Hood College MFA Students Launch New Online Literary Magazine

Students in Hood College’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program are creating a new space for writers’ voices through "Pergola," a forthcoming online literary magazine set to debut in early 2026.

 

As part of the two-credit course CW 505: Literary Publishing, MFA students gain hands-on experience in both sides of the publishing process—submitting their own work for publication and developing a professional literary journal from the ground up.

 

Planning for Pergola began in spring 2025 with the program’s inaugural cohort. Students worked collaboratively to craft the magazine’s mission statement, design its website, establish a masthead and submission guidelines, and build a social media presence. During the summer 2025 residency, the second MFA cohort refined the editorial process by developing rubrics, creating production schedules and preparing for the magazine’s first open call.

 

Submissions opened in July 2025 to the broader writing community, welcoming poetry, fiction, nonfiction and hybrid work from across the country. Unlike Wisteria, Hood’s long-running campus literary journal, Pergola is open to writers beyond the Hood College community. So far, Pergola has received 30 submissions from writers nationwide, with the first issue expected to go live in early 2026, coinciding with Hood College’s participation in the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) Conference in Baltimore in March.

 

“Pergola represents what our MFA program was designed to do—combine craft and community,” said Aaron Angello, Ph.D., assistant professor of English and creative writing program director. “Students are learning not only how to write and revise, but how to edit, evaluate and engage with a diverse community of writers.”

 

For submission details and updates, visit pergolalit.com. Submissions remain open through November 30, 2025.