Meet the editor!
Hey y’all, I’m Zyen Mingo-Smoot or Mz.bambaataa, and I am very happy to be the editor of Revise This! I began my graduate journey last year, so I will receive my MFA in June of 2026. When I am not using poetry as a visionary tool for radical change, I am figuring out the best way to reconstruct how we think about language and literature at a community college. Nice to meet you all!
Please contact zyen.smoot@wilkes.edu if you have any story suggestions, interview opportunities, or want to contribute!
The Globality of Creative Writing
Language is the universe. Language is universal—or is it “Universal Language?” Maybe Global Language, or art is supposed to be translational? These were the questions I found myself reflecting on after interviewing Wilkes alumni Rachel Luann Strayer and Craig Czury, both writers whose work has either been published, performed, or acclaimed internationally. I wanted to discuss with them the beauty of creative explorations being understood on a global level and what that means when it comes to creative writing, which really is creative language.
Rachel Luann Strayer is a playwright from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Before Covid she was the Director of Theatre at Keystone College. She currently works at a high school library but is also a freelance director and directed Murder on the Oriental Express at Marshall College.
Craig Czury is a “poetry/creative non-fiction” or “creative non-poetry” writer from Scranton, Pennsylvania. For 25 years he taught at schools and prisons. After receiving his MFA, he taught English Composition at Albright College for 5 years. Additionally, while in Italy, he attended Intituto Galileo Galilei high school for the arts in Crema, Lombardia, where he was poet-in-residence for 6 years.
ZS: What inspired you to get involved in the international scene?
CC: During the first Gulf War, I left the country to live in Mexico. I spent months with the Vietnam War Draft Resistance. I saw this coming. I had written a lot of poems I had wanted to get translated into Spanish. I worked with an Argentine poet, Juan Amador (member of the Mulberry Poets & Writers Association), and he translated the poem and it got published. He flew me [to Argentina] to give book tours, and then you meet other internationals who like what you’re doing.
RS: I feel like I lucked out. I want to constantly be doing the work and getting it out there to anyone who wants it. I guess DROWNING OPHELIA’s first real international performance was in Canada. It was through Acadia University in Nova Scotia and Toronto University that it was performed. In February of 2020, my play was published by Blue Moon Plays by Jean Klein.
Jean already had a network outside the U.S. She emailed me in February of 2024 and said my play was going to be done in Bulgaria. Two students at American University in Bulgaria performed the show, and because of it, decided to start a theater company. They took the show on tour in other cities in Bulgaria and then to the Balkan Theatre Festival in Serbia. The show closed out that festival and then they were invited to Romania in June. I haven’t been able to go to any of these, but I have had really wonderful conversations with NDNA productions (NDNA stands for the names of the founders of the university theatre company in Bulgaria: Anastasia “Nana” Dimitrova (ND) and Neda Aleksov (NA)). They have been so wonderful. My work is not officially translated in publication, but when they perform they provide subtitles in the Bulgarian language.
I found it very telling how both of these writers’ works were immediately drawn upon and appreciated; additionally, building connections with other writers outside the U.S. Knowing Craig’s ongoing work with his virtual poetry sessions and Writing From Cyberia classes I asked,
ZS: Is there a connection between that and your international community?
CC: During Covid, Kimberly Crafton and I began a podcast called Talking With Our Mouths Full. It was a series that included 3 poets from different parts of the world reading their poems. That was one way it started on the international level. My Zoom classes (Writing From Cyberia) were the classes that kept me afloat. I have two different classes a week now. We do a lot of writing. I open each class with what I call “Burning out the carbon” free-writing while listening to me reading from any of my vast collections of world poets. Then each of us reads what we’ve written and comments and suggestions are offered. We then share our poems we’ve written from homework prompts, or poems that have come to us during the week. Lots of discussion, ideas, concepts. Then we either throw each other provocative lines we’d written from class as writing prompts, or write a series of short-stories from really short poems and aphorisms I read to them to ride into the week to develop into longer poems or to fuse into one poem for homework for the next class.
All of my students are getting published.
