Pushcart Prize nominee Jeffrey MacLachlan returns to chat with Washington Square Review editor Melissa Ford Lucken. A multi-published writer who teaches at Georgia College & State University and draws inspiration from history and personal events, MacLachlan recounts a multi-generational trip to the ruins of his ancestors in Scotland, considers what advertisements reveal about society, and muses about hot takes on Milton's Paradise Lost.

Jeffrey H. MacLachlan’s poem, Five Stones, appears in the Summer 2026 issue of the Washington Square Review.

Jeffrey on Instagram

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Website: Washington Square Review

Melissa's Website: Adventures in MFALand

Facebook: Melissa Ford Lucken

Instagram: Melissa Ford Lucken

Related Podcast: Off the Page: From Ink to Air

Folklore scholar and writer Elizabeth Marley chats with Washington Square Review editor Melissa Ford Lucken. A University of Illinois Chicago PhD student who examines folklore and ghost stories, Marley finds the bright side of bad workshop experiences and the lessons a student can carry into their own teaching one day. She laughs about being haunted by unfinished manuscripts and untangles how to tell whether an idea is destined to be a novel or a short story.

Elizabeth Marley’s story, Ataxia, appears in the Summer 2026 issue of the Washington Square Review.

Elizabeth on Instagram

Elizabeth's website

Elizabeth’s book, You Shouldn’t Worry About the Frogs

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Website: Washington Square Review

Melissa's Website: Adventures in MFALand

Facebook: Melissa Ford Lucken

Instagram: Melissa Ford Lucken

Related Podcast: Off the Page: From Ink to Air

Award-winning educator and author Patty McGee sits down with Washington Square Review editor Melissa Ford Lucken. McGee, who co-wrote her insightful & upbeat grammar book — Not Your Grammy's Grammar — after several years as a frustrated elementary teacher, offers a quick and usable lesson on comma use, stresses the importance of writing feedback that is helpful rather than hurtful, and warns against the red pen effect.

Patty's website

Patty on Instagram

Patty on Linkedin

Patty’s book, Not Your Granny’s Grammar

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Website: Washington Square Review

Melissa's Website: Adventures in MFALand

Facebook: Melissa Ford Lucken

Instagram: Melissa Ford Lucken

In a two-part episode of Washington Square On-Air, Melissa Ford Lucken continues her conversation with singer, writer, and statistician Jarod Jeffery, who enrolled in Lansing Community College after completing two intensive gifted & talented academic programs at Michigan State University, describes his DIY approach to his own high school curriculum, how finishing math coursework early led him to creative writing, and the art of singing pop songs vs. musical numbers.

Related Podcast: Calculating the Probability of Truth, Pt. 1

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Website: Washington Square Review

Melissa's Website: Adventures in MFALand

Facebook: Melissa Ford Lucken

Instagram: Melissa Ford Lucken

Singer, writer, and statistician Jarod Jeffery talks with Creative Writing Professor Melissa Ford Lucken. Jarod, who enrolled in Lansing Community College after completing two intensive gifted & talented academic programs at Michigan State University, describes his DIY approach to his own high school curriculum, how finishing math coursework early led him to creative writing, and the art of singing pop songs vs. musical numbers.

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Website: Washington Square Review

Melissa's Website: Adventures in MFALand

Facebook: Melissa Ford Lucken

Instagram: Melissa Ford Lucken

Recovering political administrator and former political intern turned multi-published poet and poetry presenter Ayesha Montgomery joins Washington Square Review editor Melissa Ford Lucken. Montgomery, who discovered the world of politics was not for her, considers the importance of the right audience for the right poem, muses about the old-school magic of the card catalog, and solves the ongoing mystery of how and when to use workshop advice and how and when to set it aside.

Ayesha Montgomery’s poem, Power of the Pen, appears in the Summer 2025 issue of the Washington Square Review.

Ayesha on Instagram

Ayesha on YouTube

Ayesha’s website

Ayesha’s poetry book, Love is My Shelter

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Website: Washington Square Review

Melissa's Website: Adventures in MFALand

Facebook: Melissa Ford Lucken

Instagram: Melissa Ford Lucken

High school creative writing and English language arts teacher Matt Thompson sits down with Washington Square Review editor Melissa Ford Lucken. Thompson reveals the secrets to successful workshopping with younger writers, explores how preconceived notions and expectations hinder creativity, and uncovers the surprising beauty of being wrong about big things.

Matt Thompson’s poem, Laundromat Blues, appears in the Summer 2025 issue of the Washington Square Review.

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Website: Washington Square Review

Melissa's Website: Adventures in MFALand

Facebook: Melissa Ford Lucken

Instagram: Melissa Ford Lucken

Actor, author and Lansing Community College student Joseph Esper chats with Professor of Creative Writing Melissa Ford Lucken. Esper, a Creative Writing major, muses about the role of acting in his creative life, reveals his intense dislike for The Catcher in the Rye, and ponders the ways gaming story structure inspires his own creative works.

Joseph's website

Joseph’s novel, Follies of Humanity

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Website: Washington Square Review

Melissa's Website: Adventures in MFALand

Facebook: Melissa Ford Lucken

Instagram: Melissa Ford Lucken

Lansing Community College student Sarah DeToy joins Professor Melissa Ford Lucken to chat about her journey from high school, through trade school, to community college. DeToy, an avid Minecraft-er, cosplayer, and fan-fiction writer, expresses her deep appreciation for myths and how they unite people of different cultures and reveals how her success as a student is linked to her ability to intentionally deconstruct the “puzzles” of academic writing and research.

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Website: Washington Square Review

Melissa's Website: Adventures in MFALand

Facebook: Melissa Ford Lucken

Instagram: Melissa Ford Lucken

Poet, massage therapist, and tango dancer Ricard Stimac talks with Washington Square Review editor Melissa Ford Lucken. After years in the business and marketing world, Stimac, seeking more meaningful work, became a massage therapist. Stimac emphasizes the importance of clear writing, muses on the beauty of intentionality in words and movement, and offers an inside look at the world of tango dancing.

Richard’s poem, Autumn Notes, appears in the Summer 2026 issue of the Washington Square Review.

Richard on Facebook

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Website: Washington Square Review

Melissa's Website: Adventures in MFALand

Facebook: Melissa Ford Lucken

Instagram: Melissa Ford Lucken