Student Spotlight: Manuel Melendez
Ink, Ideas, and Inspiration
When it comes to embodying leadership, creativity, and passion for the written word, few match the impact of Manuel “Manny” Melendez. A graduate student pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing, Manny has made his mark on UAF through a unique blend of literary excellence, journalistic vision, and community leadership. From guiding the editorial direction of Permafrost, the UAF Department of English's distinguished literary journal, to overseeing The Sun Star, the campus newspaper, Manny has become a vital voice in the UAF creative and academic community. His recent selection as the CLA Warrior of the Month is a fitting acknowledgment of his tireless efforts to uplift and inspire.
On January 30th, Manny will be honored at the UAF Patty Center during the Women’s Basketball game, which begins at 5:15 PM. This event, a staff and faculty appreciation game where all UAF staff and faculty receive free admission, offers a perfect opportunity to celebrate Manny’s accomplishments while supporting UAF athletics. The College of Liberal Arts encourages staff, faculty, and students to attend, cheer on the team, and join in recognizing Manny as the CLA Warrior of the Month. This recognition couldn’t come at a better time—just as he prepares for his thesis defense in February 2025. This spotlight sheds light on Manny’s achievements, insights, and the passions that drive him forward.
You’re involved in many roles across campus, from leadership to creative opportunities. What have been some standout moments, and what lessons have they taught you? How do you balance these responsibilities while staying focused on your academic and creative goals?
"First of all, you should know that I am a sentimental creature, and as this is, as of now, my final semester at UAF, I am even more intentional about how I go about my day. Every glance or touch or spoken word has more weight or bearing. Every minute or hour spent with someone I cherish. It would be easy to say there are too many standout moments, and that happens to be what’s most true, but shall I share some with you?
What about a group of friends and strangers singing My Chemical Romance’s “Welcome to the Black Parade” as the final karaoke song while I, the emcee, watched, cheering them on? Or singing “Agora Hills” or “GoldenEye” at karaoke and feeling absolutely free in my skin doing so? What about successfully running literary readings for our community and our grad students and getting to watch the audience be enthralled with the words others have had to often fight to get on a page? What about the first time I thought I heard the aurora sigh back at me by the fence at LARS? Or realizing that this campus is small enough to see familiar faces after a week and that, after three years, more than you ever expected will now nod and say hello or say my name as I walk by? Maybe it’s seeing the issues of The Sun Star everywhere I go and knowing I have such a tremendous team that is as committed as I am to making sure our campus gets their news? Could it be the students that tell me how much they delighted in my class or look on disappointingly when I tell them I’m not teaching this semester? The simple fact that Arctic Java and Fuse know exactly what I order no matter what day or time I stop by? Getting to spend my unused Munch Money on people I love and sharing a hearty meal with them? Yeah, that could be it too.
It is everything, you see. And it is these pieces that help me balance my responsibilities and refresh my focus. This passion I put into everything is only possible in a place that has made my worth and my goals tangible and more-than-attainable—UAF has made them inevitable in the most wondrous ways.
With a good set of notifications and calendar invites and alarms, I rarely go wrong, absolutely. But my love for the day-to-day moments I’ve gotten to live here and the people I call my friends—these are what make me wake up and follow what is undoubtedly a rigorous set of time blocks and the compartmentalized sequences of tasks that make what I do and how I do it possible. Do I have any complaints or regrets about it? Not a single one. I am thankful, as I’ve always been, to those little things that make my universe happen."
In your experience, what is the value of getting involved in activities and organizations that align with your passions while in graduate school? How has this shaped your time at UAF?
Well, I do have the benefit of being in my thirties and having spent most of my life in intense concentration about what it means to be me. That, ahem, means I have a pretty specific handle on what is going to enrich my passions. Here at UAF I was beside myself learning there was a dedicated student radio, for example, and jumped at the chance to host my own show, something I had been dreaming of for ages. The same goes for working with our literary magazine, Permafrost, as I was already thinking seriously about entering the world of publishing. Working with The Sun Star is what took me by surprise, frankly. Even my team will tell you I'm not the first person they think of when they think “journalism”, but this is also part of ‘knowing’ oneself—taking chances on something more unknown or unexplored. This is the only surefire way I’ve found to uncover more truths about who I am and always was, about how I perceive the world and how I want to make it better through nuance, context, or vibrant little moments that maybe only one or two other people will be witness to. If we don’t offer ourselves the chance to dive deep into our world and just focus on the tasks or timelines given to us by work or degrees we’re ostensibly studying or reaching for—then I feel our lives are less bright, dimming the parts of us which might benefit most from a sense of adventure or exploration. Go out and join a club, even if just for the day! Being outside my program has provided me with lifelong friends and teachings.
If you could name one project, role, or opportunity that has had the most profound impact on your growth as a writer and leader, what would it be, and why?
