Rita Costello Rita D. Costello grew up on an island in the Niagara River, but has since lived in numerous cities throughout New York, Ohio, Kansas, and now Louisiana. For much of her life, she focused her energy in the visual arts. Though literature and writing have since taken precedence, she keeps in touch with the visual arts through photography and various personal projects. Rita received her B.F.A. in Creative Writing and English from Bowling Green State University in Ohio and her M.F.A. from Wichita State University in Kansas. She has published poetry, short stories, and visual art in numerous journals including: Fireweed, The Baltimore Review, Seattle Review, Illuminations, and The Slate. Awards include the T. Reese Marsh Prize and 1st place in the Glimmer Train Poetry Open. Her scholarly interests are primarily in drama, film, politics and literature (especially literature of/about HUAC and the McCarthy era, genocide, and the Holocaust), gay and lesbian (or more broadly, alternative sexualities) literature, and interdisciplinary humanities.

Rita’s Work So Far

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Freshman English at 3 schools (Rhetoric and Composition, Advanced Composition, Literature and Writing, Critical Thinking and Writing, and Rhetoric and Composition in the computer classroom), Introduction to Creative Writing, and The Novel and Short Story.

RELATED EXPERIENCE
Placement Exam Proctor and Grader for the English Dept. at Wichita State Univ.; Writing Center Tutor; and designing and choosing material for group independent study courses, in conjunction with a faculty advisor. From 1988 to 1996, I ran a small press, Doll Drag Press, through which I created new journals, chapbooks, and graphic design work for local bands, as well as working for already established journals (such as Anathema Review, Perception and The Virtual Journals). Currently, I run a small but extraordinarily successful “agency” working with a select group of writers who do not have time to submit their own work to journals.

PUBLICATIONS

I have published poetry, short stories, and art work in over 55 small press, university, national, and international journals such as: Seattle Review, The Baltimore Review, Glimmer Train, New Delta Review, Midland Review, The Panhandler, Plainsongs, Fireweed, Amaranth, Owen Wister Review, Cold Mountain Review, Half Tones to Jubilee, The Slate, Rio Grande Review, Chattahoochee Review, Another Chicago Magazine, and Illuminations. My work has also appeared in the anthology Sulphur & Sawdust. I have been publishing work for more than ten years.

WRITING AWARDS AND HONORS

Poem, “shadow trees,” received 1st place in the Glimmer Train 2000 poetry competition

Poem, “discovering resonance,” was a finalist in the Glimmer Train 2000 poetry competition.

Poem, “wingspread,” nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2000

Poem, “memorizing demons,” awarded the Academy of American Poets’ T. Reese Marsh Poetry Prize in 1999

Nominated for the Ruth Lily Fellowship

Nominated for the Intro Journal Awards

In the 1997 Poets’ Market, the journal Ever Dancing Muse cited my work as the example for the type of writing they would like to receive from writers who submit work to the journal

Rita Costello on UL-Lafayette

Since arriving at the University of Louisiana, I have encountered several situations helpful to my writing. Beginning with my first semester poetry workshop with Darrell Bourque--where I met the three other students who I meet with every other week for dinner and a less formal, but equally helpful, workshop--to the infinitely fascinating drama and film courses I have taken with Dayana Stetco and Darrell Bourque, the academic classes I have taken here have been as enjoyable as attending the Thursday Night Reading Series downtown.

Read Rita Costello's Poetry
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Last updated: May 1, 2001.