They prosper in the literary field as poets and a fiction writer. Not only do they write, but they also teach, lead writing workshops, appreciate music, are avid readers, and culinary connoisseurs. These four students are among the finest within the literature and creative writing program at the University of Houston.

A Ph.D. student in literature and creative writing (poetry), Jericho Brown has many publications to his name. An outstanding student and Teaching Fellow, Jericho came to the University of Houston after attending Dillard and the University of New Orleans. A recipient of the 2006 James A. Michener Fellowship, two travel fellowships to the Krakow Poetry Seminar in Poland, and two Bread Loaf Writers' Conference scholarships, Jericho is also a poetry editor at Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Art. His poetry has appeared in many publications including Prairie Schooner, New England Review, AGNI, and Callaloo. He is proud of his membership in Cave Canem, a workshop/retreat founded to encourage and challenge African American poets. Jericho has gained considerable experience teaching poetry in both creative writing and literature courses at the University of Houston, Houston Community College, and for community organizations. In addition to teaching poetry, Jericho also leads a memoir-writing workshop and has worked as an instructor with Writers in the Schools . When not attending class or writing, Jericho admits to being obsessed by old school Motown.  For more information on Jericho 's poetry, you may e-mail him at jerichobro@hotmail.com .

A full-time Ph.D. student in literature and creative writing (fiction), Keya Mitra is also an accomplished writer and a new Fulbright scholar to India. Her work has appeared in literary journals including Best New American Voices 2007. For four years, she has taught creative writing skills to children in lower-income schools through an organization called Writers in the Schools. Her accomplishments also include working as a fiction editor for Gulf Coast: A Journal of Literature and Fine Art, for two years, revising a novel, and completing a collection of short stories. Keya also holds an M.F.A. in fiction from UH. When not concentrating on her studies, Keya is an avid reader and enjoys yoga. For more information on Keya's writing, you may e-mail her at kmitra1@aol.com .

A Ph.D. student in literature and creative writing (poetry), Paul Otremba has received awards for his poetry, including an Academy of American Poets prize and scholarships from the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. Only mid-way through the doctoral program, Paul teaches rhetoric and composition at the University of Houston and has already secured a contract for his first book to be published in the fall of 2008 by Four Way Books. Paul is a serious scholar and a fine translator who has worked on the poetry of Claire Malroux. His poems and criticism have appeared or are forthcoming in The Kenyon Review, Virginia Quarterly Review, New England Review, Tikkun, and American Poets in the 21st Century: The New Poetics. When not focused on writing, Paul is an avid reader and has a culinary streak. For more information on Paul's poetry, you may e-mail him at protremba@gmail.com .

A fourth year Ph.D. student in literature and creative writing (poetry), Bradford Gray Telford earned his A.B. at Princeton and his M.F.A. in Theatre Studies at Columbia University. A former poetry editor at Gulf Coast—A Journal of Literature and Fine Art, Brad's own poems have appeared in over 25 journals including Yale Review, Laurel Review, Pleiades, Hayden's Ferry Review, and Bloom. One of Brad's poetry manuscripts was recently named Finalist for both The Anthony Hecht Poetry Prize and Donald Justice Poetry Award, and last year he was a Finalist for the Morton Marr Prize from Southwest Review. Also a working scholar, literary journalist, and translator, Brad's translations of French poet Geneviève Huttin's book The Story of My Voice brought him to Paris during the summer of 2006, where he worked on finalizing the manuscript with Huttin while she introduced him to poets and literary figures in her circle. Thanks to these efforts, in January Brad was awarded the Willis Barnstone Translation Prize from the University of Evansville and The Evansville Review. Brad is very active in the Greater Houston gay community, and enjoys the Houston Grand Opera whenever he can. He lives in Houston with his partner and their 3-year-old cairn terrier. For more information on Brad's writing, you may e-mail him at btelford@uh.edu .

To find out more about programs offered through the University of Houston literature and creative writing program, visit http://www.class.uh.edu/English/gradprgs.asp.

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