Five Years of Ink
In many creative writing workshops, only a handful of people-teacher and classmates-will read a young writer's stories. In the Fiction Writing Department here at Columbia College Chicago, that's never been the goal. Sure, our workshops help students find their own voices and hone their storytelling chops-that's at the core of our Story Workshop approach to the teaching of writing. But we aim for more.
We could tell you how our faculty, alumni, and students-both graduate and undergraduate-are consistently cranking out great work, but one of the maxims of writing is, "Show, don't tell." So absent the space we'd need to list all our publications in literary journals, magazines and Web sites, take a look at the books the Fiction Writing Department's family has churned out in the last five years.
Full-time Faculty
Joe Meno
Demons in the Spring, Akashic Books, August 2008
The Boy Detective Fails, Akashic Books, 2006
Bluebirds Used to Croon in the Choir: Short Stories, TriQuarterly, Fall 2005
Hairstyles of the Damned, Akashic Books, 2004
Forthcoming: The Great Perhaps, W.W. Norton & Company, May 2009
Shawn Shiflett
Hidden Place, Akashic Books, December 2003
Alexis Pride
Where the River Ends, U Tour Publishing, Inc., May 2007
Sam Weller
The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury, HarperCollins, April 2005
Secret Chicago: The Unique Guidebook to Chicago's Hidden Sites, Sounds, and Tastes, ECW Press, March 2000; revised March 2002
Adjunct Faculty
Mort Castle
On Writing Horror, 2nd edition, editor, Writer's Digest Books, November 2006
Nations of the Living, Nations of the Dead, Prime Books, Inc., October 2002
Graphic Classics: Jack London, 2nd edition, Eureka Productions, October 2006
Graphic Classics, Vol. 13: Rafael Sabatini, Eureka Productions, February 2006
Graphic Classics, Vol. 11: O. Henry, Eureka Productions, June 2005
J.N. Williamson's Masques, Checker Book Publishing, January 2009
Brian Costello
The Enchanters vs. Sprawlburg Springs, Featherproof Books, December 2005
Forthcoming: Losing in Gainesville, Featherproof Books, Fall 2008
Phyllis Eisenstein
"The Last Golden Thread," novelette in anthology Songs of the Dying Earth, Subterranean Press, December 2008
Night Lives: Nine Stories of the Dark Fantastic, Five Star First Edition Speculative Fiction, March 2003
The Book of Elementals, Volume I & II, Meisha Merlin Publications, Inc., February 2003
Gina Frangello
My Sister's Continent, Chiasmus, 2005
Falling Backwards: Stories of Fathers and Daughters, editor, Hourglass Books, May 2004
Forthcoming: London Calling
Jeff Jacobson
Wormfood, Medallion Press, July 2010
Forthcoming: Foodchain, Five Star, March 2010
Laurie Lawlor
He Will Go Fearless, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, February 2006
This Tender Place: The Story of a Wetland Year, Terrace Books, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Fall 2005
Dead Reckoning: A Pirate Voyage with Captain Drake, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, June 2005
Jonathan Messinger
Hiding Out, Featherproof Books, October 2007
Patricia Pinianski, writing as Patricia Rosemoor
The Last Vampire, with alumnus Marc Paoletti, Del Rey, June 2008
In Name Only?, Harlequin Intrigue, March 2008
Wolf Moon, Harlequin Intrigue, December, 2007
Triggered Response, Harlequin Intrigue, December 2006
Slater House, Harlequin Intrigue, June 2006
Ghost Horse, Harlequin Intrigue, July 2005
Alumni
Arnie Bernstein
Bath Massacre: America's First School Bombing, University of Michigan Press, Spring 2009
