A Very Real, Grounded Place: An Interview with Meghana Mysore (MFA ’22)
“I write a lot about family,” says Mysore, “and the question of belonging and what we inherit from one generation to the next, emotionally, physically, and mentally. I’m the daughter of South Indian immigrants, and I think that identity definitely comes into my writing a lot. Many of the stories in my collection right now are from the points of view of women who are South Asian, across different ages, and they’re dealing with questions of memory and belonging, and of the body and what it holds on to, what it lets go of, and what happens with grief through the generations. Learn More.
Julian Brolaski: 2026 Writer in Residence
The Jackson Center for Creative Writing at Hollins University is thrilled to announce that poet Julian Brolaski will serve as the 2026 Louis D. Rubin Jr. Writer-in-Residence this spring. Learn More.
A Conversation with Chanlee Luu (MFA ’23)
We met with Chanlee Luu in November to discuss the publication of her debut collection of poetry, The Machine Autocorrects Code to “I”, which came out from the Washington Writers’ Publishing House in October. The collection was the winner of the 2024 Jean Feldman Poetry Prize, which aims to support racially and culturally diverse poetry from writers based in Virginia or Maryland. Learn more.
A Conversation with Matthew Burnside
We sat down with Assistant Professor of Creative Writing, Matthew Burnside, to discuss his writing journey, horror and resiliency, and his forthcoming publications: Centrifugal and Skull Kingdoms: An Imaginary Omnibus. Learn more.
A Conversation with Martha Park (MFA ’15)
In our conversation with alumna, Martha Park, we discuss the intersection of faith and climate urgency that appears in her forthcoming essay collection, World Without End, her identity as a Southern writer, and how her time at Hollins continues to shape her writing. Learn more.
A Conversation with Pauline Kaldas
We sat down with Susan Gager Jackson Professor of Creative Writing, Pauline Kaldas, to talk about her journey becoming a writer, teaching philosophy, and her new book, The Measure of Distance. Learn more.
Nickole Brown: 2024 Writer in Residence
The Jackson Center for Creative Writing at Hollins University is excited to announce award-winning poet Nickole Brown as Hollins University’s Louis D. Rubin Jr. Writer-in-Residence for 2024. Learn More.
Hollins Mourns the Loss of Celebrated Professor, Author, and Scholar R.H.W. Dillard
R.H.W. Dillard, renowned author and figure in the creative writing world, and a devoted member of the Department of English and Creative Writing at Hollins University for 59 years, died Tuesday, April 4, 2023, in Roanoke. Read more here.
Anne Boyer: 2023 Writer in Residence
Poet and essayist Anne Boyer, winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction, is Hollins University’s Louis D. Rubin Jr. Writer-in-Residence for 2023. Learn more.
Akhil Sharma: 2022 Writer in Residence
The Jackson Center for Creative Writing at Hollins University is excited to announce that fiction writer Akhil Sharma will serve as the Spring 2022 Louis D. Rubin Jr. Writer-in-Residence. Learn more.
Marilyn Chin: 2021 Writer in Residence
The Jackson Center for Creative Writing at Hollins University is thrilled to announce that poet Marilyn Chin will serve as the spring 2021 Louis D. Rubin Jr. Writer-in- Residence. Learn more.
Patricia Spears Jones: 2020 Writer in Residence
The Jackson Center for Creative Writing at Hollins University is excited to announce that Patricia Spears Jones will serve as the Spring 2020 Louis D. Rubin Jr. Writer-in-Residence. Learn more.
Pam Durban: 2019 Writer in Residence
The Jackson Center for Creative Writing at Hollins University is excited to announce that Pam Durban will serve as the Spring 2019 Louis D. Rubin Jr. Writer-in-Residence. Learn more.
Janisse Ray: 2018 Writer in Residence
The Jackson Center for Creative Writing at Hollins University is excited to announce that Janisse Ray will serve as the Spring 2018 Louis D. Rubin Jr. Writer-in-Residence. Learn more.
Li-Young Lee: 2017 Writer in Residence
The Jackson Center for Creative Writing at Hollins University is excited to announce that Li-Young Lee will serve as the Spring 2017 Louis D. Rubin Jr. Writer-in-Residence. Learn more.
Elizabeth Poliner’s new novel
Read about Elizabeth Poliner’s most recent novel, As Close to Us as Breathing, here.
Tom Drury: 2016 Writer in Residence
The Jackson Center for Creative Writing at Hollins University is excited to announce that Tom Drury will serve as the Spring 2016 Louis D. Rubin Jr. Writer-in-Residence. Learn more.
Up for the National Book Award!
Sally Mann (MA ’75) and Karen Bender, a Distinguished Visiting Professor in Creative Writing, are both up for the prize. Learn more.
Hollins MFA 