ives Poetry Competition, which is open to people who live in Kent County, Mich. I won third place in the adult category, which was really validating. My poem was published in the Dyer-Ives Foundation’s publication, Voices, and I was invited to perform at the Grand Rapids Public Library. I felt like I couldn’t have done it without the Alma College MFA program. Before I had submitted it, I read it to classmates and faculty mentors and they helped me see the vision of it — to focus it around one image, hone it down and improve it. It’s really valuable to have had this experience, to win a competition and have that on my resume, but also just to submit materials for publication.

Learn more about Alma College’s MFA in Creative Writing program at alma.edu/mfa.