Faculty
With great sadness, we inform you that our beloved founder died February 4, 2012. We are committed to carry on her vision now and for the future.
Irene McKinney, Director of MFA Program
Irene McKinney is the State Poet Laureate of West Virginia. Her five books include Six O'Clock Mine Report, Vivid Companion, and Unthinkable: Selected Poems 1976-2004. Her poems have appeared in The Georgia Review, The Kenyon Review and Poetry. She is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Grant in poetry.
Mark De Foe, defoe@wvwc.edu
Mark De Foe's poems have appeared in dozens of
publications including Poetry, The Yale Review, The Paris
Review, and in over twenty anthologies. His tenth chapbook
is Ten Scenes with Mockingbird. He has been a Bread
Loaf Scholar, and has taught workshops in a variety of
venues, includingThe Chautauqua Institute.
Devon McNamara, mcnamara@wvwc.edu
Devon McNamara has taught writing in schools, prisons and reform facilities in West Virginia and elsewhere, and her poems, essays, reviews and interviews have appeared in The Christian Science Monitor, Dark Horse and Hiram Poetry Review, where she was Contributing Editor. She leads cultural tours of Ireland for students of writing and literature.
Richard Schmitt, schmitt@wvwc.edu
Richard Schmitt has had stories in Puerto Del Sol, Gulf Coast and Blackbird, and is the author of an acclaimed novel, The Aerialist. His work is also included in New Stories from the South: The Year's Best, 1999. He is the recipient of a National Endowment of the Arts Grant.
Doug Van Gundy, vangundy_d@wvwc.edu
Doug Van Gundy's first book of poetry, A Life Above Water, was published in 2007, and his poems and essays have appeared in The Oxford American, Ecotone and The Fretboard Journal. In addition to writing, he is an acclaimed traditional musician, playing fiddle, guitar and banjo.
Eric Waggoner, waggoner@wvwc.edu
Eric Waggoner has written film and music journalism for a variety of publications, including The Village Voice. His music writing has appeared on MTV.com and in the collection Kill Your Idols: A New Generation of Rock Writers Considers the Classics. He is currently a contributing writer for Magnet magazine.