2020
Graduates
ABOUT THE CLASS OF 2020
Give it up for these grads! Although we can’t celebrate their many accomplishments in person, we want to give them each the spotlight they deserve. Read on for writing samples, fun facts, and praise from faculty.
NEOMFA Class of 2020
Pamela Cottam
FICTION | CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY
FICTION | YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY
Sarah Davis is a writer and costume maker from Youngstown, Ohio. She is a lover of storytelling in all its forms.
FICTION | UNIVERSITY OF AKRON
“Torshi DeJarnett’s thesis, Jericho, is a rare work that displays the writer’s incredible ability to blend both the strange and bewildering with heartfelt domestic and community commentary.”
FICTION | CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY
Alex DiFrancesco is a multi-genre writer who has published work in The Washington Post, Tin House, Brevity, Vol. 1 Brooklyn, and more.
FICTION | CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY
Morgan Elswick is an aspiring writer in the Cleveland, Ohio area. She has had two full length plays go up at convergence-continuum in Tremont.
FICTION | CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY
A Cleveland native, Katharine Everett is a fiction writer with interests in science fiction and horror.
FICTION | YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY
“In his thesis, Jesse Hayges presents a whimsical and wonderful journey through a fantastical world that is just off to the side of this one and through the looking glass.”
POETRY | UNIVERSITY OF AKRON
Noor Hindi (she/her/hers) is a Palestinian-American poet and reporter. Follow her on Twitter @MyNrhindi.
FICTION | UNIVERSITY OF AKRON
“Jurkowski forces his reader to examine what motivates people to embrace both their very best and at times potentially worst instincts in times of crisis that challenge even those with the noblest intentions.”
POETRY | KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
Monica Kaiser is the author of Still Sifting (1996, Mellen Poetry Press). A poet & tree hugger, Kaiser has lived in Eger, Hungary, Aachen, Germany, & in New York City.
FICTION | CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY
Caroline Knecht is a fiction writer, freelance editor, and teacher of English.
FICTION | CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY
Leoson teaches English and psychology courses at the college level in Cleveland, Ohio. She loves to write with her dogs at her feet and survives on decaf coffee and protein bars.
FICTION | CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY
Ryan teaches high school English in the Cleveland area. When he is not teaching or writing, he listens to polka music and runs/walks.
FICTION | KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
Kaytlan lives in Green with a husband, a dog, and two cats, all of whom are satisfactorily adorable.
CREATIVE NONFICTION | KENT STATE UNIVERSITY
Sarah Mohler is a ’20 Creative Writing graduate student in Creative Nonfiction in the NEOMFA program through Kent State University, where she has taught College Writing and Intro to Creative Writing.
FICTION | UNIVERSITY OF AKRON
“Anooj’s stories challenge his reader not just with a sophisticated prose style but how we might rethink the way we look at the world.”
© 2019 NEOMFA
English Department
Kent State University
P.O. Box 5190
Kent, Ohio 44242