Donnelle McGee is the author of the novel Ghost Man (Sibling Rivalry Press), Shine, a novella, (Sibling Rivalry Press), and Naked, a collection of poetry (Unbound Content). His work has appeared in Controlled Burn, Colere, Haight Ashbury Literary Journal, Home Planet News, Iodine Poetry Journal, Permafrost, River Oak Review, The Spoon River Poetry Review, and Willard & Maple, among others. His work has also been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. His newest book, American Reverie, is a call and response poetry collection created with coauthor (and Goddard Alum) Synnika Lofton. Donnelle is the founder and publisher of Thera Books, an independent publishing house based in Sacramento, California.

Education

• MFA in Creative Writing, Goddard College
• MA in Education, San Jose State University
• BA in Sociology, Stanislaus State University

Areas of Expertise

• Poetry
• Fiction
• Hybrid

Personal Statement

As a writer and teacher, I aim to be vulnerable. I want my students to take chances on the page. As writers, it is imperative that we create narratives that shake the body alive. I want my students to write about those events/images/memories/creations that must leave the body and find their way into the world. 

As a teacher, I will assist you in enhancing your writing voice by providing you with open and honest feedback designed to help you create a manuscript that leaves nothing unsaid. I will challenge you to sit with your words and see what rests behind the lines you create. I believe in listening first to your vision/journey/truth and then assisting you with insights/craft techniques and inspiration to guide you along your path.

As a writer, I am interested in how our experiences and observations shape the narrative(s) that we chose to explore. In my own work, I examine how music and film intersect with the body to bring forth poems and stories that connect us to the essence of what it means to be human.

Publications

• Shine, Sibling Rivalry Press, 2012
• Ghost Man, Sibling Rivalry Press, 2015
• Naked, Unbound Content, 2015
• American Reverie, Thera Books, 2020