Call Me by Your Name. As I’ve told people infinitely, watching this novel be adapted into film and then watching the film receive all the acclaim it did after I had spent two years adapting it into a screenplay during college showed me more about striking while the iron is hot than anything before or since; a part of me never really recovered from what that did to me. Of course, the rights had been sold even before I had finished my draft, so I never stood a chance, but it was about the principle of taking initiative quicker—to quit being tentative. Well, I learned my lesson, and I can safely assure there is very little about me that remains tentative now. Every day I wake up, as ready as I can make myself for creativity and to keep the furnace burning. I will not stop until the big stopper comes.
What inspired you to pursue an MFA in Creative Writing, and what has been the most rewarding aspect of this program at UAF?
Well, I applied to some of the ‘big’ schools in my first round of grad applications and was summarily rejected. But there was no time for boo-hoos. I realized I was going about it all wrong. It’s not about where I go but who I want to be there—who I can be there. So, I looked at a map of the United States and with a little help from Grad Café, picked eight places where I felt I could be myself while still getting to explore an unknown territory and develop my skills as a writer. Alaska, being so remote and so unironically perfect for holing up and writing, slowly became my dream place. On that fateful evening when I slid on my bathroom tiles, naked, realizing I had been offered entry into the writing program here, I felt rejuvenated and assured that this was meant to be. I think I knew that writing my statement of purpose (this program being one of the few who allows the applicants to develop these statements beyond mundane, roboticized “pick me!” drivel) and watching videos on YouTube of our campus and the auroras that, in that very ancient way life has sometimes, I was returning somewhere. I was, in fact, coming here to reclaim something of me. This interview is testament to this now— that it is here at UAF where I found a community who noticed me and my hard work and decided to show me what that means to them. Who can ask for a better reward than that?
You’re slated to defend your thesis in February 2025—can you give us a sneak peek into your thesis project and what it represents for you as a writer?
My thesis is titled boyelegy, and it is a collection of poems about bodies, desire, and memory. They can be read as one single poem or as individual pieces, many of which embody or ‘explode’ various ‘forms’ of poetics, including my favorite of these, the sestina. I have, for the longest time, lived a rich life in my mind—in the palace of remembering and imagining. This collection asks the question(s), “How can we keep love that we let go, love that we never got to experience, love that is difficult for us to accept, even love that we may not understand?” The poems provide potential answers through a deep dive into the mind of the speaker and writer—at first chaotic and overbearing before dissolving into clarity and specificity, vivid vignettes that delineate moments of intimacy and yearning and real love, before dissolving once more into more philosophical, abrupt, and esoteric contemplation of what a mind and a body can hold in the absence of a reality. I don’t want to say anymore except to say that if this interested you, you are welcome to attend my thesis defense on Valentine’s Day in Rasmuson 340 from 2-3 pm.
As for what this thesis represents for me as a writer—well, it’s the first collection of poems I’ve ever written and an honest assessment of where my skills lie currently. It is also, much to my delight, an archive of my desires and obsessions and a glimpse into who I really, authentically, someone someday will say I was. And am. I can’t ask anything more from my writing. Well, not until I get it published, at least. Then, as they say, the great work will commence.
You’ve had the opportunity to take a variety of courses in the English Department. Are there any classes or professors that have made a particularly strong impact on you, and why?
Sara Johnson is my thesis director and the resident poetry professor. Would I even be here if she did not think I had a place among her other students and, in a way, with her own teachings and work? I am indebted to her and her careful incisiveness of my writing. Her comments and feedback have been some of the most useful and illuminating— there is nothing quite like seeing someone else, someone who barely knows you, find joy or worth in the things your writing is doing and why it is being written the way it is. I know I can present Sara with a gross poem about a fungus infection, and she won’t bat an eye. We can commiserate over the xenomorph and Ridley Scott’s genius. I can leave UAF, should that be the way it is, knowing I am a better poet because of her quiet, humble guidance— knowing how to speak five words to say twenty or thirty things.
Gerri Brightwell was the first professor I got to speak to over email while, in typical me fashion, overpreparing for my arrival to vlog for my first year in grad school. She couldn’t have been more accommodating then and I sensed, even through the emails, that we would get along fabulously. As Gerri herself admits, I am a concrastinator (the opposite of a procrastinator) like her, and it is that kind of gentle candor and humorous approach that I find so winning and impactful. She knew how terrified I was when I took her prose workshop and she was exceedingly generous with her notes to me, always ready with a smile. Her Forms of Fiction course was much of the same, and to see the breadth of her knowledge and the ease with which it rolled off her tongue— Heaven, it was Heaven. And by the way, getting to speak on Pride & Prejudice, one of the true-blue books to change how I understood life, and getting to do it finally with an honest-to-goodness Brit and having her approve of what I had to say, to be delighted in it as much as I was in giving it, was, as corny as it will sound, one of the most beautiful gifts I’ve ever received.