I wonder if how we interpret ourselves through writing or through others’ interpretative prompts and lines is similar in other countries? It feels, at times, restricting for us to only be in conversation with what and who we know if we don’t give space across borders. It reminds us that our “worlds” are really just one world. Then again, there is also the question of how much we truly appreciate what that means.
ZS: What do you want to say to writers who are considering or should consider being involved in the international literary scene?
RS: I would say that there is something really amazing that your work lives beyond you. That is something I have always tried to embrace as a playwright to see what others would do with it. People who speak a different language, who are from a different culture, found something I wrote that resonates with them, and then they find a specific way to embody the work. I think why [DROWNING OPHELIDA] has been so successful is because of the specific approach the artist took. They made it physical in a way that other artists have not—all the opportunities to see how your work could be expanded in ways you couldn’t imagine outside the United States.
CC: To me, I only work with other poets in translation. I pretty much give permission to make my poem theirs. I see my poems in Spanish. I know the Spanish. I know what those poets died for and suffered for their language. I know what Russian poems have suffered. What did we ever suffer in American English? A grant or job at universities? I am going to be in Greece reciting my poems in Greek. I have a friend in Atalanta, Hank. He says, I think in the Crow language and when I write it down people call it poetry. [To Rachel] Your plays are popular because people are starved.
Craig’s penultimate statement was in context to how language is interpreted after translation. A person will think in another language, and someone who translates it could potentially be taken aback by the words that come forth or, really, by how others communicate. I know that the language that I think in has a lot to do with the environment and culture in which I was raised. This means, those who did not grow up in the rural Black south, may see my language as poetic. They may also see it as trivial depending on the person.
With that being said, Craig’s final statement was in context to whether or not Americans appreciate literature (language) as much as the rest of the world. It is a statement to consider when it comes to how we share our work, who we want to be in conversation with, and whether or not we have control over who our work speaks to, or where it goes. I would also add, although the English language has spread across the globe, it is interesting how much of our culture may feel isolating in ways that keep us from questioning how others’ voices matter just as much as our own—or westernized society is very small compared to the global world. We must also consider those of us whose language came out of survival rather than a learned tongue, and how that also impacts how we connect with each other on a creative level, the choices we make in the creative writing process, and whether or not the appreciate of all the words of literature was ever a question.
In addition to the continuing production of DROWNING OPHELIA, Rachel is also working on a second production, LAERTES DIES TOO, a semi-finalist for the O’Neill. The O’Neill comes from The National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s premier program for new play development. During the summer, the theatre selects a number of unproduced works from a pool of 1,000+ submissions for a workshop on the O’Neill’s campus in Waterford, CT. LEATRES DIES TOO will have its first reading in Detroit and then Lancaster.
Craig Czury’s AND IF YOU SAW ME: New and Selected Prose and Poems has just been released with Moonstone Press, which includes the section LAUGHTER AMID A ROSARY OF DEATH, part of his MFA thesis at Wilkes. He is also leaving for Greece to spend 4 days in Monemvasia, the childhood town of the poet Yannis Ritsos, on a tied island off the east coast of Peloponnese (where he says he has ancestry according to 23andMe), before going north to Greek Macedonia to read poems and talk in a school at the 4th International Poetry Festival of Naoussa.
Maslow Creative Writing Program Updates
In the words of our director…
Let’s Go Hybrid! (Just this once.)
To the excitement of pretty much nobody, we are going to run the winter residency for most cohorts as a hybrid—the first half online, the second half in-person. (The 501 cohort will remain in-person for the entire week.) As disappointing as this may be for the students and faculty who miss each other terribly and want to spend another full week together, this decision was made largely because of the atypically early start date (Jan. 12) of the Wilkes undergraduate spring semester, necessitating a start date for our winter residency of January 2—when the university won’t even be open. So by running the first half virtually, we’re giving ourselves time for a “slow open,” not to mention avoiding the expense and perils of holiday travel and allowing the teachers in our program to reduce the number of personal days they’d need to take in order to attend the residency, from five to two—with the added bonus will be that nobody will need to take the residency as a “weekender.”
