Miles Waggener

Poetry Mentor
MFA in Writing

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Biography

Miles Waggener is the author of four volumes of poetry: Phoenix Suites, Sky Harbor, Desert Center, and most recently Superstition Freeway, published by The Word Works of Washington DC. He has been the recipient of The Washington Prize as well as individual grants from the Arizona Commission on the Arts and the Nebraska Arts Council. His poems have appeared widely in such journals as The Antioch Review, Crazyhorse, Beloit Poetry Journal, North American Review, Notre Dame Review, Cutbank, Gulfcoast, and Hayden’s Ferry Review. A recipient of an Alumni Outstanding Teaching Award, he has been a Writer’s Workshop faculty member since 2006.

Teaching Philosophy

"In its evolving manifestations, poetry has been a sustaining and vital energy in my life. At its best, it is a struggle toward a new and subversive freedom. Rich in contradiction, the practice of reading and crafting poetry is a joyous struggle, at times playful but always questing. I strive to bring these concepts into my teaching. In a spirit of collaboration and compassion, I challenge students to broaden their modes of the craft, both in reading and making. As writers, our identities, experiences, and influences function like points on a rose compass. As a mentor, I look for ways to empower writers to add and discover new points and directions. My calling as a teacher is to help students embark on fulfilling creative lives. Such an undertaking is an enormous responsibility and privilege."