The fourth class in my MFA program took place during the February to April 2026 term. While we would initially start with one instructor, the course would ultimately be reassigned to Doctor Mary Leoson due to unforeseen circumstances that came up for that instructor. Advanced Studies in Genre Lit was specifically designed for students to explore the complexities and the art of genre fiction, as well as how each genre specifically fits into certain categories and niches.
The book I chose to read during the first week of this course was Tenderly, I Am Devoured by Lyndall Clipstone. I specifically chose this book because I was interested in examining the way the author addressed a multifaceted, polyamorous relationship, which was something I had never encountered within genre fiction, especially not in the young adult or new adult sphere.
In Tenderly, I Am Devoured, we are introduced to the story of Lark, otherwise known as Lacrimosa, who is on her journey home from a prestigious school following a violent incident she was involved in. Her guilt, and shame, over the event precipitate the emotions she knows she will feel when she goes home to her brothers. As she arrives, she reunites with old friends, two of whom have connections to her during her childhood. However, when the salt mine her brothers own runs dry, Lark makes a deadly gamble: to submit herself to an arranged marriage with Therion, the chthonic god of salt who is worshipped by Lark's hometown, in order to restore the mine to its prosperity.
What Lark doesn't expect is the betrothal going wrong, nor the impacts it will have on her life, or even those of her estranged friends Alistair and Camille, whom she grew up with. It will be up to the trio to solve the problem that Lark has inadvertently been thrust into, before Lark succumbs to the chthonic world.
Clipstone's writing is beyond stunning, and Tenderly, I Am Devoured is a masterpiece of dark, gothic romance (if I do say so myself). It was the perfect point to start the class, as my primary goal was to challenge myself throughout the course.
However, reading wasn't the only thing we were asked to do for Advanced Studies in Genre Lit. Unlike previous classes, this one would force us to tackle the very reason students take part in this program: to write fiction that submits to, and even defies, genre expectations.
The course would take us through multiple genres, but would primarily focus on the dominant four within the program, which include speculative fiction, romance, young adult, and contemporary. We were asked to write microbursts for each.
Our first microburst would center around speculative fiction. My burst would be called The Prayer, and would showcase a terrifying moment in science fiction, when something appears over the city of New York, thrusting a girl, her sister, and their mother into the mystery of the ordeal.
Our second microburst would focus on romance, and my story, titled Waiting in the Threshold, would focus on the moment a wife reunites with her husband. In typical [me] fashion, I twisted the story to give it a surprise ending.
The third microburst would center on young adult fiction, and I would write a story called The Fairy Tree, which told the story of a girl desperate to save the fairies her grandmother claimed lived in the tree outside our home.
My fourth and final microburst would center on contemporary fiction, and would be called The Memories of What Happened. I attempted to be experimental with this piece, and while I feel it has good ideas, it was the weakest of the four I wrote for the class.
Throughout the course, we would give and accept feedback from peers in writing workshops, as well as participate in reading groups with other peers to discuss the books we were reading for this course. This all occurred while preparing for our final assignment, which would be a culmination of a writer's toolkit, a final short story in our genre concentration, and an essay that detailed how we went about writing the piece in our concentration. This story would be called The Way My Story Ends.
As of the writing of this post, The Way My Story Ends is currently being reviewed and judged for Southern New Hampshire University's Fall Fiction contest. It will become available to read at a later date.
This class was a crucial point in the program, as it allowed us to determine what courses we would be taking next to focus our thesis concentration on. Doctor Mary Leoson was an excellent instructor who worked hard to take over the reins from our former instructor, who had to leave due to unforeseen circumstances, and was always fair and gave proper feedback.
Final Grade: A
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