It's Almost Time! MAROONED gears up for the MFA 30th Anniversary Celebration

At 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 1^st, ASU will celebrate the 30^th Anniversary of the Creative Writing MFA program with an event in Hayden Library’s Upper Concourse. During the evening, distinguished poets Alberto Rios, Jeannine Savard and Sally Ball will read. MFA artists, photographer Rebecca Ross and printmaker Karla Elling, will also exhibit as part of the event.

For the past few weeks, the MAROONED interns have been pitching in to help set up for the celebration. While the English Department’s focus on creative writing dates back to the 1930’s, the MFA program was established in 1985. Since then, the top-tier program has attracted a high caliber of both faculty members and students. In addition to the artwork exhibition, attendees can also view a collection of candid photography from moments throughout the program’s history.

Last week, interns helped hang the artwork of printmaker Karla Elling and assisted in the creation of displays that will be viewed by attendees of the reading and art exhibition. Highlights of Elling’s exhibit include artwork honoring Dr. Martin Luther King and classic posters for on and off-campus author events.

The public is welcome at this celebration of writing’s role in the fine arts. The MAROONED interns hope to see you there!

We're Taking Submissions!

Marooned: the Undergraduate Literary Review is an annual literary journal run entirely by ASU students. Our goal is to create opportunities for undergraduates in all majors to showcase their creative work and re-define the term “literature.” Our submission period opens on September 22nd and will close December 31, 2015.

For details on how and what to submit, please see our Submissions page. We will also be accepting submissions for our Cover Art Competition. The winner will receive $100 and their artwork will be used as the cover of our Spring 2016 issue. Submission closes December 15th.

Send all submissions in .doc, .pdf, or .png format to: marooned.asu@gmail.com *SUBMISSIONS MUST BE SENT FROM AN ASU E-MAIL OR INCLUDE YOUR ASU ID

Author Interview Preview: Tara Ison's BALL

Tara Ison’s Ball is a Kirkus-starred collection of eleven short stories that has been called “exquisite and harrowing” by Dylan Landis. Most of the stories are named after common, everyday things, like “Fish,” “Wig,” and “Cactus.”  In “Ball,” a woman sets her dog on fire. In “Fish,” a woman comes to terms with falsely accusing an uncle of childhood sexual abuse. While “Bakery Girl” seems to be about the awkward first sexual experience of a fourteen-year-old girl, it is also the story of female bullying and the way it shapes sexual behavior and expectations. Ison is not afraid to tackle taboo topics in often cringe-worthy ways. But her innovative use of language and compellingly-crafted stories make Ball a page turner that’s hard to put down – and even harder to forget.


We're lucky to have Ison as an Associate Professor here at ASU and next week, MAROONED will interview her about Ball. Stay tuned for her thoughts on how this collection of short fiction developed.

Ball will be released on November 10th by Soft Skull Press.