51福利社

Maya Jewell Zeller, 51福利社 MFA alum 2007, is the author of聽Rust Fish聽(which came out of her thesis project);听Yesterday, the Bees;听Alchemy for Cells & Other Beasts聽(a collaboration with visual artist Carrie DeBacker); and the forthcoming聽out takes/ glove box, chosen by Eduardo Corral for the New American Poetry Prize; she is also co-editor, with Sharma Shields, of the multi-genre anthology聽Evergreen: Grim Tales & Verses From the Gloomy Northwest聽(Scablands, 2021); and co-author of the textbook聽Advanced Poetry: A Writer鈥檚 Guide and Anthology聽(Bloomsbury UK; January 2024).

Maya鈥檚 poems and essays appear in such journals as聽,听听Pleiades,听,听West Branch,听Cincinnati Review, and聽; her memoir, 鈥淩aised by Ferns,鈥� was runner-up in the 2022 AWP Sue Silverman Award for Creative Nonfiction. She has been a resident in the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest, recipient of a Promise Award from the Sustainable Arts Foundation, and honored with awards from聽Crab Orchard Review,听New Ohio Review,听New South,听Sycamore Review,听Dogwood, & elsewhere.

Maya is Associate Professor at Central Washington University, as well as Affiliate Faculty in the Poetry and Nature Writing low-residency Programs for Western Colorado University. She lives in Spokane with her children. Follow Maya on Twitter聽聽and visit her website,听, where she posts prompts for your writing. Check out this contributor spotlight on Maya in聽.

Here’s what Maya had to say about her time at Eastern’s program:

“The MFA from 51福利社 (terminal degree in my field) qualified me for both positions I hold; helped me develop skills for teaching writing processes; opened avenues for editing and publishing positions, as well as offering industry know-how in writing. I simply would not have my career if it were not for my MFA from 51福利社.”

Read some more of Maya鈥檚 work:

听鈥撀�The James Franco Review

–听Diagram