Sandy Pool (2006 cohort)

When I was accepted into the MFA program at Guelph, I truly felt like I’d received a golden ticket. The opportunity to write solidly for two years was such a gift. When I look back on it now, I realize that I produced a great deal of work in that short period. The MFA was fundamental to my becoming a professional writer. The high quality of instruction I received, as well as the excellent peer feedback, provided me with the skill set and confidence to put out my first book of poetry, and begin what would later become my second collection.  

Since then, I’ve gone on to complete PhD in English, and have been teaching at various academic institutions across the country. I really believe that I could not have accomplished these goals without first completing the MFA in Creative Writing at Guelph. I was lucky to be mentored by such talented writers, and I’m confident that the program will continue to provide students with the high caliber of instruction and pedagogical initiatives I received while studying there. The program not only provided me with a much-needed community of writers to engage with, but was an excellent overall introduction to the writing life.

Sandy Pool is a writer, editor and Creative Writing instructor. Sandy holds a degree in Theatre Performance and English from the University of Toronto, as well as a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University Guelph. Currently, she is a holder of the prestigious Killam scholarship in poetics at the University of Calgary, where she is completing her PhD. Sandy has been published in various literary journals and was most recently anthologized in The Best Canadian Poems in 2011, published by Tightrope Books. Her first book Exploding Into Night, published by Guernica Editions, was long-listed for the 2010 re-lit award and short-listed for the 2010 Governor General’s Award for poetry. Undark: An Oratorio was published this fall with Nightwood Editions and was recently short-listed for an Alberta Book Award for Poetry and the Trillium Book Award for Poetry. 

[featured: fall 2013] 

Interview: The Toronto Quarterly  

Interview: Open Book Toronto

Discussion (with fellow Trillium finalist): The National Post