ABOUT
MARY: A Journal of New Writing is a student run online arts journal sponsored by Saint Mary’s College of California’s MFA in Creative Writing program. Since 2002, MARY has published contemporary poetry and prose from a diverse group of talented emerging writers and established artists, including: D.A. Powell, Gillian Conoley, Bruce Smith, Elizabeth Robinson, Rebecca Curtis, Carol Snow, K. Silem Mohammad, Matthew Zapruder, and Dorathea Lasky. MARY has also published interviews with award-winning writers such as Michael Palmer, Nick Flynn, Susan Steinberg, Michael Pollan, John D’Agata, Jo Ann Beard, Mary Roach, Forrest Gander, and Kent Johnson.
Every year, MARY: A Journal Of New Writing comes out with a creative new issue that includes Creative Non-Fiction, Fiction, Poetry, Reviews, and Interviews. The 2020 issue of MARY presents various styles of writing and content from a diverse group of writers.
Please enjoy the Summer 2020 issue of MARY: A Journal Of New Writing, brought to you by the Saint Mary’s College of California MFA Program, the MARY staff, and the wonderful writers who contributed to the journal.
STAFF
Editor-in-Chief
Charlie Neer is a queer writer from the Bay Area. They received their BA in Creative Writing and Comparative and World Literature from San Francisco State University. They work as a poetry editor for Foglifter Press.
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Nonfiction Editor
Florencia Orlandoni was born and raised in the hottest, most humid province of Argentina. She was about to turn fifteen when her and her family migrated to Los Angeles. She’s lived in San Diego, Mexico City, Cuzco, New York and now resides in the East Bay. Her nonfiction explores the many roles that documentation plays in immigrant's lives, with an emphasis on girlhood and becoming a woman.
Deputy Editor
Natalie Dunn is a writer and editor living in Berkeley. Her most recent work can be found in the Atticus Review, Siglio Press, Pithead Chapel and is forthcoming in the Kenyon Review. She likes to swim in the bay in the morning.
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Poetry Editor
Caeden Dudley (@caedenxavier) writes poetry about identity, the self, and being queer. When they aren't writing, they enjoy playing MMOs. They received their BA in English at East Carolina University.
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Stella Santamaría is the daughter of Cuban and Guatemalan immigrants. She was born in Los Angeles and raised in Miami. Stella is a Teaching Assistant and a second year MFA Creative Writing Candidate in Poetry. Her poetry has been recently published in Juked, The Brooklyn Review, The Furious Gazelle, Pennsylvania English, The Courtship of Winds and Cathexis Northwest Press. Santamaría performed spoken word in the Lab in San Francisco and in New York City at the Nuyorican Poets Café.
Elli Levin loves cats and magic, but mostly cats. They’re five-foot-two, but if you ask, they’ll tell you five-foot-three. When Elli isn’t writing, they are probably running, climbing rocks, or making "bad" puns.
Lizette Roman-Johnston is a Creative Nonfiction MFA candidate, who writes about mental illness and The Bachelor franchise. She is a Writing Across Curriculum fellow, advising SMC students on their writing in all genres. When she's not working in the writing center or munching on gluten free snacks in the classroom, Lizette works with the Gaels softball team as a volunteer manager. She also spends her time watching Bojack Horseman and oversharing on Twitter. Follow her @zettercakes; she loves validation and attention!
Connor McCaslin hails from Austin, Texas, and studies Fiction in Saint Mary’s Creative Writing MFA program. He likes taking long walks and he likes writing, but attempting both simultaneously has proved a bit of a safety hazard.
Fiction Editor
Will Preston is a teacher in Oakland and a student in the MFA Creative Writing Program with a concentration in fiction at St. Mary's College.
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Readers
Andrew Mercer Andrew is a second year student trying to be a poet. He enjoys buying books that pile on his desk, his anxious, super nearsighted shepherd, and exploring new places with his incredibly talented partner. Originally from Carson City, NV, he received his BA in English and History from Gonzaga.
Courtney Metz is a first-year MFA student, a mother, and a wife. While she mainly reads sci-fi and fantasy, she’ll sink her teeth into any good story. Whether reading or writing, she uses stories to escape a reality where she is quite timid and cowardly to live the lives of characters going on adventures big and small.
Victoria Quistgaard received her BA in creative writing, with a minor in psychology, from California State University, East Bay. She originally hails from Akron, Ohio and has been complaining about the traffic in the California Bay Area since 2012.
Ryan Shepherd
Nick Golden
Rai Ahmed-Green
Kathleen Herald