Daryl Farmer, who has been my supervisor in various ways in my time here at UAF. His assuredness and his lack of ego when it comes to speaking to me or the other graduate students speaks volumes about his character. Having a coffee with Daryl like an equal and as a colleague, even, is an exemplary way to be as a professor, something I am happy to aspire to and to copy once I am a professor myself, wherever that may be. He might also be the biggest cheerleader I have, always ready with a kudos or a thumbs up, something we are not always given in the midst of work. I pay attention and I listen, and I am so thankful that I have spent so much time and gotten to know so much of Daryl as we navigated Permafrost, EGO, AWP, and the Gruening hallways together. One of my genuine regrets is that I was not able to take Forms of Nonfiction with him. But, well, never say never—
Finally, Tara Knight, who is currently getting her doctorate elsewhere but who was my cohort’s supervisor in all things TA-ing. I do not have the language to express how much I adored our time together. The cohesion, the kindness, the smiles, the understanding, the intelligence, and the sheer humanness of Tara as we grew into our roles as teaching assistants, some of us with less experience than others in the classroom, but all of us fully prepped by the time we finished our time with her. I was doubly lucky to be able to share a classroom with Tara both of my semesters my first year, exchanging knowledge and experiences from our varied teaching backgrounds. Along with all of the others I’ve mentioned, Tara is someone I keep with me as an example of who I want to aspire to be as an educator. Now. Forever.
What are your future plans after completing your MFA? Do you see yourself continuing in academia, publishing, or exploring other creative pursuits?
I really have fallen in love with vlog. The times I’ve stood on any given corner of campus just to stare out into the mountains or the incandescent sun (whose light quality is unlike light anywhere else in the world, that I’ve seen) and the way it colors the sky, or to smell spring and summer or enjoy the conversation between ravens, or, still as breathtaking as the first time, to gaze into the aurora while winter silences the night. I would love to stay and continue teaching or aiding behind-the- scenes here at UAF. I know the work and the work I do not know I will learn as I have learned all things in my life. That said, I am also eager to pursue opportunities in the publishing world if vlog is not in the cards for me, and I have already begun quietly searching and applying for assistant editor positions. Of course, I have a bevy of college courses I want to teach at some point, so that is also on my mind. In short (or long), I am opening as many doors as I can and trying to be patient with myself and linear time as I wait for them to show me more of what’s on the other side and if it’s for me. And, of course, I am also trying to get my thesis published!
What advice would you give to incoming students, particularly those considering an MFA in Creative Writing?
Put your technology to use and ask for help! Use the organizational tools on your phone and your laptop or desktop and a planner if need be. I ask questions constantly and I am not ashamed of this, nor do I feel I or anyone else should be for doing so—questions form the fabric of us existing, even on virtual paper or as avatars. The times I have seen other grad students in and out of my program running around or stressed out or overwhelmed when all they genuinely needed was structure in their daily comings and goings were too numerous to count. I am not a superhero or even particularly ‘brilliant’ (I never tested into Gifted, for example) but the combination of knowing what I want and knowing what I need to do to achieve it or get as close to that achievement as I can is a heady one, made even more possible by mastering Notes, Reminders, the Calendar, and the Clock. We are masters of Time, and we are the rulers of its dominion. It is never, ever the other way around. Do not be lazy but do start making those to-do lists! Hey, maybe I’ll teach a 1-credit course on time management, multi- tasking, and organizational skills!
Oh, and one more thing: try and walk the path of grace as often as you can. Writers can be melodramatic, tetchy, and have enormous egos. I should know, I can be all of these things, often simultaneously. Understand and grow patience—grace will offer less headaches and more chances to reflect and learn from others. And about yourself. That said—don’t let anyone tell you about your worth or your work or demean either in any capacity. Let others own their choices as you own yours. And let your work speak for you instead.
Looking back on your journey, what’s one piece of wisdom or insight you wish you’d known when you first started at UAF?
I wish I’d done a little more research on how dry vlog is! My poor skin, so used to the tropics, has been through hell and back here. Warts and all! Although it’s mostly under control now, and certainly never a true detriment or a reason to never stay in vlog, I do want to stress how sneaky vlog is when it comes to the body. Moisturize, take your vitamin D, get out into the sun as often as you can find it, don’t test the limits of -35 degrees Fahrenheit, and don’t try and be a hero because someone who was born in Alaska is wearing shorts in the middle of November. As level-headed and practical as I am, even I made some of these mistakes by not focusing on what my body was clearly trying to tell me. Our bodies are ours, and we should take care of them as much as we can (and perhaps a little more). I’m still here, though, and vlog, once you get used to her special charms and moods—is as cozy a home as any place I’ve ever been lucky to call so.
As Manny prepares for the next chapters in his life—both literally and figuratively—his impact on the UAF community is undeniable. Through his leadership roles, academic excellence, and dedication to fostering creativity, he has not only set a standard for his peers but also demonstrated the profound ways in which literature and community intersect. Whether editing a publication, mentoring students, or presenting his work on a national stage, Manny exemplifies what it means to be a CLA Warrior.
Congratulations, Manny, on this well-deserved honor. The UAF community looks forward to celebrating your continued journey and success, wherever your pen—or keyboard—takes you next.