Nicole Corley (2006 PW) has taken a position with Grey Matter Group, a marketing/advertising firm in downtown Grand Rapids. She is doing copywriting and project management. She says it's a small company, but one of the best in Grand Rapids, and they're really giving her lots of learning opportunities. She has done freelance writing for the Grand Rapids Press and On the Town, and she is the 2007 coordinator for the Robert Olen Butler Prize for Del Sol Press.

Tom Fleischmann (2005 CW) is pursuing the MFA in Creative Nonfiction at the University of Iowa. His story “At the Funeral of Christopher James Honeycut, a.k.a. Stiltso, the World’s Tallest Man,” appears in v.25 n.2 of the Mid-American Review. He also has an essay forthcoming in Quarterly West.

Amanda Mitchell Gebhart (2005 CW) is pursuing the MA in Creative Writing at Northwestern University in Chicago. She is an editorial assistant with National Geographic School Publishing/Hampton-Brown, where she worked on the teachers' editions for their first-ever high school program and she is now assigned to the new middle school program. The focus market includes struggling readers and English language learners for all of their core programs. She lives in Chicago with her husband, their three cats, and the guy that sleeps on their couch.

A.J. Gretz (2007 CW) is interning with His House Christian Fellowship on Grand Valley's campus. He helps plan teachings, coordinates service opportunities and social activities, leads a Bible study, and meets with individuals to discuss issues of faith.

Liz Guarino (2003 PW) graduated with a Master's in Library and Information Science from Wayne State University in 2005. She is currently Information Services Librarian at the Grandville branch of the Kent District Library.

Anthony Guerriero (2006 CW) is teaching and pursuing the MFA in Fiction at Northern Michigan University.

Brad Hendershot (2005 PW) wrote freelance articles for the Advance newspaper for a time after graduation, and has since returned to Grand Valley to study English and the Earth/Space sciences. He has also applied for graduate school at GVSU, and hopes to be admitted into the Graduate Teacher Certification program in spring 2008. As a future secondary education teacher, Brad plans to continue to write creatively in his free time.

Abby Heugel (2003 PW) is Staff Writer/Editor for Great American Publishing Company in Sparta, MI. Abby says the majority of her time is spent on Museums & More, a national, multimedia business resource for specialty retailers that provides the latest products, trends and news while celebrating the industry and keeping an eye toward the future. With a circulation of over 26,000, Museums & More serves as a link between retailers, product merchandisers and advertisers by informing and educating them of successful business operations and innovative trends in the world of specialty shops: www.museumsandmore.com

Tracy D. Lee (2005 CW) is pursuing the MA in Poetry at Eastern Michigan University. She has written copy for EMU's Campus Life website, and she is overseeing the EMU publication Real Beginnings: First Year Creative Arts Collection. After graduation, she plans to pursue a low-residency MFA. Her poetry appears in the first edition of Nimble:

Breanne LeJeune (2007 CW) is teaching and pursuing the MFA in Poetry at the University of Alabama.

Charlie Lemmink (2006 CW) lives in Grand Rapids where he writes and pays bills with a retail job. His year off from school has been trying, but letting his undergraduate education sink in outside of a structured setting has brought him both focus and patience with his writing. Besides shouldering plastic Christmas trees up to and down from overhead shelves, he plans to prepare his fiction and nonfiction for publication and to work on a portfolio for application to an MFA program in the future.

Megan Lockard (2006 CW) is pursuing the MA in English at GVSU. She is the Graduate Assistant at the Tutoring Center on the Allendale campus.

Bison Messink (2006 CW) is teaching and pursuing the MFA in Fiction at the University of Wyoming.

Danielle Monroe (2007 CW) is an editorial assistant for Elsevier Publishing, which specializes in science and health information. She will be based in Boston as she pursues this new career. She also plans to pursue the MFA in creative writing at some point in the future.

Leah Omilion (2004 PW) is pursuing the PhD in Behavioral Research from Wayne State University with a focus in Health Communications/Emergency Response teams. She earned her Master's in Organizational Communication from Wayne State University in 2007. She is currently Marketing Communications Specialist at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital in Pontiac, MI. She is responsible for writing and producing all collateral (billboards, radio and television advertisements, newsletters and press releases) related to Orthopedics, Women's Health, Behavioral Medicine, and Oncology.

Caity Paynich (2005 CW) is the Communications Assistant for the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo, a nonprofit organization working to support, fund, and promote the arts (including literary, theatre, dance, music, and visual art) in the area. Caity does the marketing and public relations for Arts Council programs and events. She also produces the quarterly organization newsletter and maintains the online events calendar.

Lauren Pontious (2005 CW) is pursuing the MFA in Poetry at Texas State University-San Marcos.

Jacob Powers (2006 CW) is teaching and pursuing the MFA in Fiction at Boise State University. He has done freelance work for On The Town, and he coordinated the 2006 Robert Olen Butler Prize for Del Sol Press. He is one of the founding editors of the online literary journal Weathervane: http://theweathervane.org

Sara Ramaker (2007 PW) is Staff Writer and Assistant Copy Editor for Kaechele Publications, Inc., publisher of the Allegan County News,  the Union Enterprise in Plainwell and the Commercial Record in Saugatuck/Douglas. She compiles, edits and organizes the "Happenings," "Meetings" and "Peek at the Past" sections for all three papers, among many other things. She also is a freelance writer for the MiLife MiTimes website. Check out links to her work at her homepage, http://sara-ramaker.com.

Mike Salisbury (2006 PW) is the Promotions Manager for the Christian Living team at Zondervan Publishing in Grand Rapids. The position blends marketing and booking events and tours for these authors and books.  Mike is also beginning graduate study at GVSU towards the MA in English, with an eye towards pursuing the MFA in creative writing sometime in the future. He has done freelance work for BE Healthy Magazine. His story “Horizontal Accidents” appears in the Spring/Summer 2007 issue of Black Warrior Review. He is one of the founding editors of the online literary journal Weathervane: http://theweathervane.org

Morgan Sherburne (2006 CW) is teaching and pursuing the MFA in Creative Nonfiction at the University of Minnesota.

Katie Shinkle (2007 CW) is teaching and pursuing the MFA in Fiction at the University of Alabama. She is one of the founding editors of the online literary journal Weathervane: http://theweathervane.org

Joe Slocum (2006 CW) is pursuing the MA in English at Northern Michigan University.

Liz Stinson (2006 PW) held the position of Interim Director for the GVSU Humanics Program in Summer of 2006, and she is currently working as Program Assistant at Hope Network Rehabilitation Services in Grand Rapids, an outpatient and residential facility for those recovering from traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. In her free time she does freelance and collaborative writing with local grant writers. Liz is currently in the planning stages of applying to graduate school for a creative or professional writing program.

Joe Vanderhyde (2006 CW) is teaching and pursuing the MA in Creative Writing at Kansas State University.

Maris Venia (2006 CW) is pursuing the MFA in Creative Nonfiction at the University of Iowa.

Megan Ward (2006 CW) is teaching and pursuing the MA in Rhetoric and Composition at Miami University in Ohio. She currently serves as the Assistant Director of the Howe Center for Writing Excellence. Her poem "Island Hopping" appears in the 2004 edition of Reed.

Stacy Warden (2007 PW) is a Beat Reporter for the Chi Town Daily News. She investigates issues surrounding the Chicago Transit Authority and hopes to break in to food writing soon. She is also the founder of a local workshop for Northern Chicago writers.

All Writing alumni are invited to add or update entries. Please send information to: Professor Chris Haven at havenc@gvsu.edu.