If you had told me when I graduated undergrad I would one day get an MFA and apply to PhD programs, I would have laughed. I was not a great student. I struggled with my mental health and undiagnosed ADHD, never turned in homework, did only the readings I wanted. I barely managed to graduate because of support from advisors and professors who worked tirelessly to drag me across the finish line.
I think that’s why I decided, a decade after graduating, that I wanted to return to school with the intention of becoming a professor, to help students like me. I wanted to pay forward the support I received. And so, I quit my tech job to throw myself entirely into my studies and build a career that I could be proud of.
Over the past year I’ve focused my energy on three main mantras: community, career, and poetics. My schedule- balancing full-time employment, school, and leading two different writing organizations- is chaotic to say the least. By establishing these mantras, it allowed me to prioritize my energy.
I grew up poor. My family requires welfare support to keep a roof over their heads and food in the fridge. Because of this, education was almost inaccessible to me, trapped behind a paywall of debt. However, I was lucky, and with a combination of loans and scholarships I was able to attend undergrad and later join UW for my graduate degree. But I remember what it was like to not be able to access education, and so I set out to create educational programming without financial barrier.
As both the President of Gamut Literary Series and the Chairperson of the Horror Writers Association Seattle Chapter, I have created free educational programming available virtually, which allows anyone with an internet connection to join. This is open to UW Students but also open to community members across the country. I kept them virtual to make them accessible to those with mobility issues, which both of my sisters struggle with. Even hosting things in a coffee shop can make some unable to attend, and I wanted to make sure to create space for everyone. It also removes any awkwardness of folks thinking they “aren’t good enough” to attend. It’s my belief that anyone can learn to do anything with time and access to educational resources, and I foster an environment for everyone regardless of writing experience.
Further, I expanded the scope of Gamut to create opportunity for our students to cut their teeth with teaching workshops and classes in a low risk setting. We began the Graduate-Led Occupational Workshop (GLOW) series, which allows graduate students to teach various elements of career writing, such as writing short plays (which I ran), teaching copy editing, contract reading, writing with the senses, and more. These programs give our students practical career experience while also engaging the community and cultivating a garden of knowledge.
I also led the Fall Convergence event for the MFA in Creative Writing & Poetics. This event partners with the program led event to provide a reading space for visiting artists the night prior. We hosted 8 writers to read at Vermillion, which ended up selling out. We coordinated schedules, met with the venue, ran the programming, and advertised it to our community. I personally hosted the event (see image in the About tab) and worked with our organization to distribute workload across members. I also ran tech for the program the next day, making sure that the speakers could be heard and screens could be seen.
As the Chairperson of HWA Seattle, I conduct similar accessible programming and sat on numerous panels throughout the year. Throughout 2025 I was on six panels, ranging from writing for performance to discussing horror tropes to how poetics can be used in horror. These saw me partner with organizations such as Seattle Arts and Lectures, Crypticon, Pacific Northwest Writers Association, Cascade Writers, Seattle Public Libraries, and numerous bookstores. This put me in contact with award winning industry professionals, gave me feedback for my writing career, and led to future publication opportunities. I also hosted a quarterly reading series called Seasons of Horror, which I hosted at Kirkland Arts Center.
I have also taken the opportunity to expand my career working as a student employee for UW Bothell in two roles. I serve as the Digital Media tutor for lab classes, where I help students learn how to use programs such as Adobe Suite, Microsoft products, Final Cut, and more. I have worked both 1:1 with students, as well as attending classes to assist faculty or provide feedback on projects. I also served as the grader for BIS 249A- Introduction to Labor Studies, which gave me experience creating and grading assignments, leading classes, supporting student needs, and scheduling speakers.
While I’ve been balancing career elements, I’ve also invested in improving and publishing my own work. In 2025, I had over 10 publications of poetry, video art, and prose, as well as several essays and a book foreword. My poetry chapbook Dredge was a finalist in Quillkeeper Press’ yearly chapbook contest, while my story (Traffic) Circles won the 2025 Crypticon story contest. I also had poems published in two literary magazines. For a full list of my publications while I was enrolled at UW see Student Resume tab.
To improve my skills, I attended 5 writing conferences in 2025- including Worldcon, Crypticon, and NorWesCon. This gave me the opportunity to receive feedback from award winning industry professionals such as Wendy Wagner, Shiv Ramdas, and Jessie Kwak.
I know my career is just starting out. There will be more educational programming, more partnerships, more publications. But as I approach my graduation in two quarters, I feel prepared to take on what comes next with the support given to me by our faculty, as well as my experiences of the past two years.
Thank you for your time and the opportunity.
Erik Keevan
Erik Keevan 