Michael A. Black, MFA alumnus
Random Victim, Leisure Books, April 2008
A Killing Frost, Dorchester Press, October 2007
Freeze Me, Tender, Five Star, February 2006
Cris Burks, MFA alumna
Neecey's Lullaby, Broadway Books, March 2006
SilkyDreamGirl, Broadway Books, September 2002
Drew Ferguson, MFA alumnus
The Screwed-up Life of Charlie the Second, Kensington Books, Summer 2008
Shelli Johnson, MFA alumna
Walk Through the Valley, Ten Twenty-Seven Books, 2007
Small as a Mustard Seed, Ten Twenty-Seven Books, 2003
Christina Katz, MFA Alumna
Writer Mama, Writer's Digest Books, March 2007
J.A. Konrath
Fuzzy Navel, Hyperion, July 2008
Dirty Martini, Hyperion, July 2007
Rusty Nail, Hyperion, June 2006
Afraid, Headline, November, 2008 (UK only), writing as Jack Kilborn
Stephanie Kuehnert, MFA alumna
I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone, MTV Books, July 2008
Ballads of Suburbia, MTV Books, July 2009
Sharon Mesmer
The Virgin Formica, Hanging Loose Press, 2008
Annoying Diabetic Bitch, Combo Books, 2007
In Ordinary Time, Hanging Loose Press, January 2005
Scott Miles, MFA alumnus, and Jeff Mikos, alumnus
The Best Underground Fiction: Volume One, editors, Stolen Time Publishing, 2006
Charisse Nesbit
A Dream Deferred, A Joy Achieved, Foster Care Stories of Survival and Triumph, Strebor Books, 2007
J. Adams Oaks, MFA alumnus
Why I Fight, Simon and Schuster, April 2009
Marcus Sakey
Good People, Dutton, August 2008
At the City's Edge, St. Martin's Minotaur, January 2008
The Blade Itself, St. Martin's Minotaur, January 2007
Marie Smith
Life Music: Lessons Learned at the University of Catastrophe, Purple Pen Press, 2007
Students
Kathie Bergquist, MFA candidate, and Robert McDonald
A Field Guide to Gay and Lesbian Chicago, Lake Claremont Press, June 2006
Colt Foutz, MFA candidate
Building the Green Machine, Savas Beatie, December 2007
Marianne Wolf-Astrauskas, MFA Candidate
Joliet, Arcadia Publishing, Spring 2006
We could tell you how our faculty, alumni, and students-both graduate and undergraduate-are consistently cranking out great work, but one of the maxims of writing is, "Show, don't tell." So absent the space we'd need to list all our publications in literary journals, magazines and Web sites, take a look at the books the Fiction Writing Department's family has churned out in the last five years.
Full-time Faculty
Joe Meno
Demons in the Spring, Akashic Books, August 2008
The Boy Detective Fails, Akashic Books, 2006
Bluebirds Used to Croon in the Choir: Short Stories, TriQuarterly, Fall 2005
Hairstyles of the Damned, Akashic Books, 2004
Forthcoming: The Great Perhaps, W.W. Norton & Company, May 2009
Shawn Shiflett
Hidden Place, Akashic Books, December 2003
Alexis Pride
Where the River Ends, U Tour Publishing, Inc., May 2007
Sam Weller
The Bradbury Chronicles: The Life of Ray Bradbury, HarperCollins, April 2005
Secret Chicago: The Unique Guidebook to Chicago's Hidden Sites, Sounds, and Tastes, ECW Press, March 2000; revised March 2002
Adjunct Faculty
Mort Castle
On Writing Horror, 2nd edition, editor, Writer's Digest Books, November 2006
Nations of the Living, Nations of the Dead, Prime Books, Inc., October 2002
Graphic Classics: Jack London, 2nd edition, Eureka Productions, October 2006
Graphic Classics, Vol. 13: Rafael Sabatini, Eureka Productions, February 2006
Graphic Classics, Vol. 11: O. Henry, Eureka Productions, June 2005
J.N. Williamson's Masques, Checker Book Publishing, January 2009
Brian Costello
