Works by Creative Writing’s J.C. Todd and Allegra Armstrong ’17 Featured in Cleaver Magazine
The latest issue of the literary magazine Cleaver features work by Bryn Mawr Creative Writing faculty member J.C. Todd as well as a recent Bryn Mawr graduate, Allegra Armstrong ’17.
We asked Allegra about her piece and about studying writing at Bryn Mawr:
Tell me about your piece for Cleaver.
My piece is an essay called Maze of the Giant Heart. It's about going to the Franklin Institute with my ex boyfriend after we had broken up. Throughout the piece my nostalgia for Philadelphia collides with my nostalgia for that relationship. I try to puzzle through why the relationship ended with the limited information that I have.
Can you tell me a little about your experience with Bryn Mawr's Creative Writing Program?
I was an independent major in Creative Writing at Bryn Mawr. The College has some amazing writing professors, like Annie Liontas, Lauren Feldman, and Dan Torday. Someone who wishes to study Creative Writing at Bryn Mawr is able to benefit from access to the Quaker Consortium. I was able to study writing at Swarthmore, Haverford, and Penn, and had some really exceptional experiences at those schools. I benefited from all the resources that a big school like Penn has at the Kelly Writer's House, while still enjoying the one-on-one attention from professors that someone can only really access at a small school like Bryn Mawr.
J.C. Todd also has a piece in the same issue of Cleaver. Did you ever study with her?
I never studied with J.C. Todd. I met her once at a reading because she is my close friend's poetry mentor.
What else are you up to now that you’ve graduated?
Post-grad I am working for PowerCorpsPHL, which is a division of AmeriCorps. Philadelphia has certain trees planted that are meant to drink the excess ground water, and those trees work in tandem with the city's septic system. With a small group of other people ages 18-25, it's my job to keep those trees healthy and the areas around the trees clean. It is also my job to mentor the other people in PowerCorpsPHL. I help them write resumes, apply for jobs, and plan their next steps for after their term with PowerCorpsPHL has ended.
For information on Bryn Mawr’s Creative Writing Program, visit the program’s website.