For Morgan Thomas MFA ’16 (fiction), a future in writing was not always the plan. As a double major in English and Zoology at the University of Florida, they were on track to attend graduate school for ecology when they enrolled in author Mary Robison’s undergraduate workshop. Although Thomas had always been curious about storytelling, they had not considered it a realistic career path. What began as a curiosity-driven class quickly turned into something much more.
In Robison’s class, Thomas not only realized the depth of their passion for writing, but they also realized that it could be more than just a personal hobby. With Robison’s encouragement, they applied to MFA programs and ultimately chose the University of Oregon for its faculty and intimate program size, setting the course for what would become an acclaimed literary career.
“I definitely wouldn't be the writer that I am today without the things that I learned at that program,” Thomas said. “I think those relationships, honestly, are the most important thing that I took away from my time there.”
A growing body of creative writing work
Thomas’s debut short story collection, “Manywhere,” released in 2022, earned national recognition, becoming a finalist for major honors including the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize and the Lambda Literary Transgender Fiction Prize. They intentionally chose the short story format because it allowed them “to offer a variety of different stories about queer and trans Southerners, both contemporary and throughout history.”
Although the collection grew from personal experiences, it is not autobiographical. Thomas explains that the project emerged from a longing for connection. “One, my loneliness, when I had sort of first understood myself to be queer and gender queer, and I was seeking that sort of community, and I wasn't really finding it.” That search guided them into archival research, where they discovered historical figures and narratives that resonated. Writing became a way to connect themselves to those histories and explore how identity is shaped by culture and time.
At the same time, Thomas emphasized that their fiction extends far beyond their own lived experience. “They're short stories. So, they really span a wide variety of perspectives and characters and identities,” Thomas said. Occasionally, they may explore “one facet of myself and sort of want to put it under a microscope,” but much of their work draws from imagination, research and observation.
Thomas is now preparing for the release of their first novel, “Mad Eden,” arriving June 2, 2026. The book addresses themes such as neurodiversity, gender-affirming care and chosen family. As they describe it, the novel is “about late-diagnosed autism and neurodiversity, the effect of gender affirming care bans, and then it's also, I think most importantly, about queer family and what it means to really work to care for another person.”
Reflecting on evolving as a writer
When reflecting on graduate school at the UO, Thomas recalls not a single standout event but a sense of belonging.
“I remember the first time I met the other folks who were going to be part of my cohort, and they were all really kind and thoughtful,” they said. “I had a sense that this might be a place where I could find people with whom I really connected with and could create real friendships. And that ended up being true.”
Faculty mentorship also had a lasting impact, especially the guidance of thesis advisor Marjorie Celona. Through her patience and thoughtful feedback, she helped strengthen Thomas’s early stories.
For students aspiring to creative careers, Thomas stresses persistence over perfection. “It's easy to believe that there's only one way to be a writer, an artist or a creative person,” they said. Their own path suggests otherwise. Many writers balance jobs, teaching or residencies alongside their creative work. What matters most is “that drive to continue to create work, despite rejection, despite the difficulty of finding time, despite just the difficulty of life in this moment,” Thomas said.
Thomas’s journey from curious storyteller to nationally recognized author demonstrates how creativity can grow through hard work and community. As they put it, they are drawn to stories that capture “the complexity and imperfection of human experience and human decision making,” a perspective that continues to shape both their work and their evolving voice as a writer.
— By Harper Wells, College of Arts and Sciences