News from the School of IAS

Category: Alumni

Denise Calvetti Michaels publishes The Things Downriver

MFA alum Denise Calvetti Michaels' newest book, The Things Downriver (Cave Moon Press, 2020), is comprised of lyric passages focused on interludes of summer on the farm in Salinas, California, home of her paternal grandparents, Agostina & Ercole Bianco. “During this period of childhood, my brother and I explored the boundaries of the farm and steeped ourselves within diverse cultural exchanges among neighbors, family and friends,” said Michaels.

June 21, 2021

Nicole McCarthy’s book to be published by Heavy Feather Review

Alum Nicole McCarthy’s first book is set to be published in 2022 by Heavy Feather Review. The book is an expansion of McCarthy’s MFA in Creative Writing & Poetics thesis, “Manor of Memory,” which she completed in 2017. “It wouldn't have been the book it is now without my thesis advisor, Renee Gladman, a visiting writer in our MFA program who graciously agreed to work with me,” said McCarthy.

June 21, 2021

Malak Shalabi among the first to wear a hijab during law school graduation ceremony

IAS alum Malak Shalabi graduated from University of Washington School of Law this June and may be the first to wear a hijab during the graduation ceremony. In this Seattle Times article, Shalabi discusses her path to law school and the discrimination she’s faced – and transcended. Shalabi graduated from UW Bothell in 2018 with a degree in Law, Economics & Public Policy. As a student, she researched sectarian violence in Syria and the voices of Syrian people in the United States ...

June 14, 2021

President’s Medal to Jordan Woltjer

President’s Medal recipient Jordan Woltjer is graduating with a 4.0 GPA and is headed to Duke University in the fall for graduate school. He credits his UW Bothell professors with cultivating his potential and providing career opportunities that support his goals. Woltjer will receive a bachelor’s degree in Law, Economics & Public Policy and double minor in Economics and Mathematics.

June 8, 2021

Chancellor’s Medal to Chris Hays

Chancellor’s Medalist Chris Hays is a champion for change. One nominator called him “an innate fire that is impossible to quench.” Having had strong advocates in his life — including faculty, staff and friends at UW Bothell — he is committed to helping other students succeed. Hays will graduate this June with a bachelor’s degree in Law, Economics & Public Policy and a minor in Human Rights.

June 8, 2021

Coastal Poets Film Festival: Navigating creative practice within a pandemic

One year into the throes of a pandemic and I missed live poetry readings. Severely. There was a sense of estrangement from Seattle’s caring literary community. Plus, I felt that undying hunger to express and connect with others through the power of metaphor. These were some of the reasons why I curated the Coastal Poets Film Festival. This event was livestreamed on YouTube with pre-recorded video poems by five genre-bending writers, including Allison Morton, Simon Wolf, Brent Cox, Shelby Handler and myself. The film festival ...

June 7, 2021

MFA Alumni Speak at annual “Life After the MFA” Event

On Wednesday May 26th, Woogee Bae (2019), Travis Sharp (2015), and Natalie Singer (2016) joined current MFA students and alumni on Zoom to speak about their paths to and through the MFA. They spoke about how they came to graduate study in creative writing and poetics, how their time in the program shifted the course of their writing and careers, how ...

June 1, 2021

IAS selects 2021 Hall of Alumni Excellence inductees

Each year IAS honors the extraordinary achievements and contributions of its alumni through the Hall of Alumni Excellence, and we are excited to announce our 2021 inductees: Woogee Bae, Maximilian Dixon, Morgan Mentzer, Alejandra Perez, and Ben Wiselogle. ...

May 7, 2021

Kaylee Galloway announces candidacy for Whatcom County Council

Alum Kaylee Galloway has announced her campaign for Whatcom County Council District 1, which includes Downtown Bellingham, Western Washington University, and Fairhaven. Galloway currently serves as a legislative aide for State Representative Debra Lekanoff. Previously, she served as Community Liaison for Congresswoman Suzan DelBene in Whatcom and Skagit Counties and as a Staff Assistant for Senator Maria Cantwell in Washington, D.C.

May 2, 2021