Many thanks to our graduates for sharing their announcements and accomplishments. The alumni news featured below is organized in chronological order by year of the graduate’s most recent degree.
1966
Steve May, BA
Steve’s latest article titled “Dickinson on Cats” will be published in the May/June, 2023 issue of “The Emily Dickinson Bulletin,” an official organ of the Emily Dickinson International Society (EDIS). He is also working with the fine press printer André Chaves on a chapbook, the working title of which is “Emily Dickinson on Books.” In addition to his work as a writer, Steve also volunteers as the e-commerce manager for the Friends of the Salem (Oregon) Public Library.
Larry McDonald, MA Ed
My son Gregg has a Master’s in Education and my granddaughter Lauren has been accepted and is starting a Master’s in Education in Biology. Thank you, Western, for all you have given us!
1967
Vern Giesbrecht, BA
I have published an article each year for a decade in British Columbia History Magazine, covering a variety of topics. My first article, “Toil and Trivia: A Newspaper Editor’s Life”, described my time as editor of The Hope Standard (1968-1970). My tenth article for the magazine is a profile of actor and director Antony Holland, whose 70-year theatrical career flourished until just weeks before his death at age 95.
1969
George Drew, MA
I have a book of essays, a new chapbook, and a lot of new journal publications out or coming out, too, such as The New York Quarterly and Literary Imagination (ALSCW–Association of Literary Scholars, Critics and Writers).
1972
Raymond Beard, MA
In 1970, I left Baton Rouge for Bellingham to study under the tutelage of Bob Huff. I was married to Charlene Arnett. I’m not sure why we hauled all of our undergraduate belongings across the country in a U-Haul, but we did. Charlene’s cousin, Chappelle Arnett, who was then and spiritually remains a force in the women’s athletics program, lived on Lake Whatcom alongside Smith Creek and arranged for us to house-sit at a cabin nearby for the academic quarter. So we settled in on Lake Whatcom Road, actually at the end of the road, on the old abandoned railroad track, a paradise of mushrooms and morels.
1977
Scott Cairns, BA
My latest (my 10th) poetry collection, Lacunae: New Poems, will appear from Paraclete Press in November, 2023. The two previous collections, Slow Pilgrim: The Collected Poems and Anaphora, appeared in 2016 and 2019, respectively. My spiritual memoir, Short Trip to the Edge, has recently appeared in both Greek and Romanian translations, and my book-length essay, The End of Suffering, has just this month appeared in a new Greek translation.
1980
Paul J Lindholdt, MA
June 2023 book of creative writing titled Interrogating Travel: Guidance from a Reluctant Tourist from Louisiana State University Press.
1985
Kathi Ciskowski
I am currently working on an historical piece about a mysterious epidemic that happened in Bellingham in the late summer and fall of 1913. Newspapers from all over the country wrote about it but there was continual conflicting diagnoses as to the actual cause of the trouble. Around a dozen people (mostly children) died. In-depth research on my part has not revealed a culprit, but I am still engaged with the project!
1987
Traci Hill Barela, MA Ed
Teaching English 9 Honors and English 11 at West Springfield High School for Fairfax County Public Schools, Fairfax, Virginia. Spent 30 years as a foreign service spouse. Taught English and history in Athens Greece at ACSAthens in 07-08. Served on Board of Governors for the International School of Helsinki 1997-1999. Lived also in India, Bulgaria, and Germany. Two wonderful daughters now grown. Living my own dream now. Thank you Western and Woodring.
1990s
Jayne Entwistle, BA
I recently moved back to Bellingham since graduating in the 90’s. Since my return, I broadened my career narrating audiobooks for publishers like Penguin Random House and Scholastic by recording several books for local authors at Binary Recording Studio here in Bellingham. I also landed a recurring role on the brand-new Netflix show “Blockbuster” which films in Vancouver, Canada.
1992
Kathy Mosdal O’Brien, MA Ed
Curtis O’Brien, husband of Kathy Mosdal O’Brien, has died from complications of Parkinson’s Disease. He regularly delighted Anne Lobeck with examples of Indian English [sic] he learned growing up on the reservation.
