Students and alumni are the lifeblood of every MFA creative writing program; at the Antioch University MFA Program in Creative Writing, we are committed to staying connected to our alums by creating and fostering a culture of lifelong learning and community. We believe that one of the best ways to learn about our program, its pedagogy, its mission, our creative ethos, is to learn about what our alums are doing out in the world; whether they are writers of fiction, creative nonfiction, writing for young people, poetry, or our newest genre, dramatic writing.

We touched base recently with three alumni who have achieved recognition for their work in the first half of this year and asked them: what did this award or nomination mean to you as a writer and an Antioch MFA alum?

Reyna Grande, author of numerous works including the memoir The Distance Between Us, recipient of the 2023 Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award from Poets & Writers:

The reason I've made it this far in my career is because I've had wonderful mentors at Antioch and throughout my writing life. They have served as role models as to what kind of writer I want to be...someone who supports and uplifts other writers and helps them get across the barriers the publishing industry puts up, especially for marginalized writers. Getting the Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award was a great honor for me, but also a great opportunity to address, in person, some of the issues that weigh on me, such as the lack of diversity in the industry and the lack of access for BIPOC writers. As an Antioch Alum, I'm happy to make my university proud and to encourage students to create a supportive community and uplift one another. Those of us who have made it far in our careers, we have to make sure we keep tearing down those barriers and make it easier for the next generation of writers to reach their dreams. 

Anna Dorn, author of the novel Exalted, fiction finalist for the 2023 Los Angeles Times Book Prize:

When I first heard I was nominated for a LA Times Book Prize, I thought I was being punked! I didn't believe it. Once I got an official email and it sunk in, I was just ecstatic. I literally never thought I'd be nominated for a prize. I always thought my work was more fun and commercial at best, but not literary. It was a shock and an honor. It also felt good because it was a win for my agent Sarah Phair and my editor Olivia Taylor Smith, both of whom were instrumental in the writing of Exalted. And I hope it's a win for Antioch, too! Teachers like Francesca Lia Block and Alistair McCartney taught me how to write a novel, and my nomination is a testament to their dedication. Finally, the nomination was great timing because I had a book on submission, so it probably helped secure that sale. Overall, it was such an honor at the perfect time.

Toni Ann Johnson, author of the interlinked story collection Light Skin Gone To Waste, finalist for Outstanding Literary Work/Fiction in the 2023 NAACP Image Awards:

It’s an immense honor to be a two-time Image Award nominee. Light Skin Gone to Waste (a collection I began writing while working on my MFA in Creative Writing at Antioch University,) was a 2023 nominee, and my first book Remedy For a Broken Angel was a 2015 nominee for Outstanding Literary Work by a debut author. While many previous winners and nominees are highly celebrated, like Toni Morrison, Walter Mosley, and Colson Whitehead, the Image Awards also recognizes writers whose work is less well known, like mine. The nomination provides emerging writers exposure to wider audiences, and affirms our worth when other institutions don’t recognize us. My first novel was published by a small press. With no agent, no connections, and no previous publications, I submitted the book and out of the hundreds of submissions, the Image Awards readers responded to it. This was the first professional affirmation I received for my fiction. An early draft of the novel failed to sell, and after completing my MFA at Antioch, I re-wrote it using the skills I’d learned, and the subsequent draft was published and nominated. The nomination gave me confidence to continue on this path. Moreover, the Image Awards events are a celebration of Black Culture and pride that nurtures nominees and attendees in a soul-stirring way that, for me, feels like a family reunion where everyone displays their excellence. It’s afforded me the opportunity to meet and connect with brilliant artists whose work I deeply admire. For example, in 2015, I met Roxane Gay at the event and she would become the editor of Light Skin Gone to Waste.