How Community Shapes the Creative Writing MFA Experience

In this Voices of Rutgers-Camden spotlight, the Creative Writing MFA program is highlighted as a place where writers come together to challenge and inspire one another. For Sienna Zeilinger, Program Coordinator for the Writer’s House and an MFA alum, the sense of community was one of the most impactful parts of her experience. Related to… continue reading

The Judgment of Yoyo Gold Earns Best Teen & YA Award

We are proud to celebrate Creative Writing MFA alum Isaac Blum for the inclusion of his novel, The Judgment of Yoyo Gold, on Kirkus Reviews’ Best Teen & YA Fiction of 2024 list. Released on October 15, 2024, the novel follows Yocheved “Yoyo” Gold, a thoughtful Orthodox Jewish teen, as she navigates family responsibilities, friendship,… continue reading

Transforming Family Stories Into Poetry

An accomplished poet and entrepreneur, Shawn R. Jones is a proud alumna of Rutgers–Camden’s MFA in Creative Writing program. Her debut poetry collection, Date of Birth, earned the 2022 Lexi Rudnitsky First Book Prize in Poetry. Jones’s work has been featured in publications such as Tri-Quarterly, New Ohio Review, Cider Review, Passengers Journal, Rattle, and… continue reading

The Art of Story & Advocacy

Award-winning author and Creative Writing MFA graduate Susan Muaddi Darraj crafts powerful narratives for both adults and children, earning recognition for her ability to bring complex themes to life. With honors including an American Book Award, two Arab American Book Awards, and the Maryland State Arts Council Independent Artist Award, her work continues to resonate… continue reading

The Today Show Spotlights a Novel of Resilience & History

A hidden trove of diaries, newspapers, and testimonies from the Warsaw Ghetto inspired We Must Not Think of Ourselves, a gripping novel by Lauren Grodstein, the Graduate Program Director of the Creative Writing MFA at Rutgers University–Camden. Published by Algonquin Books, the novel is the focus of Rutgers–Camden Author Joins Today Show Book Club with… continue reading

A Journey Through Identity, Creativity, & Culture

Growing up in the New Jersey suburbs, surrounded by music and shifting perceptions of identity, shaped the vivid storytelling of Martin Wiley, a Creative Writing MFA graduate. Now the Coordinator of the Writing Center at Arcadia University, Wiley channels these experiences into his latest book, When Did We Stop Being Cute?. This “novel in poetic… continue reading