1993
Cami Ostman
Cami Ostman is the founder and director of The Narrative Project, giving you everything they need to get your book done. After writing a successful memoir herself, Second Wind: One Woman’s Midlife Quest to Run Seven Marathons on Seven Continents, she now helps others get transformational stories out of their bodies and into the world. Find us at thenarrativeproject.net
1994
Sean Hackney, BS
Contributing author to recent Amazon #1 Best Seller, Next Level Your Life. A portion of the story is about my graphic injury suffered while playing football at Western (you know back when we had a team) and what has transpired since. This book is a collection of powerful stories from entrepreneurs, professionals, thought leaders, and best-selling authors/speakers.
1995
Joanna Nesbit, MA
Joanna stayed in Bellingham after graduation because she married someone who had just relocated to B’ham for a job. She works as a freelance writer, both content marketing and journalism and appreciates every day the writing skills she gained at Western. She has two grown kids, one of whom is working on a PhD in ecology at the University of Arizona, and the other who is graduating from Western with a degree in economics and math (they did not take after their mother!). She’d love to hear from any of her classmates.
1997
Rebekah Anderson, BA
In 2022, I published my debut novel, The Grand Promise, with Empty Bowl Press. The Grand Promise is a work of literary fiction about the real communities impacted by the construction of the Grand Coulee Dam in the 1930s. The novel was called “a gripping debut” by best-selling local author Jonathan Evison, “a thoughtful look” by Kirkus Reviews, and “enthralling” by Publishers Weekly.
1999
Jimmy Watts
Award winning writer, Seattle Firefighter and fly rod maker behind Shuksan Rod Company, Jimmy Watts recently sat down with esteemed novelist David James Duncan to discuss his soon-to-be released novel, Sun House. Their conversation was published as a long form essay.
2000
Julie (née Halvorson) Cook, BA Ed
Married Eva Cook on February 22, 2022 in Vancouver, WA. Celebrating 21 years post heart transplant in August. Celebrated third year at Huntington Learning Center of Bellevue, WA.
2001
Katherine Thomas, BA
So many years after Western, upon returning to my home in Montana where jobs in the humanities are a major challenge to find, I’ve been working as a freelance food writer (and part-time paralegal) for many years:
https://www.ediblebozeman.com/features/food-rescue-beyond-bozeman/
https://citylifestyle.com/bozeman-mt/articles/food-and-beverage/columbos-pizza-and-pasta
https://www.explorebigsky.com/underground-chinese/19274
I miss the wonderful food of Bellingham, and I have great memories of my experience at WWU!
2002
Cathlina Bergman, MA
After 25 years of teaching English (from grade 8 to an undergraduate linguistics class at WWU), I’m moving to the library. I’ll be the Newton High School (Kansas) librarian in the fall, and I’m working on my second masters degree: a Master of Library and Information Science at Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas.
Cindy Hollenbeck
I just celebrated 10 years as an employee at Washington State University, eight years as a marketing and communications coordinator and four as a senior writer. My graduate degree from WWU certainly made a positive impact on my career. I am so grateful for my time spent in Bellingham, and at Western. The education was challenging, and I have maintained many wonderful friendships with faculty and peers.
Jill Nelson
Owner of Pinwheel Creative, a boutique design studio specializing in helping small businesses with branding and content. Currently developing a creative writing magazine.
Kami Westhoff, MA
Kami Westhoff’s short story collection, The Criteria, was published in May 2022 by Unsolicted Press. Her poetry chapbook, Cloudbound, is forthcoming from Dancing Girl Press.
2003
Angie Griffin and Julie Marie Wade, MA and MA
Angie Griffin (’03) and Julie Marie Wade (’03) met as graduate students in the Master of Arts in English program at Western Washington University in September 2001. Angie now works as Technical Services & Systems Librarian for the Appalachian College Association and Julie as Associate Professor of English at Florida International University. They married legally in Bellingham in 2014. In June 2002 [sic], they will celebrate 20 years together.
