MFA Alum Eric Acosta Organizes Local Reading and Film Festival

Since completing his MFA in Creative Writing & Poetics, poet Eric Acosta (MFA 2020) has been engaged in fostering community among his cohort and within Seattle’s vibrant literary and art scenes. Together with fellow alums Ashley Noelle (MFA 2020) and Reed Lowell (2019), he started a workshop to keep the conversation and feedback that are so central to the MFA experience flowing. The group keeps up with submissions, reads work in progress, and collaborates on events.

This past February, Acosta organized a reading at Seattle bar Underbelly showcasing a number of local writers. The lineup included Acosta and Lowell, as well as Tacoma-based poet Darien Alexander; Serena Chopra, a Professor at Seattle University; Barracuda Guarisco, the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of @rlysrslit; Harry Lee (MFA 2022), and Sky O’Brien (MFA 2022).

Acosta doesn’t think of Underbelly as a reading series. In his words, “I want a space to read, and I want to read as much as possible. It’s important to have a space to play and experiment. Everyone I’ve invited seems to be on board, and excited, which is invigorating. I plan to hold the reading at Underbelly as long as they are gracious enough to host us.”

The next reading will take place March 30 at 8 pm, again at Underbelly—119 1st Ave. South, Seattle. The lineup features Acosta, Guarisco, Lee, Lowell and Noelle, along with Thomas Ahneesan, Emma Carson (MFA 2016), Emily Mundy (MFA 2022), and Samuel Zagula.

Acosta has been busy publishing as well, including work in Morbid Books A Void #4, Hex Enduction Quarterly Zine, and NoMaterialism. Work is forthcoming in Concision Poetry and Really Serious Literature. Find more via at @bottle_meat and www.printcopiesavailable.com.