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Maddison Hamil is a first-year MFA candidate in the Nonfiction program at Columbia. I have had the opportunity to work with Maddison curating the 33 Reading Series, the English Department’s student-run Poetry and Nonfiction series. I haven’t had the chance to have a class with Maddison yet, but she observed my Writing & Rhetoric I class last spring, and she and I have had several conversations throughout the semester about our teaching styles, assignments, and about workshop. I’ve enjoyed getting to know her and think she is an amazing example of an MFA student who does it all. Maddison took four classes this spring, has a part-time job, is a Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) and, as I said before helps curate the 33 Reading Series. On top of that, she’s an amazingly creative cook, enjoys decorating, and manages to find time to keep a blog, one that is visually stunning and one that I find myself procrastinating on school work in order to read each week. For more information about Maddison and to see her blog, visit Waiting for Sunday. I asked Maddison a few questions to see how her first year has been shaping up and to get to know a little bit more about her:

Briefly tell me a little bit about yourself, where you’re from, and your educational background.

The second oldest of six kids, I grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Here is one of my favorite things about Fort Wayne: every fall at the Johnny Appleseed Festival they make the most amazing homemade caramel corn in these big black kettles over an open fire, and you can buy everything imaginable made from apples. I had a lively childhood with my brothers and sisters. I was somewhat of the ring leader, and we constantly got into trouble, made secret clubs, rode bikes to the gas station to buy candy and beef jerky, built tree forts, and spent the long hot days of summer in the pool playing shark attack and having handstand constants. Many of these memories work their way into my writing today and though I never thought of my hometown as a particularly impactful place, it has shaped me and my writing more than I could have imagined. I graduated from DePauw University (yes, with a W) with a BA in Latin and Creative Writing. Five simple pleasures I enjoy: clean white sheets, driving past endless rows of cornfields, winning a swim race, napping with my kitten Bruni curled up on my chest, dinners al fresco.

Why did you choose to apply to Columbia? Once you were admitted, what ultimately informed your decision to come to Columbia?

I chose to apply to Columbia for three reasons: one, I knew I wanted to be in a city, two, the writing faculty here are incredible and three, I wanted to go somewhere that had a teaching program. In the end I chose Columbia because it was a good fit overall and I felt confident I would finish the program a better writer.

What have been some of your favorites moments during your time at Columbia? With classmates, teaching, classwork, and on campus/off-campus events?

I have definitely enjoyed going to readings. There is something really wonderful about hearing a writer read his or her work aloud and being able to ask them questions, too. This is probably nerdy to admit, but I have had a great time with my classes. The readings and writing assignments have been challenging, and the discussions in class, thought provoking. I need a bit of structure to help me write, and I have liked having due dates to help encourage me to get some words on the page. This last semester, my translation class was so unexpectedly delightful–working in different languages and translating in Italian has made me think about writing and language in a new and fuller way. Working on staff for Hotel Amerika and South Loop Review have both been rewarding experiences as well. Although my first semester of teaching has required lots of thinking on my feet, it has affirmed that I want to make teaching a permanent part of my career in the future.

What opportunities, if any, do you think that Columbia has given you in your first year?

Definitely teaching and working on staff for two literary magazines. More than that, though, I think having the chance to work with and learn from great writers like Jenny Boully, Joshua Casteel, Aviya Kushner, and David Lazar has been the most important experience so far.

How would you describe your writing style? And what writers have inspired you? Or what books have left their mark on you as a writer and have influenced you?

Can I say that I’m still developing my writing style? I’m not sure that I have a distinct style yet. As of late, I have been into listing and cataloging. I asked a classmate what my style might be, and she said: lonely, whimsical, and vivid. As writer that I have long admired is Stuart Dybek, but more recently this semester I have kept Isaac Babel, Walter Benjamin, Virginia Woolf, Anna Maria Ortese, and Gertrude Stein at hand.

What do you plan to do with your MFA after you graduate?

To write and teach.