UA News

Someof the best works by the graduating class has been collected in a showcase aimed at literary agents.

Ask any writer. It's tough to find an agent, sell a project to an editor and get published.

And it's only getting tougher.

Random House just announced restructuring plans. Booksellers Border's and Barnes and Noble both reported rough sales quarters.

But there isn't a shortage of great work being written, yet in a changing industry and a tough economy, it's increasingly difficult for emerging writers to get their work noticed.

This month, The University of Arizona's Creative Writing MFA program launched a project aimed at giving its new graduates an edge as they start out – a "Look Book" featuring works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

"It's like a literary journal featuring the best of the best of our program," said Jennifer Rice Epstein, a UA master's student in the creative writing program.

Rice Epstein conceived the project earlier this year and coordinated production of the piece by compiling a list of agents and contacted them to gauge their interest in receiving the book.

"We didn't want to send the books unsolicited," she said. "There was a lot of interest in the Look Book; we mailed them to 80 agents last week."

Aurelie Sheehan, who directs the UA creative writing program, said the project will undoubtedly benefit the students.

"I'm thrilled that we were able to turn this idea into a reality for our students," Sheehan said.

"The Look Book is something agents can flip through to get a sense of what's happening in fiction," Sheehan added. "This is where trends begin - so it's a preview of where literary work is headed in the years to come."

Sheehan said the Look Book is also a way for UA graduates to connect to the publishing industry and gain visibility.

"Perhaps an agent will read a story that resonates with them, and ask the writer to submit a longer work down the road," she says. "It's not the type of thing we think will result in instant publishing contracts; the benefits will come out over the long term."

The Look Book was funded by UA alumna Peggy Schumaker , a 1979 graduate of the program.

The Look Book features work by 26 graduates of the program, including Andrew Mortazavi, whose story "A Lesson in Violence" was a runner-up in the 2008 Playboy College Fiction Contest.

"Most of these writers are just beginning to find their readers, so we get a chance to read their work early and then to follow their writing," Schumaker said. "Collectors and scholars will look back to this book to chart beginnings. Readers will simply savor it."