Breaking Boundaries Through Storytelling

1. Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from, and what drew you to the MFA program at OSU-Cascades?

I am from Condon, a rural town in North-Central Oregon with a population of about 700. I am married and have two young children, ages 3 years and 10 months. Having such young kiddos has been an added source of challenge during this program but also of inspiration and writing material.

I am a secondary educator going into year seven in the classroom. At my small high school (41 students enrolled last year), I teach a wide range of subjects, from language arts and creative writing to science, personal finance and weightlifting.

My hobbies include cooking, gardening, fishing, reading and hiking with my family. I also run a small business specializing in loose-leaf tea blends, while my wife has a small leatherwork business. We're busy! :)

2. Tell us about your thesis. What question, theme, or creative pursuit are you exploring, and why is it important to you?

My thesis is a hybrid manuscript comprised of personal essays, short fiction, an excerpt from a longer fiction piece and poetry. Throughout, I challenge traditional notions of genre and form, often using unconventional structures to blur the boundaries between them.

One piece is a sci-fi story framed as a posthumously published collection of journal entries, poems and documents, complete with an editor whose footnotes gradually reveal a character arc of their own. Another takes the form of a eulogy that explores the socio-political causes of the speaker's partner's death. Much of my poetry emphasizes personal responsibility in addressing environmental, social and political issues.

This inquiry into form and structure is something I've always been interested in and have become somewhat obsessed with over the last year. So much of our lives are divided into categories and identities. My perspective is that many of these divisions are artificial, and by challenging them in my writing, we can begin to challenge larger barriers as well.

3. What inspired this project, and how did the idea first take shape?

My first conception of this project began with reading Cane by Jean Toomer, a work that weaves short prose and poetry. It shattered my conception of what a novel could be and led me down a rabbit hole of research into Toomer's influences and legacy, including Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson and The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury.

Around that same time, I wrote a short story that felt destined to branch into a web of connected stories. Then another story fell into that universe, then another, and soon many of my poems felt thematically connected as well.

4. Research and creative work often come with unexpected challenges. What was the most rewarding or surprising part of the process?

The support from the MFA faculty and my cohort-mates! Truly, their encouragement kept me writing and sharing these works, and here I am at the end of the program with a whole stack of writing midwifed by friends and mentors.

The research has also been some of the most fun. Recent rabbit holes have included the geology of Mars, theoretical spaceship engine designs, Russian cosmism, panpsychism and the recent Encyclical Letter of Pope Leo XIV. Truly, a joy to explore.

5. How have faculty mentors, classmates or the OSU-Cascades community supported your work throughout the MFA program?

I speak to this somewhat above, but my fellow students in the cohort, though small, have become incredibly close-knit and intend to continue our writing practice together in the coming years. Meanwhile, several faculty members have gone so far as to write blurbs for my newly published poetry chapbook, Steward of the Blooms, from Finishing Line Press. If that doesn't speak to their support of my work, I don't know what does.

6. You are the first student in the MFA program to receive Oregon State University's Thesis Completion Award. What does this recognition mean to you?

It's kind of surreal, receiving OSU's Thesis Completion Award despite having my defense this summer. It was especially odd to submit my application materials to Jenna Goldsmith, the MFA program director, for nomination back in March because that meant writing the abstract for my thesis three months before I had even built the thesis document.

Winning the award is a huge honor, and I am grateful for the recognition because it is additional validation that my work contributes to the literary corpus in ways I'm sure I won't ever fully understand.

7. Looking back on your time at OSU-Cascades, what are you most proud of accomplishing?

Completing the program with a 4.0 GPA while teaching full time and raising two wickedly cool kids with my wonderful wife. I truly couldn't have done this without her support and understanding, and I am unspeakably grateful to her.

I am also proud of getting my poetry chapbook published and of receiving both the Thesis Completion Award and the Distinguished Student Award.

8. What's next for you after graduation, and how do you hope to build on the work you've done through your thesis?

I will teach at Condon High School for the 2026-27 school year, and my course load will include dual-credit WR 121/122 courses through Blue Mountain Community College as well as dual-credit BA 112 through Eastern Oregon University.

It's my hope to transition into a role where I can leverage my writing ability, perhaps in editing, communications or grant writing for an organization whose mission I believe in. But, to be real, all I want is to spend more quality time with my family and continue my personal writing practice as I work on my in-progress fiction.

It will be a long journey, but I am enjoying every step so far.