Marissa Bell

Okay. I'll be honest. Much of my time at CCA was spent just trying to figure out what the heck I was doing there and procrastinating. I desired something to push and guide me. I found that coaching at CCA.

I tried to come up with some clever form to describe what I appreciate most about the MFA Program in Writing, but whether I was listing the top reasons I'd enroll again or writing a prose poem in homage, I kept returning to the idea of a supportive community.

My experience was enriched by a forum for experimentation in craft, and feedback from peers, faculty, and dedicated mentors. The visiting writers and folks who gave readings exhibited the myriad ways to forge a living in the writing world. Art shows around campus, a pub down the street, a roomful of people interested in literature and writing—what more could a word-obsessed bookworm like myself have asked for?

Marissa graduated in 2006.