July Westhale (Poetry, June 2013) has two poems, “[I saw how, once connected, we made a shape]” and “an attempt to gather rosebuds” in the 2025 Summer/Fall issue of Sontag Mag. They also have three new poems in Poetries in English Magazine.
Mikki Knudsen (WFYP, MFA faculty) is interviewed about her newest novel Into the Wild Magic in the blog Whatever: Fix Your Hearts or Die. She also has a guest post “The Perils—and Pleasures!—of Portals” in School Library Journal.
Mark Akins (Fiction, January 2018) is a finalist for the 2025 Washington Science Fiction Association Small Press Award for Short Fiction, for his short story “All We Ever Had.”
Jasminne Paulino’s (WFYP, June 2023) YA novel The Extraordinary Orbit of Alex Ramirez is featured in the listing “Books for Kids Starting Middle School” in the New York Times.
Adrian Matejka (Poetry, MFA faculty) has a forthcoming collection of new and selected poetry, Be Easy, now available for pre-order.
KB Ballentine (Poetry, June 2007) has two poems “Hush, Little One, Don’t You Cry” and “River Beneath the Roots” in the anthology The Rivers that Run in Our Veins from Dandelion Scribes.
David Farrow (Fiction, June, 2022) discusses his book series The Neverglades in two episodes of the Zombpocalypse Podcast on Spotify.
Natalie Padilla Young (Poetry, January 2009) has a poem “For the herds of grandmas and dogs dying” in Deseret Magazine.
Robbie Gamble (Poetry, January 2017) has two new poems out in the Second Coming project: “TACO Howl” and “Mass Shooting,” and a poem “MRI” in South Florida Poetry Journal. He also reviews Artress Bethany White’s poetry collection A Black Doe in the Anthropocene in Solstice: A Magazine of Diverse Voices.
Katie DeBonville’s (Nonfiction, January 2023) musical memoir Grace Notes has been accepted for publication by Sibylline Press, to be published in spring of 2026. She also has a poem “Obama’s Portrait” in Written Tales Magazine.
Andrea Wang’s (WFYP, June 2011) new picture book Worthy earned a starred review on the ALA Booklist and was chosen as an Editor’s Pick for The Children’s Book Review.
Jon D. Lee (Poetry, January 2017) received an Honorable Mention in 2025 Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest for his epic poem “Perpetual Motion.”
Patricia Rohner (Fiction, June 2021) has a new novel, 2 Poppins Lane, published by Bridge House Publishing.
Tracey Baptiste (WFYP, MFA faculty) has a new middle-grade novel, Moko Magic: Museum Mayhem, now available for pre-order.
Kristin Offiler (Fiction, January 2011) has a new novel, The Housewarming. She is featured in an interview, discussing her new book, on The Meaning Makers.
“For the Portuguese Community, Southern Massachusetts Is a Hub of Festas, Food, and Family” by Nathan Tavares (Fiction, June 2011) has been published on Condé Nast Traveler as part of their “A Place at the Table” series about diasporas around the country.
Opportunities & Resources
- Poetry alums July Westhale and Michael Mercurio are teaming up to deliver a four-week speculative poetry workshop, “Beyond Belief,” with the Pioneer Valley Writers’ Workshop. The cost is $275 and it is open to all levels, including beginners!
- Fiction alum Alissa Butterworth will host a virtual Writer’s Workshop for writers at all stages of the writing process and in all genres from October 9 – December 4. The course fee is $215 and spots are limited to 10 people. Enrollment will officially close on September 19 or when all spots in class are full. There will be a waitlist for interested writers. Please email alissa@alissabutterworth.com to enroll or ask any questions.
- Fiction MFA faculty Hester Kaplan and Michael Lowenthal will be hosting a six-week prose workshop starting on September 30th, “The Ties That B(l)ind.” Through engaging readings and generative writing prompts, this craft-based workshop will explore the intricate web of relationships that shape our lives. The cost is $425 and space is limited. Please email MFLowenthal@gmail.com for payment info.
- The 2025 Perugia Press Prize is open for submissions until November 15th. They are looking for poetry manuscripts by U.S.-based woman-identifying poets with no more than one previously published full-length book. You are still eligible if you have published a poetry chapbook/s or books in other genres.
Do you have any recent writing successes or news you’d like to share with the Cambridge Common Writers community? Let us know by reaching out to us at lesleycambridgecommon@gmail.com!
Comments are closed