Scholastic Awards Ceremony a Huge Success
For the first time in years, the high-school students of eastern PA have a regional affiliate and host for the Scholastic Writing Awards–right here in the Maslow Family Graduate Program in Creative Writing at Wilkes. Our thanks go out to our volunteer readers/judges Patricia Bowen, Jade Heid, Maura Maros, Lori May, Cassandra O’Sullivan Sachar, and Alicia Williamson, and to coordinator/judge Cynthia Kolanowski, for all their efforts that led to the selection of the gold and silver pin recipients, and to our Events staff (especially to Bridget Giunta and Megan Pitts) for all their help with the ceremony, which was attended by about a hundred high-school students, teachers, and parents. We’ll do it again this fall, with the ceremony to follow in the spring, so if you’d like to volunteer to be a reader, let us know!
Faculty Updates
Rachel Weaver’s Dizzy, a memoir, is coming out in February with West Virginia University Press and a novel, The Last Run, will be out June 9th with Lake Union Publishing.
Rachel says the best way to reach her is through her website: https://rachelweaver.net/ or by email: rachel.weaver@wilkes.edu
Student and Alumni Updates
Amber Niven’s (M.A. in progress) Hiking the Appalachian Trail through Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, is now available for pre-order! She co-authored the guide with her husband, packing it with local insights, fun “did-you-know” facts, and stunning photos—perfect for day hikers, section hikers, or armchair adventurers. It’s part one of the four-book series, covering every mile of the AT!
You can reach Amber by both her emails: amberadamsniven@gmail.com or goodmorningappalachia.com
Rachel Eck (M.A. in progress) has had two poems and one flash fiction piece among the pages of “Lipstick and Gunpowder,” “Static in our Stars,” and “Nocturne Ash,” in anthologies published by Wingless Dreamer Publisher. She also had two more pieces accepted for publication in their upcoming anthology Ink Without Borders.
You can contact Rachel by email: authorracheleck@gmail.com.
Christian Garza (M.A. in progress) says “My biggest piece of good news was my first attempt at submitting a piece of writing for publication. It was for a ghost story bi-yearly publication. While I was not selected, I am proud that I started to reach out and apply for publications.”
Editor’s note: As writers our biggest fear is not the act of writing, but sharing. You should be proud.
Joe Cetta (M.A. 2007) says, “The fourth season of our history/audio drama podcast It Happened One Year: 2000 premieres this fall everywhere podcasts can be heard. Each season we cover the media, politics, and culture from a particular calendar year, sometimes in full-cast radio play style dramatization. Past seasons have featured numerous Wilkes alumni, including Matthew Hinton, Kristen Gaydos, Reid Mosley, Jim Warner, Dina Udomsak, and Adam Carpenter. Our back catalog totals over 140 episodes from the first three subject years – 1994, 1967, and 1984.”
You can reach Joe by email: Joseph.cetta@gmail.com.
Aurora Bonner’s (M.F.A. 2018) essay “Fractures” appeared in the anthology Rivers, Ridges, and Valleys: Essays on Rural Pennsylvania, published by Catamount Press. At Hippocamp: A Conference for Creative Nonfiction, Aurora presented the session “Not Just a Backdrop: Writing Place as a Lived Experience.” In addition, her review of Jennifer Lang’s memoir Landed: A Yogi’s Memoir in Pieces and Poses, published by Vine Leaves Press, appeared in the Colorado Review, and her essay “Sobriety Sucks” appeared in the HerStry Blog’s Kind of a Funny series.
You can reach Aurora on various platforms such as: www.aurorabonner.com, Root Down to Write Up on Substack, Instagram: @aurora.beyonde, Facebook: @Aurora Bonner, or email: aurorabonner.bsky.social.
Cari Tellis (M.A. in progress) says, “My first full-length, solo-written musical, Duets for Dez, was performed this summer at the completion of the summer performing arts camp I run at Misericordia University. I wrote the play and many of the lyrics for the 16 songs in the show. I also directed the show.”
