The Boise State University MFA program in creative writing will celebrate its 20th anniversary by hosting a free, public reading featuring Malia Collins, a graduate of the MFA program and the current Idaho Writer in Residence. The reading will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 13, in the Hemingway Center. Doors will open at 7 p.m. No tickets are required.
Collins is an assistant professor of English at the College of Western Idaho. Her short stories have appeared in a number of literary magazines, and she also has published two Hawaiian children’s books. She grew up in Hawaii and attended Beloit College in Wisconsin, where she received a bachelor’s degree in creative writing. She received a master’s degree in literature at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. After finishing her master’s degree, she moved to Grenoble, France, on a Rotary Ambassadorial scholarship to study French Literature at L’Universite Stendhal. In 1999, she moved to Boise and was one of the first students to attend Boise State’s MFA program in creative writing. Collins has served the writing community of Idaho in myriad ways, including working with refugees and children.
The Idaho Commission on the Arts names Collins Idaho’s Writer in Residence in 2019. The Idaho Writer in Residence represents the highest literary recognition in the state, and those who hold the position embody exceptional quality in their field. As part of her appointment, Collins travels throughout the state to conduct readings and talk about craft.