Alumni

Alumni Success Stories

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Nick Johnson epitomizes the modern day renaissance man: he's a poet, photographer, videographer, musician, DJ and more. His work has been featured on radio shows such as KPFA's Rude Awakening, and has appeared in The Cincinnati Review, Black Renaissance Noire, Conversations at the Wartime Cafe, Eleven Eleven, Brilliant Corners, and other fine journals. Nick received his MFA from the California College of the Arts in 2011.

His first book of poems, Music for Mussolini (formerly with Nomadic Press, now with Black Lawrence Press), was a finalist for the 2017 CLMP Firecracker Award. He lives in San Francisco and is the co-owner of Ecstatic Dance Oakland, a biweekly sober dance event held at the historic Sweets Ballroom in beautiful, sunny, downtown Oakland, California. He is currently working on his forthcoming book, Songs of Erosion.

CCA MFA alum Matthew Sobin (’22) just published his debut poetry chapbook Blue Bodies.

“I loved the flexibility that CCA offered, encouraging hybrid work, and did not require students to declare a focus or choose a cohort, fiction versus poetry. This was crucial as a writer who works in both spaces,” says Matt about his CCA experience.

After graduating, Matt’s identity as a writer evolved through personal loss, leading him to dive deep into poetry—what he calls “poet things.” His advice to current students? “Go all in on your time in this special place.”

Next up: Working on a full-length collection and revising his memoir about his relationship with his father, which he began at CCA.