Adventures in MFA Land

  Super excited to receive the w3award for my Washington Square OnAir interview episode with musician, writer, and more, MK Punky. Former gambler, current professional dog trainer and life-long creative M.K. Punky chats with Washington Square Review editor Melissa Ford Lucken. Punky, aka Konik, once a high stakes gambler, discusses how evaluating his intentions led him to living a very different life–one as a professional dog trainer. A lifelong writer, he muses over how his journalist mindset has contributed to his creative vision.

Let’s say its 1980 and you live in Detroit. Let’s say you’re one of the poser assholes who saw “Rock ‘n Roll High School” then thought you knew everything about punk music and the punk scene, so you decided to go see the Ramones at the Motor City Roller Rink. You wanted to be cool. You wanted to think you were better than the losers whose dashboards were stacked with AC/DC and Journey cassettes. Let’s say you showed up at that show in March, expecting to see those girls from the movie. You know, the ones in the skintight pink leopard print tops, smiling with their glossy lips and smelling like Love’s Baby Soft. Maybe you planned to hang with the jocks, pogoing in the mosh pit. You wanted to be one of them, jumping and down, shaking your moussed up, Supercuts hairstyle. Let’s say you were me. Maybe if I’d told what I saw that night back then, we all could’ve found a way to stop them. At least been ready. But I didn’t tell no one. And now that it’s too late, I’m telling you. Listen to t...

  Just for fun, here's a photo of Charles Schulz check, paying for his subscription to Archie comics, 1961.

In this clip, Shachi Kulkarni describes how watching the Beverly Hillbillies helped her make sense of her MFA program and begin to write herself as a author. One of my favorite moments of that season. Former competitive figure-skater Shachi Kulkarni chats with Washington Square Review editor Melissa Ford Lucken. Kulkarni describes a personal journey from the ice rink, through a political science undergraduate degree to the American University’s MFA program. An author who writes of heartache and once got a new perspective on creativity from a single episode of The Beverly Hillbillies inspires writers to follow their own path. Hear the full episode here.

This post is a compilation of reflections and information gathered during my 2025 spring sabbatical. My goal with the interviews (posted previously) was to gain insights about how journals are run and how the journals fit into other 2-yr writing programs. I compared what I read to my interview findings. In addition to the readings from my sabbatical, at AWP in March, I attended the sessions below about literary journals at four-year colleges. This document contains a blend of all those experiences.    Literary Journals Literary magazines don't make money. The goal of a literary journal is rarely to turn a profit. They are part of a bigger conversation about what matters in writing. Literary magazines are places for new ideas and changes. Since they don't aim to make money, they can take risks and try new things in writing and publishing.  These innovations can show up in different ways. They might include new content, fresh voices and perspectives, creative styles, new na...

Considering starting a literary journal at a two-year college? Already have one and looking for info or inspiration? You're welcome to check out my  OER: The Two-Year Lit Journal . It contains resources and information for faculty who manage a literary journal at a two-year college.