Ithaca College

Eric Machan Howd (Assistant Professor of Professional and Technical Writing, Department of Writing) obtained his second graduate degree this past July 05, 2019 in Montpelier, Vermont.

For the past two years, Eric has been working on his MFA via the low-residency program at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. He spent time learning with poets Matthew Dickman, Betsy Sholl, Leslie Ullman, Natasha Saje, Richard Jackson, Ralph Angel, and David Wojahn, and also spent time in the country of Slovenia as part of the program. Eric continues to collaborate with friends and colleagues that he has in Slovenia, which has led to publications and lecture opportunities.

Eric's graduate lecture was based on research on the creative writing workshop structure and the ways in which it can better meet the needs of today’s learner. He also completed a book-length collection of poetry as part of his graduation, entitled Cell, which is currently trying to find its home with the right publisher. His graduate thesis, "The Continuum of Word and Song: A Non-Binary Approach to the Arts," was given, in part, at a conference in Slovenia this past spring, and a portion of the thesis that focuses on Slovenian poets will soon be published in Poiesis, a Slovenian publication based on literature and the arts.