Maya Jewell Zeller

Maya Jewell Zeller is an affiliate faculty member in the Poetry and Nature Writing concentrations of the low-residency MFA program at Western Colorado University's School of Graduate Studies. She is a poet, essayist, educator, and editor whose work intersects creative writing, environmental themes, and literary publishing.

• Education: M.F.A. in Creative Writing-Poetry from Eastern Washington University (2007), B.A. in English Literature and Education from Western Washington University (2002).

Her research and creative practice focuses on poetry, nature writing, memoir, and interdisciplinary approaches to environmental literature. She has received prestigious fellowships and residencies from institutions like the Sustainable Arts Foundation, Centrum, Artist Trust, and the H.J. Andrews Experimental Research Forest. Her editorial work includes co-editing Evergreen: Grim Tales & Verses From the Gloomy Northwest (Scablands Books) and co-authoring the textbook Advanced Poetry: A Writer’s Guide and Anthology (Bloomsbury).

Notable Publications:

• out takes/ glove box (2022 New American Poetry Prize winner)
• Raised by Ferns (memoir-in-essays, forthcoming 2026)
• The Wonder of Mushrooms (2025 AdventureKEEN publication)

She also teaches writing and publishing at Central Washington University and maintains an active role in outdoor education through collaborative projects like the H.J. Andrews Experimental Research Forest residency.