Spring 2023 Showcase Black

Ellie Black
My Mississippi

“My Mississippi” is a 30-second commercial for the University of Mississippi’s graduate Creative Writing programs (MFA and PhD). This ad, made by a recent graduate of the MFA program who has since continued on to the CW PhD, demonstrates the best of the department—from readings to parties to casual conversations between peers—through a homemade, DIY aesthetic intended to incite a feeling of belonging and community. Five current MFA students (Colin Brightwell, Christy Conner, Vinh Hoang, Jenny Keto, and Lenna Mendoza) speak briefly on their experiences within the program.

Ellie Black is a PhD student in Creative Writing at the University of Mississippi, where she also received her MFA. Her poetry can be found in or is forthcoming from Poet Lore, Mississippi Review, Poetry Online, The Offing, Black Warrior Review, DIAGRAM, Best New Poets, and elsewhere. Her prose can be found in or is forthcoming from Hayden’s Ferry Review, Georgia Review, Pleiades, Fandom Spotlite, and the Adroit Journal. She was recently recognized as a Second Rounder in the Drama Teleplay Spec category at the Austin Film Festival.