Meghan Hickerson
Books I’ve written and published: Making Room for You: A Practical Guide to Organizing Your Home, The Journals of Meghan McDonnell (sixteen volumes published to date). Essays I’ve published are on Medium. My podcast: The Feelings is available anywhere and on Spotify.
2006
Vincent Rendoni
Recently published A Grito Contest in the Afterlife, an award-winning poetry collection selected by Pulitzer Prize finalist Dorianne Laux for Catamaran Literary Reader. Available online and at bookstores throughout Bellingham, Seattle, and California.
2008
Brittany Rogers (Young), BA
Brittany is currently a Senior Product Manager at Microsoft, working on Microsoft 365. She has stayed close to content throughout her professional career and has aspirations to begin work on a novel.
2009
Jaima Lindell, BA
I attended Western from 2005-2009 and loved it! I had the opportunity to move back to Bellingham permanently last April 2021, and am thrilled to be a part of the community again. Several years after graduating, I traveled to New Zealand where I worked and lived on the Working Holiday Visa and met my now husband. We moved to Australia on the same working holiday visa for a year, before coming back to the states (fun fact, Americans under 30 can get this visa to live and work in NZ + Oz for a year!). I also fell into a career in Project Management along the way. I obtained my PMP Nov 2020 and am now working as a project manager for a digital marketing company here in Bellingham. I have not strayed too far from my degree, however. For the past 10+ years I have been writing a fantasy novel. It’s now in editing phase and I hope to release it this year through an up and coming Seattle-based indie publisher, Earth and Fire Publishing. I maintain a blog on their website as well. More details about the in-process novel and my blog can be found here. I hope sometime soon to be able to share the news here that the book is published!
Mathew Wend
I have been included and helped put together AHH! That’s What I Call Horror, a collection of ’90s-based short horror stories.
2012
Dan Langager, BA
Since graduating I’ve been a broadcast reporter in Wenatchee, Wash., however in January 2022 I started a new job in a new sector, but I still use skills gained from my English and Journalism degrees every day. I am the Technical Communications Manager at the Northwest Horticultural Council, a non-profit trade association working on behalf of the tree fruit industry of the Pacific Northwest, based in Yakima, Wash.
Tyler Rablin, BA
After teaching for ten years, I have a book coming out through Times10 Publishing called Hacking Student Motivation Through Assessment.
2013
Sarah Maloney, BA
Sarah Maloney (they/she) memoir comic ‘Stolen’ was published on The Rumpus, an online literary magazine.
Cassidy Owen, BA
Announcing my engagement and wedding in July 2022!
2014
Alexa Peters, BA
Alexa Peters, Creative Writing program (Class of ’14) and freelance writer living in Seattle, WA, was published in Rolling Stone in early February. Her piece, entitled “The ‘Book More Women’ Campaign Called Out Male-Heavy Festival Lineups. Did It Help?”, explored the impact of a social media account called Book More Women on gender diversity in the music industry. Other recent articles by Alexa have appeared in The Washington Post and The Seattle Times.
2016
Jordyn Berg Reeves, BA
Just started a new job as a Web Content Writer for Rosemont Media in San Diego, CA
2017
Tanner Abernathy, BA
I became the English Department Head at Decatur High School in Federal Way where I teach Junior and Senior English. I also have written the online 12th grade curriculum and had an 11th grade ‘Afrofuturism’ Unit I developed formally adopted district wide.
Christopher M. Beltran, BA
Will be celebrating his 1-year anniversary working as a Public Relations Coordinator for Dark Horse Comics LLC!
Dayna Patterson, MFA
Dayna Patterson’s first poetry collection, If Mother Braids a Waterfall (Signature Books, 2020), received the Association for Mormon Letters Poetry Award. Her second collection, O Lady, Speak Again, is forthcoming from Signature Books in 2025. Her essay “Lightwork” won first place in the 2022 Exponent II essay contest. Dayna Patterson’s MFA thesis, O Lady, Speak Again, was published by Signature Books in February 2023. She read from her new book along with her MFA thesis chair and mentor, Bruce Beasley, at Village Books on Shakespeare’s birthday.
