Celebrated Alum & Poet Honored with Dual Awards
Two major honors in 2025 have spotlighted Creative Writing MFA alum Amy Beth Sisson as a distinctive voice in contemporary poetry. She received the J. Michael Samuel Prize for Emerging Writers Over 50, presented by Lambda Literary to recognize LGBTQ writers whose work deserves a national audience. In the same year, she was named an inaugural winner of the Mendelssohn Chorus of Philadelphia’s Joyful Abundance Commissioning Award, which supports the creation of new choral works. Together, these awards place her writing in a wider artistic conversation that bridges literature, performance, and community.
Sisson’s forthcoming collaboration with composer Leigha Amick, commissioned through the Mendelssohn Chorus program, will debut at ArtPhilly 2026, extending her reach into music and performance. The Lambda Literary award, meanwhile, affirms her place among emerging poets whose voices carry both urgency and resonance. These recognitions add to earlier milestones, including her selection as a Kenyon Review Writing Workshops fellow and semifinalist distinction in Sundress Publications’ Chapbook Contest.
Beyond the recognition, Sisson contributes to the literary world as Fence Magazine’s Steaming visual poetry editor and as a board member of Blue Stoop, where she helps guide educational programming. Her poetry has appeared in journals such as Cleaver Magazine, Philadelphia Stories, and The Shoutflower, with new work forthcoming in Plant-Human Quarterly and the anthology Queer Flora, Fauna, Funga. With a career that bridges writing, editing, and community leadership, she embodies the reach and impact of the Creative Writing MFA at Rutgers–Camden.
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Rutgers–Camden’s MFA: A Multi-Genre Journey in Creative Writing
The Rutgers University–Camden Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is a 39-credit terminal degree that fosters a multi-genre approach, encouraging exploration across fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Students engage in small, personalized workshops and craft classes led by distinguished, award-winning faculty, including recipients of the Pulitzer Prize and Guggenheim Fellowship. The program offers full financial support to all full-time incoming students, encompassing tuition remission and a living stipend. Situated just minutes from Philadelphia, the campus nurtures a vibrant literary community centered around the historic Writers House on Cooper Street. Additionally, students have opportunities to interact with nationally acclaimed visiting authors through the NEA-supported Writers in Camden series and can participate in international experiences across Europe, Asia, or South America.
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