Books by Creative Writing Program Instructors

Try these books by some of our talented Creative Writing program instructors. Spanning genres—from short story collections to poetry to novels—there’s an option for every aspiring bibliophile. Best of all, most of our creative writing instructors are graduates from the University of Guelph’s MFA program, meaning you can reach reading milestones while also supporting the local literary community.

Christine Ottoni | Instructor, Writing Short Stories

Book: Cracker Jacks for Misfits

A collection of interconnected short stories about discovering independence, strength, and the power to love.

Alexandra Mae Jones | Instructor, Young Adult Writing

Book: The Queen of Junk Island

A compelling, nuanced exploration of bi-identity and body image set during a humid summer in the mid-2000s.

Tyler Pennock | Instructor, Writing Poetry

Book: Bones

Poems about a young two-spirited Indigenous person moving through shadow and trauma toward strength and awareness.

Michael Melgaard | Instructor, Writing a Novel

Book: Pallbearing

This collection of short fiction offers candid snapshots of life in a small town, where the struggle to make ends meet forces people into desperate choices.

Twitter: @Melgsy | Instagram: @MelgaardWrit
Forthcoming novel: Not That Kind of Place, out in 2023 from House of Anansi.

Greg Rhyno | Instructor, Introduction to Creative Writing

Book: To Me You Seem Giant

Told in two alternating decades, this debut novel is a raucous and evocative story about trying to live in the present when you can’t escape your past.

Twitter: @GregRhyno | Instagram: @gregrhyno
Next book: Who By Fire, coming in 2024 from Cormorant Books.

David James Brock | Instructor, Writing Dialogue

Book: Ten-Headed Alien

This book of poetry draws from sci-fi and poli-sci, prog rock and politics, climate fiction and ancient mythology to create poems that are at once global and personal.

Nadia L. Hohn | Instructor, Writing for Children

Book: Malaika’s Surprise

A heart-warming children’s story written in a blend of standard English and Caribbean patois.