Alynn Sobolik, BA
Alynn is happy to share that his psychedelic rock band Of the Heavy Sun has new music on the way. “Cosmic Television,” the highly anticipated third full-length album by the band, drops June 2nd on all major streaming platforms. The advance singles have received airplay on both KEXP and KISW, so if you want to see what the buzz is all about, see them June 10th at the Sunset Tavern in Seattle for the album release show and July 29th at the Shakedown in Bellingham.
Miriam Vance, BA
Miriam Vance has been promoted to contracts & rights associate, awards coordinator at Catapult, Counterpoint, Soft Skull Press.
2018
Alyssa Quinn, MFA
My debut novel, Habilis, will be published in September 2022 by Dzanc Books. Habilis is a hallucinatory exploration into the origins of humans and human language. Lucy, a young woman with an uncertain past, finds herself thrust into a mysterious anthropology museum that converts into a disco club each night. Moving through its labyrinthine galleries, she tries to construct an origin story for herself and for her species. But as the night progresses, her grip on language and identity slips away until the exhibit captions rupture the text, transporting us to East Africa, where the lives of three people–British anthropologist Mary Leakey, an Indian indentured laborer building the Uganda Railway, and a curator with too many secrets–interweave to reveal the darker side of the search for origins. Surreal, spiraling, and daringly innovative, Habilis is all at once a historical reconstruction, a psychological horror, a mystery, a ghost story, and a creation myth. But above all, it is a meditation on language, desire, and the stories we tell about ourselves–especially those that might unravel us. You can preorder the book at https://www.dzancbooks.org/our-books/habilis.
2019
McKenzie Grenz
On 8/16, I accepted a position with the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families. It’s been really great so far! My position assists low-income families with obtaining childcare as a part of the Early Learning Division. I’m looking forward to continuing this work for the foreseeable future.
Emma Williams, BA
Emma Williams graduated this past June with her MFA in creative writing from Eastern Washington University. She successfully defended her thesis, a novel project that she’s continuing to work on. In August, she started as an adjunct instructor for North Idaho College.
2021
Keegan Lawler, MFA
Published an essay with the Offing titled “Smalltown Boy” on the song of the same name covered by Orville Peck and originally by Bronski Beat.
Christopher Lovgreen, MA
Chris Lovgreen has been accepted Miami University’s PhD program in English. He will also serve as a graduate teaching assistant for the university’s first-year writing program.
Hannah Raschke, BA
I am now working in arts administration as the Front Office Coordinator for Echo Theater Company, a circus and performing arts school in Portland, OR. I’m thrilled to combine my skills with my passion for circus and theatre!
2022
Peter Dyer, BA
After graduating from WWU, I moved to Brooklyn, NY and started interning at Archipelago Books, a small press devoted to publishing works in translation. This summer, I’ll be with Europa Editions. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to continue working with books in translation!
This alumni news is not organized by graduation year:
Taneum Bambrick’s Intimacies, Received (Copper Canyon Press) received a starred review in Publishers Weekly and was reviewed on NPR.
Tennison S. Black’s three-part poetry collection, Survival Strategies, ˆ(University of Georgia Press) was a National Poetry Series award Winner.
Anders Carlson-Wee’s second collection of poems, Disease of Kings, is forthcoming from W.W. Norton Publisher.
Tim Donahue’s book The James Gang has been published by Central Park South Publishing. This work of literary fiction that explores themes of fame and family by examining the titular James family 20 years after the cancellation of their hit 1970s sitcom The James Gang.
Ryler Dustin’s collection of poetry, Trailer Park Psalms, won the Agnes Lynch Starrett Prize from the the University of Pittsburgh Press. The book also won the Akron Poetry Prize.
Caity Scott won the Western Association of Graduate School’s Distinguished Thesis Award for Bitter Roots.
Jessie Ulmer’s collection of Hansel & Gretel reimaginings, Bewildered, was published by Sword and Kettle Press.
Elizabeth Vignali’s poetry collection, House of the Silverfish, was published by Unsolicited Press
Maya Jewell Zeller’s poetry collection, out takes/ glove box, won the 2022 New American Poetry Prize.