The Enchanters vs. Sprawlburg Springs, Featherproof Books, December 2005
Forthcoming: Losing in Gainesville, Featherproof Books, Fall 2008
Phyllis Eisenstein
"The Last Golden Thread," novelette in anthology Songs of the Dying Earth, Subterranean Press, December 2008
Night Lives: Nine Stories of the Dark Fantastic, Five Star First Edition Speculative Fiction, March 2003
The Book of Elementals, Volume I & II, Meisha Merlin Publications, Inc., February 2003
Gina Frangello
My Sister's Continent, Chiasmus, 2005
Falling Backwards: Stories of Fathers and Daughters, editor, Hourglass Books, May 2004
Forthcoming: London Calling
Jeff Jacobson
Wormfood, Medallion Press, July 2010
Forthcoming: Foodchain, Five Star, March 2010
Laurie Lawlor
He Will Go Fearless, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, February 2006
This Tender Place: The Story of a Wetland Year, Terrace Books, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Fall 2005
Dead Reckoning: A Pirate Voyage with Captain Drake, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, June 2005
Jonathan Messinger
Hiding Out, Featherproof Books, October 2007
Patricia Pinianski, writing as Patricia Rosemoor
The Last Vampire, with alumnus Marc Paoletti, Del Rey, June 2008
In Name Only?, Harlequin Intrigue, March 2008
Wolf Moon, Harlequin Intrigue, December, 2007
Triggered Response, Harlequin Intrigue, December 2006
Slater House, Harlequin Intrigue, June 2006
Ghost Horse, Harlequin Intrigue, July 2005
Alumni
Arnie Bernstein
Bath Massacre: America's First School Bombing, University of Michigan Press, Spring 2009
Michael A. Black, MFA alumnus
Random Victim, Leisure Books, April 2008
A Killing Frost, Dorchester Press, October 2007
Freeze Me, Tender, Five Star, February 2006
Cris Burks, MFA alumna
Neecey's Lullaby, Broadway Books, March 2006
SilkyDreamGirl, Broadway Books, September 2002
Drew Ferguson, MFA alumnus
The Screwed-up Life of Charlie the Second, Kensington Books, Summer 2008
Shelli Johnson, MFA alumna
Walk Through the Valley, Ten Twenty-Seven Books, 2007
Small as a Mustard Seed, Ten Twenty-Seven Books, 2003
Christina Katz, MFA Alumna
Writer Mama, Writer's Digest Books, March 2007
J.A. Konrath
Fuzzy Navel, Hyperion, July 2008
Dirty Martini, Hyperion, July 2007
Rusty Nail, Hyperion, June 2006
Afraid, Headline, November, 2008 (UK only), writing as Jack Kilborn
Stephanie Kuehnert, MFA alumna
I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone, MTV Books, July 2008
Ballads of Suburbia, MTV Books, July 2009
Sharon Mesmer
The Virgin Formica, Hanging Loose Press, 2008
Annoying Diabetic Bitch, Combo Books, 2007
In Ordinary Time, Hanging Loose Press, January 2005
Scott Miles, MFA alumnus, and Jeff Mikos, alumnus
The Best Underground Fiction: Volume One, editors, Stolen Time Publishing, 2006
Charisse Nesbit
A Dream Deferred, A Joy Achieved, Foster Care Stories of Survival and Triumph, Strebor Books, 2007
J. Adams Oaks, MFA alumnus
Why I Fight, Simon and Schuster, April 2009
Marcus Sakey
Good People, Dutton, August 2008
At the City's Edge, St. Martin's Minotaur, January 2008
The Blade Itself, St. Martin's Minotaur, January 2007
Marie Smith
Life Music: Lessons Learned at the University of Catastrophe, Purple Pen Press, 2007
Students
Kathie Bergquist, MFA candidate, and Robert McDonald
A Field Guide to Gay and Lesbian Chicago, Lake Claremont Press, June 2006
Colt Foutz, MFA candidate
Building the Green Machine, Savas Beatie, December 2007
Marianne Wolf-Astrauskas, MFA Candidate
Joliet, Arcadia Publishing, Spring 2006