You can reach Cari on various platforms including: pata.ctellis@gmail.com, Instagram: @gopataproud and @performingartstrainingacademy, Facebook: @patasphere, and via website www.patasphere.org.
Rachel Luann Strayer’s (M.F.A. 2012) play DROWNING OPHELIA, which began as her Wilkes capstone project, has been performed by NDNA productions in Siberia and Bulgaria over the past year and a half. This summer, NDNA’s production of DROWNING OPHELIA was invited to and performed at the prestigious Sibiu International Theatre Festival (FITS) in Romania.
You can find Rachel through: RLStrayerWrites@gmail.com, website: RLStrayerWrites.com, social media: @RLStrayerWrites or @Rachel Luann Strayer.
Josh Penzone’s (M.A. 2013) short story “The Grassman” appeared in the spring issue of Two Hawks Quarterly and short story “Vices and Principles” appeared in the July issue of Blue Lake Review.
You can reach Josh by email: joshpenzone@gmail.com.
Kenna DeValor (M.A. in progress) had the opportunity to read poetry at the Musikfest 2025 (Bethlehem, PA) and Bardstock 2025 (Johnstown, PA). They also had recent publications with ThirtyWest Publishing and Blood + Honey Lit. They closed submissions and began layout on the third issue of their very own literary magazine nonprofit. Kenna was nominated for Best of the Net 2025 and was accepted to Poetry in Transit in Wilkes-Barre and says, “My poem “Peach ; Morning” will be on a bus circulating through the Wilkes-Barre area so keep your eyes peeled <3.”
You can reach Kenna by Instagram: @teadragonz / @flowermouthpress, Facebook: @Kenna DeValor, or email: kaitlyn.benninger@wilkes.edu
Craig Czury’s (M.F.A. 2008) AND IF YOU SAW ME, New and Selected Prose Poems & Poems is just out from Moonstone Press and contains a section from his MFA Thesis.
He is also a featured poet at the Fourth International Poetry Festival in Naouasa, Greece in September. Craig’s ongoing Zoom Life-Writing from Cyberia (Tues. 7-9 p.m.) is now accepting new participants. Craig also completed an interview with Erika Funke at WVIA Public Radio Wilkes-Barre/Scranton:
You can reach Craig by email, Facebook, or his website: www.craigczury.com.
Reyna de Jesús Contreras (M.F.A. in progress) says, “I just completed Screenwriting Foundation and am working on writing cross genres. I started a podcast (with my dog) on Spotify, STORY SISTERS: EDUCATED, MELANATED, CELEBRATED (talking and discussing WOC writers). My monologue “ERICA’S NEW HAIR” will be published in ‘LAAFTRRRRR’ – An Anthology of 1-Minute Comic Plays (Volume 2). I (finally, after a long year of terrible politics regarding Theatre in D.C.) will be having one of my plays produced with TEATRO LA BOLSA (still don’t know when/which one…politics). My MA Capstone play is being produced in New York’s Lower East Side a.k.a. Loisaida (the best ‘hood in Manhattan) at Under St. Mark’s Place for DAYS OF DEAD FESTIVAL (October 17-November 2). I am completing a postgraduate degree in Mexico!” Reyna is also a reader for River & South.
You can contact Reyna by email: ReynaDJesus@gmail.com or melissa.contreras@wilkes.edu, and Instagram: @ReynaDJesus.
Audre Arnett (M.A. in progress) says, “I’m incredibly grateful to have been accepted into the graduate program at Wilkes University and am excited to begin my foundation courses this semester. I currently have both a fiction and non-fiction manuscript in progress, and I’m looking forward to strengthening the voices in each through my coursework. I may also be starting a volunteer position with Kinsman Quarterly Publishing, which I’m thrilled about. In addition, I’m exploring the idea of launching a blog to share my writing and starting a YouTube channel to showcase my creative work as a seamstress.”
You can reach our new member by email: audre.arnett@wilkes.edu.
Thanks so much to faculty, students, and alumni who shared! Those who read, we want to hear from you too :).
That being said, sending much electric energy and luck this semester!